Final Rule for the 2023 Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Specifications
Summary
NOAA Fisheries is implementing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended catch specifications for the 2023 bluefish fishery. These catch limits are largely unchanged from what was previously projected for fishing year 2023, with adjustments to the final recreational harvest limit to account for a 2021 recreational sector overage, and the most recent (2021) recreational discard data available. The final 2023 specifications are shown below in Table 1.
| Overfishing Limit | 45.17 |
|---|---|
| Acceptable Biological Catch | 30.62 |
| Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) | 4.29 |
| Recreational ACL | 26.34 |
| Recreational Accountability Measures | 5.59 |
| Recreational Discards | 6.64 |
| Commercial Total Allowable Landings (TAL) | 4.29 |
| Recreational TAL | 14.11 |
| Sector Transfer | 0 |
| Commercial Quota | 4.29 |
| Recreational Harvest Limit | 14.11 |
*Specifications are derived from the ABC in metric tons (mt). When values are converted to millions of pounds the numbers may slightly shift due to rounding. The conversion factor used is 1 mt = 2204.6226 lb.
The commercial fishery state allocations for 2023 (Table 2) are unchanged from what was previously projected. No states exceeded their state-allocated quota in 2021 or 2022, so no adjustments are necessary for the 2023 commercial fishery.
| State | Percent Share | Quota (pounds) |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | 0.51 | 21,807 |
| New Hampshire | 0.36 | 15,331 |
| Massachusetts | 7.69 | 329,578 |
| Rhode Island | 7.61 | 326,165 |
| Connecticut | 1.22 | 52,094 |
| New York | 13.06 | 560,031 |
| New Jersey | 14.54 | 623,295 |
| Delaware | 1.48 | 63,572 |
| Maryland | 2.69 | 115,409 |
| Virginia | 10.16 | 435,625 |
| North Carolina | 32.05 | 1,374,077 |
| South Carolina | 0.05 | 2,344 |
| Georgia | 0.04 | 1,544 |
| Florida | 8.55 | 366,585 |
| Total | 100.01 | 4,287,109 |
All other management measures and requirements remain unchanged, including the recreational daily bag limit of three fish per person for private anglers and five fish per person for for-hire (charter/party) vessels.