Rule2025-22209
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category December Fishery for 2025
Primary source
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Published
December 8, 2025
Effective
December 5, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS closes the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the December time period. The General category may only retain, possess, or land large medium and giant (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm)) curved fork length (CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery is open. This action applies to Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. During the closure, fishermen aboard General category permitted vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch- and-release and tag-and-release programs. On January 1, 2026, the fishery will reopen automatically.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 233 (Monday, December 8, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 233 (Monday, December 8, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 56695-56696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-22209]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 220919-0193; RTID 0648-XF331]
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Fisheries; Closure of the General Category December Fishery for 2025
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; closure.
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SUMMARY: NMFS closes the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin
tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the December time period. The General
category may only retain, possess, or land large medium and giant
(i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm)) curved fork length
(CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery is open. This action applies to
Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and
Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted
vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially
for BFT. During the closure, fishermen aboard General category
permitted vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag
and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-
and-release and tag-and-release programs. On January 1, 2026, the
fishery will reopen automatically.
DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time, December 5, 2025, through
December 31, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Williamson,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4627282868312f2a2a2f272b352928062829272768212930"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7f1e11115108161313161e120c10113f11101e1e51181009">[email protected]</span></a>, or Larry Redd, Jr., <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f69a9784848fd884939292b698999797d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="81ede0f3f3f8aff3e4e5e5c1efeee0e0afe6eef7">[email protected]</span></a>, by
email or phone at 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic BFT fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its amendments,
pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and consistent with
the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA; 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS
implementing regulations are at 50 CFR part 635. Section 635.27(a)
divides the U.S. BFT quota, established by the International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and as implemented by
the United States among the various domestic fishing categories, per
the allocations established in the HMS FMP and its amendments. NMFS is
required under the Magnuson-Stevens Act at 16 U.S.C. 1854(g)(1)(D) to
provide U.S. fishing vessels with a reasonable opportunity to harvest
quotas under relevant international fishery agreements such as the
ICCAT Convention, which is implemented domestically pursuant to ATCA.
Under Sec. 635.28(a)(1), NMFS files a closure action with the
Office of the Federal Register for publication when a BFT quota (or
subquota) is reached or is projected to be reached. Retaining,
possessing, or landing BFT under that quota category is prohibited on
or after the effective date and time of a closure action for that
category until the opening of the relevant subsequent quota period or
until such date as specified.
As described in Sec. 635.27(a), the current baseline U.S. BFT
quota is 1,316.14 metric tons (mt) (not including the 25 mt ICCAT
allocated to the United States to account for bycatch of BFT in pelagic
longline fisheries in the Northeast Distant Gear Restricted Area per
Sec. 635.27(a)(3)). The General category baseline quota is 710.7 mt.
The General category baseline quota is suballocated to time periods.
Relevant to this action, the baseline subquota for the December time
period is 37 mt. To date for 2025, NMFS published one action that
adjusted the General category December 2025 time period subquota to
16.5 mt (90 FR 2638, January 13, 2025).
Closure of the December 2025 BFT General Category Fishery
To date, reported landings for the BFT General category December
time period total 12.6 mt. As described above, the adjusted subquota
for the December time period is 16.5 mt. However, landings estimates
from 2024 indicate that the General, Harpoon, and Angling category
quotas were exceeded. Additionally, the 2025 General category January
through March time period subquota was exceeded. Thus, under Sec.
635.27(a)(9) and consistent with ICCAT requirements, in order to ensure
the overall U.S. quota is not exceeded, NMFS expects to take action at
a later date to reduce the various category quotas for 2025 consistent
with the estimated overharvest. While that action is not yet final,
NMFS must still consider the implications of reduced quotas for various
categories, including the General category. If both the 2024 and 2025
U.S. adjusted quotas are exceeded, under ICCAT requirements, the United
States could be required to pay back 125 percent of the second year's
(2025) overharvest in 2026.
Based on that consideration and the current landings data, as well
as average catch rates and anticipated fishing conditions, NMFS has
determined that the December time period subquota is projected to be
reached and exceeded shortly. Therefore, retaining, possessing, or
landing large medium or giant (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 cm) CFL
or greater) BFT by persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic
Tunas General category and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels
(while fishing commercially) must cease at 11:30 p.m., local time on
December 5, 2025.
Pursuant to Executive Order 14276, ``Restoring American Seafood
Competitiveness,'' (April 17, 2025), NMFS is making prudent efforts to
identify strategies to expand fishing opportunities within the
requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Should NMFS determine that
reasonable fishing opportunities are available at a later date, NMFS
may reopen the 2025 December fishery. The BFT General category will
automatically reopen January 1, 2026, for the 2026 fishing year January
through March time period. This action applies to Atlantic Tunas
General category (commercial) permitted vessels and HMS Charter/
Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when
fishing commercially for BFT and is taken consistent with the
regulations at Sec. 635.28(a)(1).
Monitoring and Reporting
NMFS will continue to monitor the BFT fisheries closely. Per Sec.
635.5(b)(2)(i)(A), dealers are required to submit landing reports
within 24 hours of a dealer receiving BFT. Late reporting by dealers
compromises NMFS' ability to timely implement actions such as quota and
retention limit adjustments, as well as closures, and may result in
enforcement actions. Additionally, and separate from the
[[Page 56696]]
dealer reporting requirement, General category and HMS Charter/Headboat
permitted vessel owners are required per Sec. 635.5(a)(4) to report
their own catch of all BFT retained or discarded dead within 24 hours
of the landing(s) or end of each trip, by accessing <a href="https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/home">https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/home</a>, using the HMS Catch Reporting app, or calling
888-872-8862 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Time).
After the fishery reopens on January 1, 2026, depending on the
level of fishing effort and catch rates of BFT, NMFS may determine that
adjustments are necessary to ensure available subquotas are not
exceeded in 2026 or to enhance scientific data collection from, and
fishing opportunities in, all geographic areas as specified under Sec.
635.27(a)(7). If needed, subsequent adjustments will be published in
the Federal Register. In addition, fishermen may access <a href="https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/home">https://hmspermits.noaa.gov/home</a>, for updates on quota monitoring and inseason
adjustments.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act (16 U.S.C. 1855(d)) and regulations at 50 CFR part 635 and
this action is exempt from review under Executive Order 12866.
The Assistant Administrator for NMFS (AA) finds that pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior notice of, and an
opportunity for public comment on, this action because it is
impracticable and contrary to the public interest for the following
reasons. Specifically, the regulations implementing the HMS FMP and
amendments provide for inseason retention limit adjustments and fishery
closures to respond to the unpredictable nature of BFT availability on
the fishing grounds, the migratory nature of this species, and the
regional variations in the BFT fishery. Providing prior notice and an
opportunity to comment is impracticable and contrary to the public
interest as this fishery is currently underway and, based on the most
recent landings information, the 2025 December subquota is projected to
be reached shortly. Delaying this action could result in BFT landings
that exceed the final 2025 General category quota, which may result in
future potential quota reductions for other BFT categories or the
General category quota, depending on the magnitude of a potential
December subquota overharvest. NMFS notes that the public had an
opportunity to comment on the underlying rulemakings that established
the U.S. BFT quota and the inseason adjustment and closure criteria.
For all of the above reasons, the AA also finds that pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(d)(3), there is good cause to waive the 30-day delay in
effective date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 4, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-22209 Filed 12-4-25; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 8, 2025.
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