Notices and Rules
Modifications to Other Shallow Water Grouper Complex Management Measures
This action would reduce catch limits for the Other SWG complex (scamp, yellowmouth grouper, black grouper, yellowfin grouper) in the Gulf and establish a fixed closed season for the recreational sector constrain SWG harvest.
Effective
01/01/2027
Amendment 62: Gulf Red Grouper Management Measures
Amendment 62 would revise the red grouper OFL, ABC, sector allocations, total and sector ACLs and ACTs. In addition, it would eliminate the shallow-water grouper February-March recreational closure in federal waters seaward of the 20-fathom boundary.
Effective
10/02/2026
Red Grouper Quota Holdback in Anticipation of Amendment 63 Implementation
This rule proposes to provide the NMFS Regional Administrator the authority to withhold a percentage of the 2027 commercial quota of red grouper equivalent to the portion of the commercial quota proposed for the quota pool in Amendment 63.
Issued
09/10/2026
Amendment 19: Shrimp Permit Moratorium
This action addresses the expiration of the federal shrimp permit moratorium in the Gulf of America (Gulf), and would extend the moratorium for 10 years, to expire on October 26, 2036, for commercial shrimp vessels in the Gulf.
Published
08/25/2026
Continuation of Management Measures to Reduce Reef Fish Release Mortality
The Direct Enhancement of Snapper Conservation and the Economy through Novel Devices Act (DESCEND) Act of 2020 became effective on January 13, 2022 expired in January 2026. This proposed framework action would renew the DESCEND Act.
Issued
07/30/2026
Gulf Amendment 63: Red Grouper Commercial Quota Pool Under the Grouper/Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program
Amendment 63 would establish a pilot program for setting aside a portion of the red grouper commercial quota for a quota pool to test a new method to improve access to red grouper allocation in the Grouper-Tilefish IFQ program and reduce bycatch.
Issued
07/30/2026
Modification to the Recreational For-hire Red Snapper Fishing Season
This rule considers updating the recreational federal for-hire (charter and headboat) Gulf red snapper regulations to change the season opening date from June 1 to the Friday before Memorial Day federal holiday.
Issued
07/13/2026
Comprehensive Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendment
Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendment includes: Amendment 54 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 4 to the FMP for the Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic; Amendment 35 to the FMP for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf and Atlantic; and Amendment 57 to the FMP for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf
Published
05/26/2026
Amendment 58B: Modifications to Deep-water Grouper Management Measures
For the Deep-water Grouper (DWG) complex, this amendment would revise status determination criteria, revise catch limits, set a recreational ACL, revise sector allocations, and establish recreational accountability measures .
Published
05/06/2026
Framework 14: Modifications to Spanish Mackerel Catch Limits in the Gulf of America
CMP Framework 14 and the proposed rule would:
• Reduce the stock annual catch limit from 11.3 million pounds to 9.63 million pounds, and
• Modify the in-season closure accountability measure to a post season monitoring accountability measure
Issued
03/03/2026