Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category (Commercial) Quota Transfer

NOAA Fisheries has transferred 20.5 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the General category December 2023 time period to the January through March 2023 time period. This action provides further opportunities for General category fishermen to participate in the January through March General category fishery, which began on January 1, 2023. The adjusted January through March 2023 subquota is 58.2 mt and the adjusted December 2023 subquota is 16.5 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.).