Revised 2020-2021 Atlantic Bluefish Specifications and Recreational Management Measures

The coastwide commercial quota is reduced to 2,766,801 pounds, and the recreational harvest limit is reduced to 9,482,082 pounds. There is no sector transfer this year because the recreational fishery is expected to fully attain its harvest limit.

This action also finalizes the interim recreational measures already in place for 2020 including a daily federal recreational bag limit of 3 fish per person for private anglers and 5 fish per person for for-hire (charter/party) vessels; no federal minimum fish size; and no federal recreational season (open all year).

Table 1 provides the revised commercial state allocations for 2020 and 2021. No states exceeded their allocated quota in 2019, so no accountability measures are implemented for the 2020 commercial fishing year.

Table 1. 2020-21 Bluefish State Commercial Quota Allocations, in pounds.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.