Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Retention Adjustment
NOAA has announced big changes in daily retention limits for bluefin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean. These changes increase retention for those operating with an HMS Angling permit or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit when fishing recreationally in the Atlantic. Anglers may still catch/tag and release bluefin tuna of all sizes. Please note that these changes do not apply to the Gulf of Mexico, in which targeted fishing for bluefin tuna is prohibited. The adjusted limits go into effect on May 2, 2020, and extend through December 31, 2020, unless modified by a later action. Angling category and HMS
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Closure
The Angling Category for trophy Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Southern Area (the area south of Great Egg Inlet, New Jersey, 39°18’N lat) has already reached its 1.8 mt subquota, effectively and immediately closing it for the remainder of 2020. This means that no vessels with recreational Atlantic HMS Angling or Charter/Headboat permits may retain, possess, or land Atlantic bluefin tuna greater than 73 inches until 2021. Anglers may still land, possess, and retain bluefin tuna that are at least 27 inches, but less than 73 inches, in this area. Catch and release, as well as tag and release
Atlantic Swordfish and Bluefin Landings Update
NOAA Fisheries announced landings updates for Atlantic swordfish and bluefin tuna. This update includes all fish landed between January 1st and October 31st of this year. For swordfish, a total of 835.2 metric tons dressed weight (mt dw) has been landed, totaling 28.4% of the 2,937.6 mt dw baseline quota for 2019. Of this, 791.2 mt dw has been caught intentionally by commercial fisheries, 7.4 mt dw has been reported as commercial bycatch, and 36.6 mt dw has been caught by recreational anglers. At this time in 2018, only 606.9 mt dw had been landed, resulting in a 228.3
New Quota Adjustments for Swordfish, Albacore Tuna, and Bluefin Tuna
NOAA Fisheries announced new 2019 baseline quotas for North Atlantic albacore tuna, North and South Atlantic swordfish, and Atlantic bluefin tuna (reserve category). These updates come as a result of underharvest of these species in 2018, moving the underutilized quota for 2018 to be available for 2019 use. The new quotas are as follows: Key: mt = metric tons, ww = whole weight, dw = dressed weight Note: The South Atlantic swordfish transfer is handled differently from the rest. No U.S. fishermen caught any South Atlantic swordfish in 2018, so the entire 75.1 mt dw was transferred to the
