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Fishermen aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic tunas General and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat categories may not retain, possess, or land large medium or giant Atlantic bluefin tuna after 11:30 p.m. on August 9, 2019.
How long will the closure be in effect?
The General category bluefin tuna fishery will reopen on September 1, 2019.
Why is this change being made?
Based on the best available landing information, we project that the 277.9 mt subquota for June through August will be reached. As of August 6, reported landings total approximately 246 mt, and average daily catch rates are approximately 9.4 mt.
Who is affected?
This action applies to commercial General category permitted vessels and to HMS Charter/Headboat category permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for bluefin tuna.
Reporting
Dealers are required to submit landing reports within 24 hours of receiving a bluefin tuna. Late dealer reporting compromises NOAA Fisheries’ ability to implement actions such as quota and retention limit adjustments or fishery closures and may result in enforcement actions.
Additionally, and separate from the dealer reporter requirement, General category and HMS Charter/Headboat category vessel owners are required to report the catch of all bluefin tuna retained or discarded dead within 24 hours of the landing(s) or end of each trip by:
Catch and Release
All released bluefin tuna must be handled in a manner that will maximize survivability and without removing the fish from the water. Download the Careful Catch and Release brochure for more safe handling tips.
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