Rule2026-15878
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the Angling Category Gulf of Maine Area Trophy Fishery for 2026
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 5, 2026
Effective
August 4, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NMFS closes the Angling category Gulf of Maine area fishery for large medium and giant ("trophy" (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm)) curved fork length or greater)) Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT). This action applies to Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing recreationally.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 149 (Wednesday, August 5, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 5, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 50483-50484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-15878]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
[Docket No. 220919-0193; RTID 0648-XF816]
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Fisheries; Closure of the Angling Category Gulf of Maine Area Trophy
Fishery for 2026
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 Angling category Gulf of Maine area fishery
for large medium and giant (``trophy'' (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185
centimeters (cm)) curved fork length or greater)) Atlantic bluefin tuna
(BFT). This action applies to Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling
and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing recreationally.
DATES: Effective 11:30 p.m., local time, August 4, 2026, through
December 31, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay Mullins,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e88481868c9b8991c6859d848481869ba886878989c68f879e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="107c797e746371693e7d657c7c797e63507e7f71713e777f66">[email protected]</span></a>, or Larry Redd, Jr., <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#34585546464d1a46515050745a5b55551a535b42"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4e222f3c3c37603c2b2a2a0e20212f2f60292138">[email protected]</span></a> by
email, or by phone at 301-427-8503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic BFT fisheries are managed under the
2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (HMS 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.). ATCA is the implementing statute for binding recommendations
of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
(ICCAT). The HMS FMP and its amendments are implemented by regulations
at 50 CFR part 635. Section 635.27(a) divides the U.S. BFT quota,
established by 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 notice 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
and after the effective date and time of a closure notice for that
category, for the remainder of the fishing year, until the opening of
the subsequent quota period or until such date as specified.
Every year, the BFT fishing year starts on January 1 and ends on
December 31. The Angling category opens on January 1 and continues
through December 31 or until the applicable quota or subquota is
reached or projected to be reached, whichever comes first. 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
Angling category baseline quota is 297.4 mt, of which 9.2 mt (3.1
percent of the annual Angling category quota) is sub-allocated for the
harvest of large medium and giant (trophy) BFT by vessels fishing under
the Angling category quota, with 2.3 mt (25 percent of the annual large
medium and giant BFT Angling category quota) allocated for each of the
following areas: north of 42[deg] N latitude (lat.) (the Gulf of Maine
area); south of 42[deg] N lat. and north of 39[deg]18' N lat. (the
southern New England area); south of 39[deg]18' N lat. and outside of
the Gulf of America (the southern area); and the Gulf of America
region. Trophy BFT measure 73 inches (185 cm) curved fork length or
greater. This closure action applies to the Gulf of Maine area.
Separate from this action, NMFS published a proposed rulemaking
that would implement the 2025 ICCAT recommendation (Recommendation 25-
05) regarding western BFT management (91 FR 24789, May 7, 2026).
Consistent with the recommendation, that proposed rule would increase
the baseline U.S. BFT quota from 1,316.14 to 1,509.98 mt and adjust all
the subquotas accordingly. In that proposed rule, the Angling category
baseline quota would increase from 297.4 to 341.3 mt and each trophy
area subquota would increase from 2.3 to 2.6 mt. The comment period on
that proposed rule ended on June 8, 2026. Any final rule implementing
ICCAT Recommendation 25-05 would likely be effective in mid-2026 or
later.
Angling Category Trophy Bluefin Tuna Gulf of Maine Area Fishery Closure
Based on landings data from the NMFS Automated Catch Reporting
System, as well as average catch rates and anticipated fishing
conditions, NMFS has determined the Angling category Gulf of Maine area
trophy BFT subquota of 2.3 mt has been reached and exceeded. Therefore,
retaining, possessing, or landing large medium or giant (i.e.,
measuring 73 inches (185 cm) curved fork length or greater) BFT in the
Gulf of Maine trophy area by persons aboard HMS Angling and HMS
Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally) must
cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on August 4, 2026. This closure will
remain effective through December 31, 2026. This action applies to HMS
Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing
recreationally for BFT and is taken consistent with the regulations at
Sec. 635.28(a)(1). This action is intended to prevent further
overharvest of the Angling category Gulf of Maine area trophy BFT
subquota. NMFS previously
[[Page 50484]]
closed all of the other BFT trophy areas (91 FR 1461, January 14, 2026;
91 FR 30247, May 22, 2026; and 91 FR 40898, July 6, 2026). Therefore,
with this closure of the Gulf of Maine area trophy BFT fishery, the
Angling category trophy BFT fishery will be closed in all areas for
2026.
If needed to ensure available quotas or subquotas are not exceeded
or to enhance fishing opportunities, subsequent Angling category
adjustments or closures will be published in the Federal Register per
Sec. Sec. 635.27(a)(7) and 635.28(a)(1). Information regarding the
Angling category fishery for Atlantic tunas, including daily retention
limits for BFT measuring 27 inches (68.5 cm) to less than 73 inches
(185 cm), and any further Angling category adjustments, is available at
<a href="https://hmspermits.noaa.gov">https://hmspermits.noaa.gov</a>. During a closure, fishermen aboard HMS
Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing
recreationally may continue to catch and release (or tag and release)
BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-and-release
and tag-and-release programs at Sec. 635.26. All BFT that are released
must be handled in a manner that will maximize survival, and without
removing the fish from the water, consistent with requirements at Sec.
635.21(a)(1). For additional information on safe handling, see the
``Careful Catch and Release'' brochure available at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/outreach-and-education/careful-catch-and-release-brochure/">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/outreach-and-education/careful-catch-and-release-brochure/</a>.
Monitoring and Reporting
NMFS will continue to monitor the BFT fisheries closely. Per Sec.
635.5(c)(1), HMS Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessel
owners are required to report the 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">https://hmspermits.noaa.gov</a>, using the HMS Catch Reporting
app, or calling (888) 872-8862 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until
4:30 p.m. ET).
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. Specifically, the
regulations implementing the HMS FMP and its 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 for prior notice and 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 Angling category Gulf of Maine area trophy BFT fishery subquota has
been reached and exceeded. Delaying this action could result in further
excessive trophy BFT landings that may result in future potential quota
reductions for the Angling category, depending on the magnitude of a
potential Angling category overharvest. NMFS must close the Gulf of
Maine area trophy BFT fishery before additional landings of these sizes
of BFT occur. Taking this action does not raise conservation and
management concerns and would support effective management of the BFT
fishery. 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 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
effectiveness.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 3, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-15878 Filed 8-3-26; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 5, 2026.
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