Topics Related to Education

As North Carolina’s only native trout, the brook trout is the official freshwater fish of our state and is near and dear to so many. Numerous generations of Western North Carolinians have grown up fishing for, or hearing about, “specks” (the name often used locally), while many anglers continue to travel to our mountains to fish and create their own stories. Approximately 370,000 anglers fished the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Public Mountain Trout Waters in 2022, which generated close to $1.4 billion for the state’s economy.

North Carolina is home to two new species of crayfish found only in Wilkes and Watauga counties in North Carolina – and nowhere else in the world. The species, the Stony Fork crayfish (Cambarus lapidosus) and the Falls crayfish (Cambarus burchfielae) are named for the small Yadkin River tributaries where they were first discovered. NCWRC biologists Michael Perkins and William Russ, along with NC Museum of Natural Sciences researcher Bronwyn Williams, published the study in late April in the journal Zootaxa. North Carolina now has 51 species of crayfish known from the state.

It’s a busy time of year for the North Carolina hunting community. Blackpowder and gun deer hunting seasons begin this month, as well as duck, bear, small game and other hunting seasons. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reminds hunters of the following firearm safety tips.