Moratorium on New Coastal Fishing Regulations.

This bill establishes a temporary pause on new rules that would restrict commercial and recreational fishing in North Carolina's coastal waters. It directly affects fishermen, seafood businesses, and anglers by preventing state agencies from lowering catch limits, shortening seasons, closing fishing areas, or adding new reporting and gear restrictions. The legislation also stops any changes to existing harvest quotas and restores recreational fishing regulations to the standards that were in place on January 1, 2019. These measures remain in effect until the state completes a comprehensive study on its fisheries and reviews the findings. The only exceptions allow for regulatory changes required by federal laws or conditions attached to federal funding.