Notice2026-05265
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Schedules for Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
Primary source
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Published
March 18, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2026. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted in 2026 and will be announced in a future notice. In addition, NMFS has implemented online recertification workshops for persons who have already taken an in-person training.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13011-13013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05265]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XF613]
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Schedules for Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release,
and Identification Workshops
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public workshops.
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SUMMARY: Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe
Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April,
May, and June of 2026. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required
to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and to maintain
valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop
is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for
vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline,
or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish
limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted in
2026 and will be announced in a future notice. In addition, NMFS has
implemented online recertification workshops for persons who have
already taken an in-person training.
DATES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held on
April 15, 2026 and June 17, 2026. The Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshops will be held on April 8, 2026, May 4, 2026,
and June 10, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in
Vero Beach, FL and Mt. Pleasant, SC. The Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshops will be held in Mt. Pleasant, SC, Fort Walton
Beach, FL, and Melville, NY.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Quintrell by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#06676868672877736f687274636a6a466869676728616970"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3a5b54545b144b4f53544e485f56567a54555b5b145d554c">[email protected]</span></a> or by phone at 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS)
fisheries (swordfish, sharks, tunas, and billfish) are managed under
the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and its
amendments pursuant to the authority of 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 (16
U.S.C. 971 et seq.). HMS implementing regulations are at 50 CFR part
635. Section 635.8 describes the requirements for the Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification
Workshops. The workshop schedules, registration information, and a list
of frequently asked questions regarding the Atlantic Shark
Identification and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification workshops
are available online at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-
highly-
[[Page 13012]]
migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops</a>.
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2008, Atlantic shark dealers have been prohibited
from receiving, purchasing, trading, or bartering for Atlantic sharks
unless a valid Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate is on
the premises of each business listed under the shark dealer permit that
first receives Atlantic sharks (71 FR 58057, October 2, 2006). Dealers
who attend and successfully complete a workshop are issued a
certificate for each place of business that is permitted to receive
sharks. These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years. Thus, certificates
that were initially issued in 2023 will expire in 2026.
Currently, permitted dealers may send a proxy to an Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshop. However, if a dealer opts to send a proxy, the
dealer must designate a proxy for each place of business covered by the
dealer's permit that first receives Atlantic sharks. Only one
certificate will be issued to each proxy. A proxy must be a person who
is currently employed by a place of business covered by the dealer's
permit; is a primary participant in the identification, weighing, and/
or first receipt of fish as they are offloaded from a vessel; and who
fills out dealer reports. Atlantic shark dealers are prohibited from
renewing a Federal shark dealer permit unless a valid Atlantic Shark
Identification Workshop certificate for each business location that
first receives Atlantic sharks has been submitted with the permit
renewal application. Additionally, a copy of a valid dealer or proxy
Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop certificate must be in any
trucks or other conveyances that are extensions of a dealer's place of
business.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
1. April 15, 2026, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Ocean Breeze Inn Vero Beach,
3384 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32963.
2. June 17, 2026, 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 300 Wingo Way,
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.
Registration
To register for a scheduled Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop,
please contact Angler Conservation Education at 386-682-0158. Pre-
registration is highly recommended, but not required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items
to the workshop:
1. Atlantic shark dealer permit holders must bring proof that the
attendee is an owner or agent of the business (such as articles of
incorporation), a copy of the applicable permit, and proof of
identification.
2. Atlantic shark dealer proxies must bring documentation from the
permitted dealer acknowledging that the proxy is attending the workshop
on behalf of the permitted Atlantic shark dealer for a specific
business location, a copy of the appropriate valid permit, and proof of
identification.
Workshop Objectives
The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops are designed to reduce
the number of unknown and improperly identified sharks reported in the
dealer reporting form and increase the accuracy of species-specific
dealer-reported information. Reducing the number of unknown and
improperly identified sharks will improve quota monitoring and the data
used in stock assessments. These workshops will train shark dealer
permit holders or their proxies to properly identify Atlantic shark
carcasses.
Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops
Since January 1, 2007, shark limited access and swordfish limited
access permit holders who fish with longline or gillnet gear have been
required to submit a copy of their Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop certificate in order to renew either permit (71
FR 58057, October 2, 2006). These certificate(s) are valid for 3 years.
Certificates issued in 2023 will expire in 2026. As such, vessel owners
who have not already attended a workshop and received a NMFS
certificate, or vessel owners whose certificate(s) will expire prior to
the next permit renewal, must attend a workshop to fish with, or renew,
their swordfish and shark limited access permits. Additionally, new
shark and swordfish limited access permit applicants who intend to fish
with longline or gillnet gear must attend a Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop and submit a copy of their workshop certificate
before either of the permits will be issued.
In addition to vessel owners, at least one operator on board
vessels issued a limited access swordfish or shark permit that uses
longline or gillnet gear is required to attend a Safe Handling,
Release, and Identification Workshop and receive a certificate. Vessels
that have been issued a limited access swordfish or shark permit and
that use longline or gillnet gear may not fish unless both the vessel
owner and operator have valid workshop certificates on board at all
times. Vessel operators who have not already attended a workshop and
received a NMFS certificate, or vessel operators whose certificate(s)
will expire prior to their next fishing trip, must attend a workshop to
operate a vessel with swordfish and shark limited access permits on
which longline or gillnet gear is used.
Workshop Dates, Times, and Locations
1. April 8, 2026, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 300 Wingo Way,
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464.
2. May 4, 2026, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 1297 Miracle
Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548.
3. June 10, 2026, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Hilton Long Island, 598 Broad
Hollow Road, Melville, NY 11747.
Registration
To register for a scheduled Safe Handling, Release, and
Identification Workshop, please contact Angler Conservation Education
at 386-682-0158. Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not
required.
Registration Materials
To ensure that workshop certificates are linked to the correct
permits, participants will need to bring the following specific items
with them to the workshop:
1. Individual vessel owners must bring a copy of the appropriate
swordfish and/or shark permit(s), a copy of the vessel registration or
documentation, and proof of identification.
2. Representatives of a business-owned or co-owned vessel must
bring proof that the individual is an agent of the business (such as
articles of incorporation), a copy of the applicable swordfish and/or
shark permit(s), and proof of identification.
3. Vessel operators must bring proof of identification.
Workshop Objectives
The Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops are
designed to teach the owner and operator of a vessel that fishes with
longline or gillnet gear the required techniques for the safe handling
and release of entangled and/or hooked protected species, such as sea
turtles, marine mammals, smalltooth
[[Page 13013]]
sawfish, Atlantic sturgeon, and prohibited sharks. In an effort to
improve reporting, the proper identification of protected species and
prohibited sharks will also be taught at these workshops. Additionally,
individuals attending these workshops will gain a better understanding
of the requirements for participating in these fisheries. The overall
goal of these workshops is to provide participants with the skills
needed to reduce the mortality of protected species and prohibited
sharks, which may prevent additional regulations on these fisheries in
the future.
Online Recertification Workshops
NMFS implemented an online option for shark dealers and owners and
operators of vessels that fish with longline and gillnet gear to renew
their certificates in December 2021. To be eligible for online
recertification workshops, dealers and vessel owners and operators need
to have previously attended an in-person workshop. Information about
the courses is available online at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-shark-identification-workshops</a> and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/safe-handling-release-and-identification-workshops</a>. To access
the course please visit: <a href="https://hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start">https://hmsworkshop.fisheries.noaa.gov/start</a>.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 16, 2026.
David R. Blankinship,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-05265 Filed 3-17-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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