Blueline Tilefish
About The Species
Blueline tilefish are found Maine to Campeche, Mexico on the outer continental shelves, shelf breaks, and upper slopes. The blueline tilefish fishery in the Greater Atlantic Region of the U.S. is managed from Maine through Virginia, with the majority of the fishery concentrated between Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, south to Cape May, New Jersey; more specifically between Hudson and Veatch Canyons. The commercial fishery predominantly uses longline gear, although handline, rod and reel, and trawl gear are also authorized. The recreational fishery has no gear restrictions, but rod and reel and spear are the most common gears used based on the authorized possession limits. Market data is not yet available for the Mid-Atlantic blueline tilefish fishery north of the VA/NC border. U.S. wild-caught blueline tilefish is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Implementing regulations are found at 50 CFR part 648 subpart N.

Population Level
In the South Atlantic, the status is above target population levels. In the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, the population level is unknown, but presumed stable.

Fishing Status
In the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico, at recommended levels.

Habitat Impacts
Fishing gears used to harvest blueline tilefish have minimal impacts on habitat.

Bycatch
Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.
Status
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There are three stocks of blueline tilefish: the Mid-Atlantic stock, the South Atlantic stock, and the Gulf of Mexico stock. According to the most recent stock assessments:
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The Mid-Atlantic stock has not been assessed so the population status is unknown.
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The South Atlantic stock is not overfished (2017 stock assessment), and is not subject to overfishing based on 2018 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.
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The Gulf of Mexico stock is managed as part of the tilefish complex and has not been assessed so the population status is unknown. This complex is not subject to overfishing based on 2018 catch data.
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Appearance
- Blueline tilefish get their name from a narrow gold stripe underlined in blue that runs from their snout to the tip of their eye.
- They have a long snout and are a dull olive-gray on the top of their body and white on the bottom.
- They have long, continuous dorsal and anal fins that are more than half the length of their body.
- Unlike golden tilefish, they do not have a large adipose flap (crest) on their head.
Biology
- Blueline tilefish can grow to be 35 inches long and live up to 26 years.
- Males can grow larger than females.
- Female blueline tilefish mature when they are about 3 years old.
- They can spawn year-round, but peak spawning is in May. Spawning primarily occurs at night.
- Females can lay more than 4 million free-floating eggs.
- Blueline tilefish feed primarily on invertebrates that live near the sea floor, such as crabs, shrimp, snails, worms, sea urchins, and small fish.
- Recent genetic studies suggest that the U.S. Atlantic population of blueline tilefish is continuous from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, around the Florida Keys, and up through the Mid-Atlantic region.
Where They Live
- Blueline tilefish are commonly found in the western Atlantic from Campeche, Mexico, to Hudson Canyon, off the coast of Maryland, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
- There are reports of catches as far north as Maine and as far west as Texas.
Management
- The Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils develop management measures for the blueline tilefish fisheries in their respective jurisdictions. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for implementing and enforcing these measures.
- The Mid-Atlantic Tilefish Fishery Management Plan measures for blueline tilefish include:
- Permit requirements for commercial and for-hire vessels.
- Annual catch limits for the commercial and recreational fisheries.
- Limits on commercial possession. The fishery is closed if the landing limit is harvested.
- Closed season and bag limit for recreational anglers.
- For more information on current management, see the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office’s Tilefish page.
- The South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan measures for blueline tilefish include:
- Permit requirements.
- Annual catch limits.
- Limits on the number or pounds of blueline tilefish commercial and recreational fishermen may harvest during a fishing trip.
- Prohibition of longline gear in certain areas to protect snapper-grouper species and live-bottom habitat.
- For more information on current management, see the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office’s South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper page.
- The Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Plan blueline tilefish measures include:
- Annual catch limits for both the commercial and recreational fisheries.
- An Individual Fishing Quota program for the commercial fishery.
- Restrictions on the seasons, areas, and depths where longlines can be used, to protect reef fish, sea turtles, and bottom habitat.
- For more information on current management, see the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office’s Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish page.
Recreational Fishing Regulations
Possession Limits and Fish Size Requirements
- The recreational possession limit of blueline tilefish is dependent upon the type of fishing vessel being used:
- Private boat: 3 fish per person, per trip
- USCG uninspected for-hire vessel (e.g., charter boats): 5 fish per person, per trip*
- USCG inspected for-hire vessel (e.g., party boats): 7 fish per person, per trip*
- The federal recreational blueline tilefish season is May 1 through October 31.
- There are no fish size limits in the recreational tilefish fisheries.
*The captain and crew are not counted when checking the limit of pooled fish on a for-hire vessel.
Current Blueline Tilefish Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)
Overfishing Limit (OFL) | Unknown |
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Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 100,520 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACL | 73,380 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACT | 73,380 lb |
Commercial Total Allowable Landings (TAL) | 26,869 lb |
Recreational TAL | 71,912 lb |
Reporting A Recreational Catch
Reporting A Recreational Catch
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)
For all charter/party permit holders, VTRs must be maintained on board the vessel and submitted to NOAA Fisheries for all fishing trips, regardless of species retained. Instructions for completing the VTR can be found online on our reporting page.
eVTRs
Charter/Party vessel permit owners and operators with a federal charter/party (for-hire) permit to fish for blueline tilefish (and other Mid-Atlantic species) must submit the required VTR by electronic means through a software application approved by NOAA Fisheries. These electronic log VTRs must be submitted within 48 hours after entering port at the conclusion of a trip. More information of the eVTR requirements and help with electronic reporting can be found online on our reporting page.
Other Reporting Information
The recreational (charter/party) blueline tilefish fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.
Reporting is not required for the private recreational fishery, but the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is a system of voluntary coordinated data collection programs designed to estimate recreational catch and effort.
Commercial Fishing Regulations
Possession and Size Requirements
The commercial trip limit for blueline tilefish is 500 lb. Fish must have head and fins attached, but may be gutted.
There are no fish size limits in the tilefish fisheries.
Current Blueline Tilefish Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)
Overfishing Limit (OFL) | Unknown |
---|---|
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 100,520 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACL | 73,380 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACT | 73,380 lb |
Commercial Total Allowable Landings (TAL) | 26,869 lb |
Recreational TAL | 71,912 lb |
Reporting A Commercial Catch
Reporting A Commercial Catch
Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports (VTR)
VTRs must be submitted with a record of all fishing activity for each month. The reports must be submitted to NOAA fisheries or postmarked within 15 days after the end of the reporting month. Copies of VTRs must be retained on board the vessel for 1 year after the date of the last entry on the log and otherwise retained for 3 years after the date of the last entry on the log. Reports can also be submitted electronically through our online reporting page.
Other Reporting Information
The commercial blueline tilefish fishery does not have any Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), or specific observer requirements. However, all federally permitted vessels are obligated to carry an observer if randomly selected by the National Observer Program.
Commercial Gear Information
Commercial Gear Information
Bottom-tending mobile gear (such as trawl gear) may not be used in specified gear-restricted areas (see below). There are no other gear requirements in the commercial tilefish fisheries.
Tilefish Gear Restricted Areas
There are four canyons that have been designated "Tilefish Gear Restricted Areas." These areas are closed to vessels with bottom-tending mobile gear and are described in the tilefish regulations at 50 CFR 648.297. No vessel of the United States may fish with bottom-tending mobile gear (otter trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and seines) within the restricted areas described below; which include Lydonia, Norfolk, Oceanographer, and Veatch Canyons.

Lydonia Canyon | Norfolk Canyon | Oceanographer Canyon | Veatch Canyon | ||||
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N Lat. | W Long. | N Lat. | W Long. | N Lat. | W Long. | N Lat. | W Long. |
40°31'55.2" | 67°43'1.2" | 37°5'50" | 74°45'34" | 40°29'50" | 68°10'30" | 40°0'40" | 69°37'8" |
40°28'52" | 67°38'43" | 37°6'58" | 74°40'48" | 40°29'30" | 68°8'34.8" | 40°41'69" | 69°35'25" |
40°21'39.6" | 67°37'4.8" | 37°4'31" | 74°37'46" | 40°25'51.6" | 68°6'36" | 39°54'43" | 69°33'54" |
40°21'39.6" | 67°37'4.8" | 37°4'1" | 74°33'50" | 40°22'22.8" | 68°6'50.4" | 39°54'43" | 69°40'52" |
40°21'4" | 67°43'1" | 36°58'37" | 74°36'58" | 40°19'40.8" | 68°4'48" | - | - |
40°28'31" | 67°43' | 37°4'26" | 74°41'2" | 40°19'5" | 68°2'19" | - | - |
- | - | - | - | 40°16'41" | 68°1'16" | - | - |
- | - | - | - | 40°14'28" | 68°11'28" | - | - |
Subsistence Fishing Regulations
Management Overview
The blueline tilefish fishery (north from the Virginia/North Carolina border) is managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and NOAA Fisheries implements the regulations.
The fishery is managed using a bag limit for the recreational fishery; and possession limits and a coast-wide quota system for the commercial fishery.
The fishing year runs from January 1 through December 31; with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region jurisdiction covering blueline tilefish from Maine to the Virginia/North Carolina border. Tilefish south of this border are managed separately under the Snapper Grouper Complex fishery management plan by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. For information on the fishery south of Virginia, contact the Southeast Regional Office at 727-824-5305.
There are four canyons that have been designated "Tilefish Gear Restricted Areas." These areas are closed to vessels with bottom-tending mobile gear and are described in the tilefish regulations at 50 CFR 648.297. No vessel of the United States may fish with bottom-tending mobile gear (otter trawls, beam trawls, hydraulic dredges, non-hydraulic dredges, and seines) within the restricted areas; which include Lydonia, Norfolk, Oceanographer, and Veatch Canyons.
Specifications/Quotas
The Golden and Blueline Tilefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requires the annual specification of catch and harvest limits for up to three years at a time. If specifications are not in place at the start of the fishing year, the existing specifications roll over until new regulations are finalized.
Inseason Actions
If 70% of the annual blueline tilefish commercial total allowable landings (TAL) is projected to be landed, the Regional Administrator may reduce the possession limit to 300 lb of gutted blueline tilefish, to prevent overfishing from occurring. Additionally, if 100% of the commercial TAL will be fully harvested, then the commercial blueline tilefish fishery will be closed for the remainder of the fishing year.
Current Blueline Tilefish Specifications (January 1-December 31, 2019)
Overfishing Limit (OFL) | Unknown |
---|---|
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) | 100,520 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Limit (ACL) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACL | 73,380 lb |
Commercial Annual Catch Target (ACT) | 27,140 lb |
Recreational ACT | 73,380 lb |
Commercial TAL | 26,869 lb |
Recreational TAL | 71,912 lb |
Accountability Measures (AM)
Commercial AM
If the commercial ACL is exceeded, the amount of the ACL overage will be deducted from the commercial ACL in the following fishing year. In the event that the commercial ACL has been exceeded and the overage has not been accommodated through the landings-based AM, then the exact amount by which the commercial ACL was exceeded, in pounds, will be deducted, as soon as possible, from the applicable subsequent single fishing year commercial ACL.
Recreational AM
If the recreational sector ACL is exceeded, then the exact overage amount, in pounds, will be deducted from the recreational ACL in the following fishing year. Changes to management measures would also be considered through the specifications process to avoid future overages.
Regulatory History
- 2017 - Amendment 6 (Blueline Tilefish Amendment) added blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) as a managed species in the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan; and changing the name of the plan to the Golden and Blueline Tilefish Fishery Management Plan.
- 2018 – Framework 2 implemented several changes intended to improve and simplify the administration of the golden tilefish fishery. These changes include removing an outdated reporting requirement, proscribing allowed gear for the recreational fishery, modifying the commercial incidental possession limit, requiring commercial golden tilefish be landed with the head and fins attached, and revising how assumed discards are accounted for when setting harvest limits.
- 2018 - Framework 4, an omnibus framework, modified the Mid-Atlantic Council's process for setting catch limits.
Science Overview
The 2017 blueline tilefish stock assessment noted that despite recent regulatory changes, no indices were available for the area north of Cape Hatteras for blueline tilefish. The fishery was not established enough to provide sufficient data, and necessary survey data for the Mid-Atlantic was unavailable. Thus, there are no reference points for blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic at this time, and the official overfished and overfishing status is unknown, though it is not expected to be overfished and there is no indication that overfishing is occuring.