East Coast Extreme Vessel Speed Reduction Update

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) have proposed a 10 mph speed limit for all vessels 35 feet and longer. While this proposal is still under review and has NOT yet been implemented, a 10 mph limit ALREADY applies to vessels 65 feet and longer as of […]

NOAA Increases Shark Retention Limits in the Gulf of Mexico

NOAA Fisheries increased the retention limits of large sharks in the Gulf of Mexico through the end of 2021. As of August 24th, fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico who operate under Shark Directed Limit Access Permits may retain up to 55 large coastal sharks per vessel per trip. Large coastal sharks (LCS) do not include sandbar sharks, but do include hammerhead and blacktips. This change increases retention from the previous limit of 45 LCS by an additional 10 per vessel per trip. In the Eastern Gulf of Mexico sub-region, this increase applies to sharks within the LCS, hammerhead