Public paper · October 8, 2026 · Ocean desk
NMFS Transfers 70.2 mt of Atlantic Bluefin Quota Into the General Category for October–November 2026
A temporary NMFS rule effective October 6 through November 30, 2026, moves 70.2 metric tons from the Reserve category and adds 16.7 mt of unused June–August General category quota, lifting the October–November General category subquota to 192.9 mt (Reserve left at 42 mt). It applies to Atlantic Tunas General category vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat vessels with a commercial sale endorsement.
noticenearby.com/papers/nmfs-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-general-category-oct-nov-2026.pdf
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published a temporary rule in the October 8, 2026, Federal Register (91 FR 64302; FR Doc. 2026-20652) adjusting Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category quota for the October through November 2026 time period. The action is effective October 6, 2026, through November 30, 2026.
NMFS transferred 70.2 metric tons (mt) from the Reserve category into the General category October–November subquota and simultaneously rolled forward 16.7 mt that remained unharvested from the General category’s June–August window. The combined adjustment sets the October–November General category subquota at 192.9 mt and leaves the Reserve category at 42 mt.
Who it covers
The rule affects Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels that hold a commercial sale endorsement when they fish commercially for BFT.
Atlantic BFT fisheries are managed under the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan and its amendments, under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and consistent with the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act.
Why NMFS moved the fish
Using landings data in hand, NMFS determined the General category June–August time period was underharvested by 16.7 mt, so that remainder stayed available for General category fishermen later in the year.
Under 50 CFR 635.27(a)(1)(ii), NMFS may transfer quota among categories or time periods. The baseline U.S. BFT quota cited in the rule is 1,316.98 mt (not counting a separate 62.5 mt ICCAT bycatch allocation for pelagic longline fisheries).
Sources
Federal Register temporary rule, Oct. 8, 2026 (effective Oct. 6–Nov. 30, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/08/2026-20652/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-fisheries-general-category-october-through
GovInfo PDF: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-10-08/pdf/2026-20652.pdf · Citation 91 FR 64302 · Docket No. 260813-0186 · RTID 0648-XG086 · Signed Oct. 6, 2026, Shannon Bettridge, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS.
Notes and sources
- Notice Nearby ocean-desk paper summarizing a Federal Register temporary rule. Not a Legal Publication and not NMFS advice.
- Photo: Old Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, California — illustrative Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress public-domain file photo (not an Atlantic bluefin landing site).
Ocean desk · Federal Register · Atlantic HMS
Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).