Amendment 13 – Atlantic Bluefin Individual Tuna Quota update

Amendment 13 to the HMS Fishery Management Plan – Bluefin Tuna Earlier in May 2022, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued its Final Environmental Impact Review (FEIR) of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) program that began in 2015, and other changes in the bluefin fisheries. The purse seine fishery has been essentially inactive since 2015 due to size limits that generated a lot of regulatory discards. The FEIR includes options for the Pelagic Longline Fishery, the Purse Seine, Harpoon, and Angling Category, which includes a division of the North Trophy area into two separate designated

Changes to the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna For the Angling Category Fishery

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced increases to all Fishing Categories and has now defined what those limitations are for the Angling Category. Several months prior, TBF requested the NMFS increase the allocation of Atlantic bluefin tuna to all segments within the Recreational Fishing Category and encouraged with this announcement.  The adjusted limits go into effect on May 6, 2022, and extend through December 31, 2022, unless modified by later action. The Gulf of Mexico Incidental Trophy Size Bluefin Category for anglers remains open at this time. The trophy bluefin fishery for the southern area is closed

INCREASES in Atlantic Bluefin Angling Category 

A few months back, TBF requested the NMFS increase the allocation of Atlantic bluefin tuna to all segments within the Recreational Fishing Category. In March 2022, the agency announced increases to all Fishing Categories following an increase in the total U.S. allocation agreed upon by the international fishery management Commission. The U.S. distribution among the Recreational Fishing Sub-Category are as follows. School Reserve – 5,467.64 lbs, North – 113,758.5 lbs., South 127,206.7 lbs. Large School/Small Medium North 110,451.6 lbs. & South 123,459 lbs. Trophy North, South, Gulf of MX – 4,312.24 lbs

Restricted Fishing Days for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

The National Marine Fisheries Service just announced a proposed rule that would establish a specific Restricted Fishing Day (RFD) schedule. Daily commercial bluefin tuna retention limits would be set to zero every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from July through November for the 2022 fishing year. Atlantic Tunas General category permitted vessels may not fish for (including catch-and-release and tag-and-release), possess, retain, land, or sell a bluefin tuna of any size class on an RFD. HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels MAY fish for, possess, retain, or land bluefin tuna recreationally under applicable HMS Angling category rules, but MAY NOT commercially fish

Recent Atlantic Bluefin Category Closure News

Just one day after the General Category closure, NMFS announced that on February 12, 2022, at 11:30 pm through December 31, 2022, the Southern Area Trophy Bluefin Fishery will be closed to angling.  The southern area is the area south of 39°18’N lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside the Gulf of Mexico. This closure applies to fishermen aboard Atlantic HMS Angling category and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally). The Southern Area will close based on the best available landings information, that the 1.8-mt Angling category southern area “trophy” bluefin tuna (measuring 73 inches or greater)

ICCAT Update – November 2021

The member nations, including the U.S., of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the international treaty fishery management organization for Atlantic highly migratory species, approved a two-year prohibition on landing mako sharks.  The U.S. will soon implement the prohibition. Whether this will add further to the Atlantic shark depredation of angler-caught fish is yet known. At the same recent ICCAT negotiations, an overall increase of 16% in the landing allocation (quota) for western Atlantic bluefin tuna was approved. The U.S. will be authorized to land an increase of between 4 to 5%. TBF continues

Changes Coming for Anglers on Atlantic Bluefin Tuna? 

Currently, the NMFS is considering making many changes to the fishery management plan for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) – Bluefin Tuna. Redistributing tonnage allocations to each managed Fishing Category, including the Angling Category, and modifying fishing areas are two of the potentially most impacting options. The Incidental recreational bluefin allocation of trophy-size fish in the Gulf of Mexico, which averages between 5-8 fish a season depending on weight, is most at risk since the Gulf of Mexico is a spawning ground. Though, spawning ground concerns seem to be dismissed in another option, which could authorize permitted Atlantic longline

Reallocation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna for Angling Category

The current proposed Amendment 13 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan may reallocate the U.S. Atlantic quota share of Bluefin Tuna among Fishing Categories (Angling, Longline, General, Purse Seine, Trap, Reserve). The Purse Seine category is being abolished and its tonnage reallocated since those vessels have landed any bluefin since 2015, due to regulatory size restraints, but their tonnage was leased to Longline Category vessels. The redistribution will result in slight increases in the Angling Category now spread over 4 sub-allocation areas instead of 3 with the division of the Northern area into two areas

Atlantic Bluefin Northern Area Trophy Fishery Closed to Angling

On May 11, 2021 at 11:30pm, the Northern Area Trophy Bluefin Fishery closed to angling. It will remain closed for the remainder of the year. The Northern Area is the area north of Great Egg Inlet, New Jersey. More specifically, it is the area north of 39°18’ N latitude. This closure applies to fishermen aboard Atlantic HMS Angling category and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally). The Northern Area closed because anglers met and exceeded the 1.8mt subquota of trophy bluefin tuna. These trophy bluefin are any bluefin 73″ or greater. However, angling for bluefin at least

Atlantic Billfish, Swordfish, and Tunas Landings Update

NOAA Fisheries announced landings updates for Atlantic swordfish, billfish, and tunas, which includes recreational billfish and bluefin tuna landings from January 1st through June 30, 2020. But swordfish and non-bluefin tuna landings are for the period of January 1 through July 31, 2020. In general, reported landings are down compared to the same time in 2019, except for Northern Albacore, whose landings are skyrocketing compared to 2019. Swordfish landings are almost exactly the same as last year, with an uptick in commercial bycatch offset by decreases in commercial and recreational targeted landings. Billfish are currently on par to stay