NOAA Fisheries has adjusted the Atlantic bluefin tuna General category December 2021
subquota by adding 15.5 metric tons (mt) of quota remaining from the adjusted September and October through November subquotas. The adjusted December 2021 subquota is 54.6 mt. NOAA Fisheries is also closing the General category fishery for the December time period, and thus for the remainder of 2021, effective 11:30 p.m. on December 14, 2021.
How long will the closure be in effect?
The General category bluefin tuna fishery will reopen on January 1, 2022, with the default daily retention limit of one fish per vessel.
Why is this change being made?
Based on the best available landings information, the adjusted 54.6-mt quota for the December time period is projected to be reached shortly.
Who is affected?
This action applies to all vessels permitted in the Atlantic Tunas General category and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for bluefin tuna).
Reporting
Atlantic Tunas General and HMS Charter/Headboat category vessel owners are required to report 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.).
This notice is a courtesy to fishery permit holders to help keep you informed about the fishery. Official notice of Federal fishery actions is made through filing such notice with the Office of the Federal Register.
For more information see the Federal Register Notice.
