🦈Atlantic Shark Workshops
Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in October, November, and December 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🎣Temporary Re-Opening of Blueline Tilefish Harvest in the South Atlantic
NMFS announces the re-opening of commercial harvest for blueline tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic through this temporary rule. The most recent data for commercial landings of blueline tilefish indicate the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2025 fishing year has not yet been reached. Therefore, NMFS re-opens the commercial sector to harvest blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ for 6 days. The purpose of this temporary rule is to allow for the commercial ACL of blueline tilefish to be harvested while managing the risk of exceeding the commercial ACL.
Learn More🐟Implications of New Fisheries Regulation on Yellowfin Sole Exchange
NMFS is exchanging allocations of Amendment 80 cooperative quota (CQ) for Amendment 80 acceptable biological catch (ABC) reserves. This action is necessary to allow the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of yellowfin sole in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI) to be harvested.
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🎣2025-2026 Subsistence Management Regulations for Alaska
This final rule revises regulations for fish and shellfish seasons, harvest limits, methods, and means related to taking of fish and shellfish for subsistence uses during the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (hereafter referred to as "the Board") is on a schedule of completing the process of revising subsistence taking of fish and shellfish regulations in odd- numbered years and subsistence taking of wildlife regulations in even- numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place during the preceding year. The Board also addresses customary and traditional use determinations during the applicable cycle. When final, the resulting rulemaking amends the existing subsistence fish and shellfish taking regulations. This final rule also revises the nonrural determinations, updates the regulations on subsistence taking of wildlife resulting from final Board action on a wildlife proposal to conduct an ANILCA section 804 user prioritization for hunting the Nelchina caribou herd, change Nelchina caribou herd subsistence hunts to "may be announced," and delegate authority to manage these hunts. Lastly, this rule corrects an error from a recent final rule.
Learn More🎣Temporary Closure of Pacific Cod Fishing in Gulf of Alaska
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Learn More🐋Regulations for Taking Endangered Marine Mammals in Fishing
NMFS is issuing a permit to authorize the incidental, but not intentional, take of specific Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed marine mammal species or stocks under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), in the Category II California (CA) thresher shark/swordfish drift gillnet (>=14 inch (in) mesh) fishery and the corresponding high seas component of the fishery defined on the MMPA List of Fisheries (LOF) as the Pacific highly migratory species drift gillnet fishery (hereinafter, collectively referred to as the CA thresher shark/ swordfish drift gillnet (>=14 in mesh)/Pacific highly migratory species drift gillnet fishery.
Learn More🎣New Fishing Restrictions for Tropical Tuna
NMFS is issuing regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) of 1950, as amended, to implement Resolution C-24-01 (Conservation Measures For Tropical Tunas In The Eastern Pacific Ocean During 2025-2026) adopted at the 102nd Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in September 2024. This final rule maintains and extends management measures for fishing vessels targeting tropical tuna (i.e., bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The fishing restrictions will apply to large purse seine vessels of class sizes 4-6 (i.e., vessels with a carrying capacity of 182 metric tons (mt) or greater) and longline vessels greater than 24 meters in overall length that fish for tropical tuna in the EPO. This rule is necessary for the conservation of tropical tuna stocks in the EPO and for the United States to satisfy its obligations as a member of the IATTC.
Learn More🐟Proposed Fishing Regulations for Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
NMFS proposes 2025-2026 specifications for the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This action proposes new 2025 and projected 2026 butterfish fishery specifications, and reaffirmed 2025 chub mackerel, Illex squid, longfin squid, and Atlantic mackerel fishery specifications. The proposed specifications are intended to establish allowable harvest levels that will prevent overfishing, consistent with the most recent scientific information. This action would also adjust the minimum square mesh size for directed butterfish trawl trips; account for a 2024 Atlantic mackerel annual catch limit overage (if applicable); and correct existing regulations.
Learn More🎣2025 Red Snapper Accountability Measure in Louisiana Fishing Regulations
Based on information provided by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), NMFS has determined that reported landings from Louisiana exceeded the state's 2024 regional management area private angling component annual catch limit (ACL) for Gulf red snapper. Therefore, NMFS reduces the Louisiana 2025 private angling component ACL. This reduction will remain in effect through the remainder of the current fishing year on December 31, 2025.
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