NOAA Fisheries has transferred 19.5 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the
Reserve category to the General category for the remainder of the 2020 fishing year. This action
provides additional opportunity for General category fishermen to participate in the December
General category fishery, which reopens on December 1, 2020. The adjusted December 2020
subquota is 28.9 mt and the default retention limit of one fish per day/trip will apply.
Who is affected?
This action applies to commercial Atlantic Tunas General category permitted vessels and to
Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category 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
category 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.)
