Atlantic Bluefin Quota Transfer and Seasonal Closure
As of 11:30pm on August 4th, 2021, fishing via the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category is closed. NOAA Fisheries announced the closure because the 277.9 mt subquota for June through August has been reached. The fishery will reopen on September 1st, 2021. Once reopened, fishermen with the correct permits may retain one fish per vessel per day. The closure affects: NOAA Fisheries is transferring 30mt of bluefin tuna from the Reserve Category to the Harpoon Category. The transfer increases the Harpoon quota to 78mt and leaves 138mt in Reserve. The transfer is in effect through November 15th, 2021 (or
Atlantic Bluefin December Subqota Adjustment
NOAA Fisheries transferred 19.5 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna from the Reserve Category to the General Category. This action will go into effect on December 1st, 2020 and continue for the remainder of the fishing year. As a result, the December 2020 subquota is increased to a total of 28.9 mt with the standard additional retention limit of only one fish per day per trip. Please note that this action applies only to vessels with a commercial Atlantic Tunas General category permit or Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category permit with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing
Modern Fish Act Signed Into Law
Courtesy of Jasen Gast – Rehab
The Modern Fish Act (MFA), signed into law at the end of 2018, is to improve recreational fishing landings data, increase allocation of fish to anglers by expanding access in mixed-use (commercial and recreational both targeting the same species) fisheries, re-evaluate limited access systems and provide greater flexibility to fishery managers. Flexibility is to be achieved by removing the current hard recovery deadlines (as “short as possible” and “not to exceed ten years”) and establishing recovery deadlines to be “as short as practicable.” Access for 11 million saltwater recreational anglers to fish is
Florida East Coast Closed Zone Will Remain Closed!
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is not issuing an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would open the east coast Florida closed zone to pelagic longline vessels for the stated purpose of conducting “research.” Thanks in large part to TBF’s efforts and to our constituency submitting comments to NOAA, this victory was achieved. This is a major accomplishment that will continue yielding conservation benefits to the fish and other marine resources, which will further support recreational fishing and boating opportunities that support a wide array of associated jobs. The decision comes after almost two years of effort
