🎣NOAA Fisheries Announces Peer Review for Fishing Effort Survey Model
NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology will host a two-day virtual workshop with the opportunity for partner and public comment for the independent peer review of the proposed Fishing Effort Survey (FES) calibration model methodology. The model is proposed for use to update the historical recreational fishing estimates produced using the FES to the scale of the improved FES anticipated for implementation in January 2026. Pending peer review results and associated next steps, calibrated estimates using the peer-reviewed calibration model are anticipated to be available for use in subsequent stock assessments and fisheries management decisions in spring 2026. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Learn More🎣Notice on Control Date for Northeastern Recreational Fisheries
This advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeks comment on the benefits or disadvantages of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) potentially recommending future restrictions for the federally permitted recreational for-hire fisheries for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. The Council requested NMFS establish a control date while managers consider if, and how, participation may be affected through the ongoing Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment. NMFS is informing the public of the new control date to promote awareness of the potential changes to eligibility criteria for future access and to discourage speculative entry into the Federal for-hire fisheries.
Learn More🎣New Regulations for Pacific Halibut Fisheries
NMFS announces inseason action for the Pacific halibut recreational fishery in the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A. This action adds fishing dates in August and September in the Columbia River and Washington subareas and transfers allocation from the Oregon Central Coast subarea to the Columbia River subarea. These actions are intended to provide opportunity for anglers and are necessary to achieve the overall recreational fishery allocation in the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) 2025 Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan.
Learn More🎣Increased Red Grouper Catch Limits
NMFS issues this final temporary rule to promulgate emergency measures, due to recently discovered circumstances to mitigate harmful economic conditions to red grouper fishermen in the Gulf of America (Gulf). As requested by the Gulf Council (Council), NMFS issues this final temporary rule to increase the Gulf red grouper catch limits for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year. The purpose of this emergency action is to allow for increased harvest opportunities in the commercial and recreational sectors, particularly by extending the recreational fishing season and increasing the revenue potential for commercial and charter vessel/headboat (for-hire) fishermen targeting red grouper.
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🎣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🎣New Retention Limits for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Effective July 2025
NMFS has determined, based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments, that the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) daily retention limit that applies to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/ Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally for BFT) should be adjusted for the remainder of 2025, or until further modified. NMFS is adjusting the Angling category BFT daily retention limit to: one BFT per vessel per day/trip that can measure anywhere from 27 inches (68.5 cm) to less than 73 inches (185 cm) curved fork length (CFL) for private vessels with HMS Angling permits, and two BFT per vessel per day/trip measuring 27 inches (68.5 cm) to less than 73 inches (185 cm) CFL, only one of which can be a large school/small medium-sized fish (47 inches (119 cm) to less than 73 inches (185 cm) CFL), for charter boat vessels and headboat vessels with HMS Charter/Headboat permits when fishing recreationally for BFT. If needed, NMFS could take another action later in the year to modify these retention limits or close the fishery. These retention limits are effective in all areas, except for the Gulf of America, where targeted fishing for BFT is prohibited.
Learn More🎣New Regulations on Red Snapper Fishing Impact Businesses
NMFS issues regulations to implement Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic (Snapper-Grouper FMP) (Amendment 59). For South Atlantic red snapper, this final rule revises the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACLs). Amendment 59 also revises the fishing mortality (F) at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) proxy for determining overfishing, overfishing limit (OFL), acceptable biological catch (ABC), and total ACL and sector ACLs for red snapper. For the 2025 fishing year, this final rule also announces the red snapper commercial and recreational fishing season dates in the South Atlantic. For red snapper, this final rule is intended to end and prevent overfishing and revise the catch limits consistent with the most recent stock assessment.
Learn More🎣Temporary Closure of Recreational Fishing for Chinook Salmon in Alaska
NMFS is prohibiting recreational fishing for Chinook salmon in the Cook Inlet exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Area. This action is necessary for the conservation of Cook Inlet Chinook salmon stocks that continue to be in a low state of abundance as assessed in the NMFS 2025 stock assessment and fisheries evaluation (SAFE) report and the 2025 State of Alaska forecasts of very low run strength.
Learn More🎣2025 Regulatory Changes for Pacific Halibut Fisheries Impacting Businesses
This final rule approves changes to the Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan (CSP) for the International Pacific Halibut Commission's (IPHC) regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, the rule implements new management measures for the 2025 recreational fisheries in Area 2A, including the recreational fishery season open dates and subarea allocations for Area 2A. This action also adds a new inseason management provision that explicitly allows for the inseason transfer of anticipated uncaught recreational fishery allocation from the Northern California subarea to the South of Point Arena subarea. These actions are intended to conserve Pacific halibut, while providing additional angler opportunity to achieve the Area 2A allocation set by the IPHC.
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