Adjustment of 2020 Northern Albacore, North and South Atlantic Swordfish, and Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Reserve Category Quotas

NOAA Fisheries has adjusted the 2020 baseline quotas for North Atlantic albacore tuna (northern albacore), North and South Atlantic swordfish, as well as the Atlantic bluefin tuna Reserve category.  This action is based on the underharvest of 2019 adjusted U.S. quotas and limitations set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on what can be carried forward.

 The final 2020 adjusted quotas are:

• North Atlantic albacore tuna: 790.5 metric tons (mt) whole weight (ww)
• North Atlantic swordfish: 3,378.2 mt dressed weight (dw)
• South Atlantic swordfish: 75.2 mt dw
• Atlantic bluefin tuna Reserve category: 240.3 mt ww (as published in the Federal Register).

Note that during the process of filing this action with the Office of the Federal Register, NOAA Fisheries transferred 111.6 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the Reserve category to the General category (for the remainder of the September time period). The adjusted Reserve category quota as of October 1, 2020, is now 128.7 mt (i.e., the July 13 balance of 113 mt-111.6 mt+127.3 mt).

This action is effective through December 31, 2020.