New Rules for Catching Atlantic Sharks: Bite-Sized Changes Ahead
Published Date: 1/5/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The government is proposing new rules for people who fish for Atlantic blacknose and other sharks, both commercially and for fun. They want to change size and catch limits, remove some complicated rules, and make it easier to manage shark fishing. These changes aim to help fishermen catch sharks responsibly while keeping the shark populations healthy, with comments open until March 6, 2026.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Flexible commercial blacknose limits 0–60
If you fish commercially with a Directed shark LAP in the Atlantic region, the rule would set a flexible per-vessel-per-trip blacknose shark limit ranging from 0 to 60, with a default of 25 at the start of each fishing year (current fixed limit is 8). NMFS explains the default 25 and 60 maximum are based on a 37,921 lb dressed-weight quota, an average landed weight of 11.4 lb per shark, and observed trips (3,326 sharks to meet the quota; top 5 vessels average 137 trips/year).
Remove Atlantic blacknose boundary
If you hold a Directed or Incidental shark Limited Access Permit (LAP), the rule would remove the blacknose shark management boundary at latitude 34°00' N so you could commercially harvest blacknose sharks throughout the entire Atlantic region instead of only south of lat. 34°00' N. NMFS says this would help use available blacknose quota and reduce regulatory discards.
New grouped recreational size limits
If you fish for sharks recreationally, NMFS would group species and set recreational minimum size limit ranges for each group, with defaults based on midpoints of female sizes at maturity or current rules. For example, blacknose/finetooth would have a default of 38 inches FL (range up to 54 inches), and blacktip/spinner would have a default of 48 inches FL (range up to 70 inches); hammerheads would retain a default 78 inches FL (range up to 115 inches).
Flexible recreational retention limits
If you fish recreationally for sharks, NMFS would set flexible per-vessel-per-trip retention ranges by species group and new defaults. For example, many species would default to 1 shark per vessel per trip with ranges like 1–3 (blacknose, blue, bull, etc.), Atlantic sharpnose and bonnethead default 1 with ranges 1–4, blacktip default 1 with range 1–5, and smoothhound would remain no limit. NMFS could adjust or remove limits inseason using established criteria.
Remove commercial quota linkages
NMFS would remove commercial management group quota linkages so each shark management group or species' quota can be used independently; once that group's ACL is reached, NMFS would close that specific fishery. NMFS says this is intended to keep fisheries open longer and help each quota be fully utilized.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this federal register document and every other regulation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in