🐟Fishing Closure for Pacific Cod in Alaska Effective March 2025
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels greater than or equal to 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2025 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to catcher vessels greater than or equal to 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using pot gear in the BSAI.
Learn More🎣Temporary Closure of Pacific Cod Fishing in Alaska's Gulf of Alaska
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod by vessels using pot gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Learn More🦈2025 Atlantic Shark Workshops
Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in April, May, and June of 2025. 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 2025 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.
Learn More🎣Regulation on Pacific Cod Fishing in Alaska's Exclusive Economic Zone
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 meters (m)) length overall (LOA) using hook-and-line or pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2025 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to catcher vessels less than 60 feet (18.3 m) LOA using hook-and-line or pot gear in the BSAI.
Learn More🎣Notice of Amendment 35 to Pacific Coast Fishery Management Plan
NMFS announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council (referred to as "the Council") has submitted amendment 35 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (PCGFMP) to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If approved, amendment 35 would define stocks that are in need of conservation and management, consistent with the provisions and guidelines of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Amendment 35 would define stocks for eight species within the fishery management unit. These species were prioritized because they are scheduled for stock assessments in 2025 or in 2027. Amendment 35 is necessary for NMFS to make stock status determinations, which in turn will help prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, and achieve optimum yield. Amendment 35 is administrative in nature and does not change harvest levels or timing and location of fishing, nor does it revise the goals and objectives or the management frameworks of the PCGFMP.
Learn More🎣Temporary Fishing Closure for Pacific Cod in Gulf of Alaska
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2025 total allowable catch of Pacific cod by catcher vessels using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Learn More🎣New England Fishery Management Council Public Meeting Notice
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a hybrid meeting of its Groundfish Joint Committee and Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.
Learn More🐟New England Fishery Management Council Public Meeting Announcement
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public hybrid meeting of its Joint Skate and Monkfish Advisory Panels to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.
Learn More🎣Public Meeting on Fishery Stock Assessments by NOAA
The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) and the NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center will convene a virtual pre- assessment workshop to review proposed data and modeling approaches to inform groundfish stock assessments for rougheye/blackspotted rockfish and sablefish scheduled for assessment during 2025. The workshop is open to the public.
Learn More🐟Gulf of Mexico Fishery Council Public Meeting Announcement
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a second Recreational Initiative Public Engagement Workshop via webinar.
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