Federal Register #Docket No. 260430-0121

NOAA NMFS Proposes Implementation of ICCAT Quota Recommendations for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), under the Department of Commerce, is proposing a rule to implement International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommendations for quota management of Atlantic highly migratory species. - Government Buyer: - Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Management Division - OEM Highlight: - International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) as the source of quota recommendations - Products/Quotas Requested: - North Atlantic Swordfish Quota: 3,907 metric tons whole weight (mt ww) baseline for 2025-2027 - South Atlantic Swordfish Quota: 75.2 mt dressed weight (dw) baseline with annual adjustment and international transfer provisions - Northern Albacore Quota: 889.4 mt baseline for 2024-2026, with management procedure allowing up to 950 mt baseline and 1,187.5 mt maximum adjusted quota - Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Baseline Quota: 1,509.98 mt whole weight for 2026-2028, allocated among General, Angling, Harpoon, Longline, Trap, and Reserve categories - Pelagic Longline Bycatch Set-Aside Quota for Bluefin Tuna: 62.5 mt for pelagic longline vessels with Individual Bluefin Tuna Quotas (IBQ), expanded to cover a broader Atlantic region - Notable Requirements: - Maintains existing management procedures for swordfish and albacore, with new management procedure for North Atlantic swordfish - Implements increased U.S. bluefin tuna quota and adjusts allocations for longline bycatch - Allows for annual quota adjustments based on underharvest or overharvest - Applies to commercial and for-hire fishing vessels with Atlantic HMS permits, including those with IBQ shares - Public comments and a hearing are part of the rulemaking process - Places of Performance: - Atlantic Ocean, including the Northeast Distant gear restricted area (NED) - Gulf of America region - NOAA federal offices

Description

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing to implement recent binding recommendations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) on quotas for North Atlantic swordfish, South Atlantic swordfish, North Atlantic albacore tuna, and Atlantic bluefin tuna. The proposal includes implementing the management procedure for North Atlantic swordfish, describing the existing management procedure for northern albacore, and considering future quota changes consistent with ICCAT recommendations. For bluefin tuna, the proposal includes implementing the increased U.S. baseline quota adopted by ICCAT in 2025, dividing it among domestic subquota categories, and implementing changes to the bluefin tuna quota associated with longline bycatch. The rule also describes annual quota adjustment procedures and requests public comments.

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