# 2025-15285: Gulf of Maine Trophy Tuna Season Slammed Shut for 2025

2025-15285, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the Angling Category Gulf of Maine Area Trophy Fishery for 2025, is a Federal Register rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2025-08-12, effective for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-15285
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-15285
- Title: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the Angling Category Gulf of Maine Area Trophy Fishery for 2025
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 90 FR 38708
- Published: 2025-08-12
- Effective: for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Gulf of Maine Trophy Tuna Season Slammed Shut for 2025

## Summary

Starting now, recreational fishers with special permits can’t catch big Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine for the rest of 2025. This means no trophy-sized or smaller bluefin tuna can be caught in this area, helping protect these amazing fish. If you’re planning a fishing trip, you’ll need to wait until next year to try for bluefin tuna here!

## Abstract

NMFS closes the Angling category Gulf of Maine area fishery for large medium and giant ("trophy" (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm)) curved fork length (CFL) or greater)) Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year. The Gulf of Maine area trophy fishery is defined as north of lat. 42[deg] N. This action applies to Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels when fishing recreationally for BFT. In addition to this closure, NMFS, through a separate action, is simultaneously closing the Angling category fishery for school and large school/small medium (i.e., measuring 27 inches (68.5 cm) to less than 73 inches (185 cm) CFL) BFT. As a result of these closure actions, the Angling category fishery for BFT of all size classes is closed for the remainder of the year.

## Effects PRIA read

- Gulf of Maine Bluefin Closure: cost, medium. The Gulf of Maine angling fishery north of latitude 42° N is closed to catching Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) of all size classes for the remainder of the 2025 fishing year. This closure applies to recreational fishing from vessels with Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/…

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## Sources
- [2025-15285 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/12/2025-15285/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-fisheries-closure-of-the-angling-category)
- [2025-15285 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-08-12/pdf/2025-15285.pdf)

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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-15285 (as of 2026-06-11).