🎣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.
Learn More🎣2025 Recreational Harvest Closure for Gulf Gag Explained
NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for the gag recreational sector in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf for the 2025 fishing year. NMFS has projected that the 2025 recreational annual catch target (ACT) for gag will be reached by September 15, 2025. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for Gulf gag on September 15, 2025, and it will remain closed through the end of the fishing year on December 31, 2025. This closure is necessary to protect the Gulf gag resource.
Learn More🎣Analysis of Exempted Fishing Permits for Snapper-Grouper Fishery
NMFS announces the receipt of two applications for exempted fishing permits (EFPs) from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). If granted, the EFPs would authorize limited recreational harvest of red snapper outside of any Federal recreational season in South Atlantic Federal waters and exempt that harvest from the red snapper recreational bag and possession limits, recreational annual catch limits (ACLs), general reporting requirements for charter vessels and headboats, and accountability measures (AMs). FWC's projects are intended to test alternative recreational management strategies that could be used by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) to reduce the number of discards of red snapper and other federally managed snapper-grouper species, create additional opportunities to participate in sustainable recreational harvest, and improve angler satisfaction.
Learn More🎣New Regulation on Pacific Halibut Charter Fishing Stamps
This final rule authorizes fee collection for the Recreational Quota Entity (RQE) Program. A charter halibut stamp (stamp) is required under this final rule for every charter vessel angler, 18 years of age or older, for each charter vessel fishing trip in a given calendar day, or each calendar day during a charter vessel fishing trip that spans multiple days, who intends to catch and retain halibut on a charter vessel in International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) regulatory areas 2C in Southeast Alaska and 3A in South Central Alaska. Persons who hold charter halibut permits (CHPs) must purchase electronic stamps from NMFS. Charter vessel guides are required to validate a stamp for each adult charter vessel angler intending to catch and retain halibut on a charter vessel fishing trip. This final rule is necessary to promote stability and economic viability in the charter halibut fishery and is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (Halibut Act), and other applicable laws.
Learn More🐟Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting Announcement
The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting.
Learn More🎣Notice on Overfishing of Atlantic Blue Marlin by NOAA
This action serves as a notice that NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has found that Atlantic blue marlin continues to be overfished. NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary, is required to provide this notice whenever it determines that a stock or stock complex is subject to overfishing, overfished, or approaching an overfished condition.
Learn More🎣2025 Black Sea Bass Recreational Fishing Measures and Regulations
NMFS announces Federal management measures are waived for the 2025 black sea bass recreational fishery. The implementing regulations for this fishery require NMFS to publish recreational measures for the fishing year and to provide an opportunity for public comment. The intent of this action is to approve conservation equivalency and set management measures that allow this recreational fishery to achieve, but not exceed, the recreational harvest target and thereby prevent overfishing.
Learn More🎣2025 Pacific Whiting TAC and Allocation Regulations Overview
This final rule announces the 2025 U.S. Total Allowable Catch of Pacific whiting and implements the domestic 2025 harvest specifications for Pacific whiting fisheries off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California (collectively, the West Coast), including the 2025 Tribal allocation for the Pacific whiting fishery, the non-Tribal fishery Harvest Guideline and sector allocations, and a set-aside for research activities and incidental mortality in non- groundfish fisheries. These 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🎣New Triggerfish Management Regulations Affecting Puerto Rico's Fisheries
NMFS issues this final rule to implement management measures described in Framework Action 3 under the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan (FMP) (Framework Action 3). Specifically, this final rule modifies the annual catch limits (ACLs) for the triggerfish stock complex in Federal waters off Puerto Rico. The purpose of this final rule and Framework Action 3 is to update management reference points for the triggerfish stock complex under the Puerto Rico FMP consistent with the most recent stock assessment to prevent overfishing and achieve optimum yield (OY).
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