A spawning site off of the North Carolina coast is one of five locations selected to help in efforts to rebuild declining stocks in the snapper-grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council met Sept. 14-18 at Hilton Head, S.C., and identified the sites to be considered for final designation as Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZs).

The council recently held a series of public hearings on a proposal to establish up to nine SMZs off the coast from North Carolina to eastern Florida to protect valuable spawning sites.

While bottom fishing for the snapper-grouper species would be prohibited in the zones, activities such as trolling for tuna, dolphin and billfish would still be allowed.

There were four proposed sites off the North Carolina coast ranging in size from 1-2 square miles to a proposed site of 4-12 square miles.

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