🦈NOAA Initiates 5-Year Reviews for Endangered Elasmobranch Species
NMFS announces the initiation of 5-year reviews of six foreign elasmobranch species: Argentine angelshark (Squatina argentina), spiny angelshark (S. guggenheim), narrownose smoothhound shark (Mustelus schmitti), striped smoothhound shark (M. fasciatus), common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos), and blackchin guitarfish (R. cemciculus). The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires us to conduct a review of listed species at least once every 5 years to determine whether a species should be removed from the list (i.e., delisted), reclassified from an endangered species to a threatened species (i.e., downlisted), or reclassified from a threatened species to an endangered species (i.e., uplisted). The determination must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. Therefore, we request relevant data (e.g., biology, threats, and conservation efforts) that have become available since the previous reviews of these species.
Learn More🎣Regulatory Changes for Pacific Coast Groundfish Fisheries Management
This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial and recreational groundfish fisheries. This action is intended to allow commercial and recreational fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.
Learn More🐟NOAA Meeting on Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management
NMFS will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) meeting via webinar in May 2025. The intent of the meeting is to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic HMS. The meeting is open to the public.
Learn More🦪Closure of Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Area
NMFS announces the closure of the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallop Management Area for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year. After reviewing final harvest information, the area may be reopened by Framework 39, if approved, for Limited Access General Category vessels. Subject to specific enumerated exceptions, possession, retention, or landing of scallops is prohibited in the NGOM Scallop Management Area once the Regional Administrator publishes a notification in the Federal Register that the NGOM Set-Aside has been reached. This action is intended to prevent the overharvest of the 2025 NGOM Set-Aside.
Learn More🎣Proposed Regulation on Pacific Whiting Tribal Allocation for 2025
NMFS issues this proposed rule to establish the 2025 Tribal allocation of Pacific whiting and set-aside of Pacific whiting for research and incidental mortality in non-groundfish fisheries. The proposed measures are intended to help prevent overfishing, achieve optimum yield, ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available, and provide for the implementation of Tribal treaty fishing rights.
Learn More🐬Permit Application for Marine Mammal Photography – NOAA Notice
Notice is hereby given that Jacob Steinberg, CosmoVision Media Group, 64 Kenilworth Drive East, Stamford, CT 06902, has applied in due form for a permit to conduct commercial and educational photography on marine mammals.
Learn More🎣Corrections to Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Regulations
NMFS is correcting the 2025-2026 harvest specifications and management measures for groundfish caught in the U.S. exclusive economic zone seaward of Washington, Oregon, and California published on December 16, 2024. These corrections are necessary to accurately implement the 2025-2026 specifications. This correcting amendment revises regulations to fully implement the recombination of shortspine thornyheads north and south of 34[deg]27' N lat., by clarifying the coastwide quota share (QS) and quota pound (QP) accumulation limits are the same as the area-specific limits but are now managed coastwide. This correction also revises the limited entry trip limits for shortspine thornyheads and sablefish, which were mis-specified in table 2b (South). Finally, this correction also fixes an amendatory instruction intended to correct instances of "Nontrawl" to "Non- trawl".
Learn More🐟Cost Recovery Fee Notice for Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program
NMFS publishes the standard ex-vessel prices and fee percentage for cost recovery under the Central Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Rockfish Program (Rockfish Program). This action is intended to provide participants in a rockfish cooperative with the standard prices and fee percentage for the 2024 fishing year, which was authorized from May 1 through November 15. The fee percentage is 3.00 percent. The fee payments were due from each rockfish cooperative on or before February 15, 2025.
Learn More🎣Analysis of Exempted Fishing Permits and Business Implications
The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow federally permitted fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by the Northeast Seafood Coalition, in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF). Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
Learn More🎣NMFS Opens Fishing for Pacific Cod in Alaska's BSAI Management Area
NMFS is opening directed fishing for Pacific cod by American Fisheries Act (AFA) trawl catcher/processors (CPs) in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). This action is necessary to fully use the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod allocated to AFA trawl CPs in the BSAI.
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