Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category (Commercial) Quota Transfer

NOAA Fisheries is transferring 125 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the
Reserve category to the General category for the remainder of the October through November
time period. This action accounts for an accrued overharvest of 23.5 mt from previous time
period subquotas and provides further opportunities for General category fishermen to participate
in the October through November General category fishery, which opened on October 1, 2022.
The adjusted October through November 2022 subquota is 177.9 mt.

Who is affected?

This action applies to commercial Atlantic Tunas General category permitted vessels and to
Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale
endorsement when fishing commercially for bluefin tuna.

Catch reporting

Dealers are required to submit landing reports within 24 hours of receiving 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.
Separate from the dealer reporting requirement, General category and HMS Charter/Headboat
permitted 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:

• Accessing the HMS Permit Shop.
• Using the HMS Catch Reporting app.
• Calling 888-872-8862 (Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.)