Atlantic bluefin tuna inseason action - General and Harpoon categories

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species News

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) adjusts the daily Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) retention limit for vessels permitted in the commercial Atlantic tunas General category and the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat category for the time period of September 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, from the default limit of one large medium or giant BFT to three large medium or giant BFT (measuring 73 inches curved fork length or greater) per vessel. This action effectively maintains the General category daily retention limit that applied June 1, 2009, through August 31, 2009, for the remainder of the fishing year.

NMFS also adjusts the Harpoon category quota by transferring 25 metric tons (mt) from the Reserve. With this transfer, the adjusted Harpoon category BFT quota for the 2009 fishing year is now 76.6 mt.

Please see the attached notices for further details, or visit http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/breaking_news.htm.