🎣2025-2026 Hunting & Fishing Regulations for Wildlife Refuges
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), open or expand hunting or sport fishing opportunities on 16 National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) stations and 1 National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS) station. This includes inaugural hunting opportunities at Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the newest addition to the NWRS, and the formal opening of hunting opportunities at Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA), as well as inaugural sport fishing at North Attleboro National Fish Hatchery (NFH). These actions open or expand 42 opportunities for hunting and fishing across more than 87,000 acres of Service-managed lands and waters. We also make administrative changes to existing station-specific regulations to improve the clarity and accuracy of regulations, reduce the regulatory burden on the public, and comply with a Presidential mandate for plain- language standards.
Learn More🐟Upcoming Public Meeting on Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Joint Spiny Dogfish Committee will hold a public meeting.
Learn More🎣Pacific Mackerel Harvest Specifications for 2025-2027
NMFS proposes to implement annual harvest specifications and management measures for Pacific mackerel in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the West Coast for the fishing year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, and the fishing year July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. These specifications include overfishing limits (OFL), allowable biological catch (ABC), annual catch limits (ACL), harvest guidelines (HG), and annual catch targets (ACT) for each respective fishing year. If the fishery attains the ACT for either fishing year, 8,143 metric tons (mt) for 2025-2026 or 9,448 mt for 2026-2027, the directed fishery will close, reserving the 1,000-mt difference between the HG and ACT as a set-aside for incidental landings in other coastal pelagic species (CPS) fisheries and other sources of mortality. The HG is 9,143 mt for 2025-2026 and 10,448 mt for 2026-2027. This rulemaking is made pursuant to the CPS Fishery Management Plan (FMP), and is intended to conserve and manage the Pacific mackerel stock off the U.S. West Coast.
Learn More🎣New Fishing Regulations for Scamp and Yellowmouth Grouper
NMFS proposes regulations to implement Amendment 55 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This proposed rule would remove yellowmouth grouper from the other South Atlantic shallow water grouper (other SASWG) complex and establish a new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex. This proposed rule would establish catch levels, sector management measures, and accountability measures (AM) for the new scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex and establish catch levels for the revised other SASWG complex. In addition, Amendment 55 would establish a rebuilding plan, sector allocations, and status determination criteria (SDC) for the scamp and yellowmouth grouper complex. The purpose of this proposed rule and Amendment 55 is to rebuild the scamp and yellowmouth grouper stock, and achieve optimum yield (OY) while minimizing, to the extent practicable, adverse social and economic effects.
Learn More🐟Proposed Regulation
NMFS is proposing changes to regulations to implement the binding International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Recommendation 24-12 on mobulid rays of the family Mobulidae, which was adopted in 2024. Specifically, NMFS is proposing to prohibit retention of mobulid rays in fisheries for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS), to require mobulid rays to be released unharmed in HMS fisheries, and to implement mobulid ray handling practices for vessels fishing with pelagic longline gear.
Learn More🛥️Insights on Capital Construction Fund and Regulatory Compliance
The Department of Commerce announces a public comment request regarding the Capital Construction Fund Agreement and associated forms, emphasizing compliance with reporting requirements for the fishing industry. This program allows participants to defer taxable income for qualified vessel construction while outlining the obligations related to deposits and withdrawals.
Learn More🎣Closure of Gulf of Maine Trophy Tuna Fishery for 2025
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 (CFL) or greater)) Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year. The Gulf of Maine area trophy fishery is defined as north of lat. 42[deg] N. This action applies to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing recreationally for BFT. In addition to this closure, NMFS, through a separate action, is simultaneously closing the Angling category fishery for school and large school/small medium (i.e., measuring 27 inches (68.5 cm) to less than 73 inches (185 cm) CFL) BFT. As a result of these closure actions, the Angling category fishery for BFT of all size classes is closed for the remainder of the year.
Learn More📊Greater Atlantic Region Logbook Information Collection Notice
The Department of Commerce, through NOAA, is requesting public comments on an information collection for the Greater Atlantic Region Logbook Family of Forms. This request for review involves regulatory changes related to marine fisheries management, focusing on data collection crucial for compliance and resource conservation efforts.
Learn More🎣Inseason Adjustments to Sablefish Fishing Regulations for 2025
This final rule announces routine inseason adjustments to management measures in commercial groundfish fisheries. These inseason adjustments will increase sablefish trip limits in the limited entry fixed gear and open access groundfish fisheries to allow more attainment of sablefish within the sector allocations. This action is intended to allow commercial fishing vessels to access more abundant groundfish stocks while protecting overfished and depleted stocks.
Learn More🐟Temporary Fishing Closure for Pacific Ocean Perch in Alaska Waters
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific ocean perch in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2025 total allowable catch of Pacific ocean perch in the West Yakutat District of the GOA.
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