# 2026-00392: Bluefin Tuna Quota Boosted for January Fishing Frenzy

2026-00392, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; General Category January Through March Quota Transfer, is a Federal Register rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-01-12, effective 2026-01-08 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00392
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-00392
- Title: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; General Category January Through March Quota Transfer
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 1094
- Published: 2026-01-12
- Effective: 2026-01-08
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Bluefin Tuna Quota Boosted for January Fishing Frenzy

## Summary

NOAA is shifting 26 metric tons of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from December 2026 to January through March 2026 to give commercial fishermen more chances to catch tuna early in the year. This change affects fishermen with General category and Charter/Headboat permits who sell their catch commercially. The new quota rules kick in on January 8, 2026, and last through March 31, 2026.

## Abstract

NMFS is transferring 26.0 metric tons (mt) of Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quota from the General category December 2026 subquota to the January through March 2026 subquota period. The adjusted General category January through March 2026 subquota is 63.7 mt and the adjusted December 2026 subquota is 11.0 mt. This action is intended to provide further harvest opportunities for General category fishermen, based on consideration of the regulatory determination criteria regarding inseason adjustments and applies to Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. Note that NMFS intends to take separate rulemaking action as soon as possible in 2026 to consider modifying the baseline BFT quota consistent with the quota adopted at the 2025 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) annual meeting.

## Effects PRIA read

- January–March Quota Lifted for Commercial Fishers: benefit, medium. If you fish commercially for Atlantic bluefin tuna with a General category permit or an HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial sale endorsement, NMFS transferred 26.0 metric tons (mt) from the December 2026 subquota to the January–March 2026 subquota. The adjusted January–March 2026 subquota…
- 24‑Hour Dealer and Vessel Reporting Requirement: cost, low. Dealers must submit bluefin tuna landing reports within 24 hours of receiving BFT, and General category and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessel owners must report retained or dead-discarded BFT within 24 hours of landing or trip end via https://hmspermits.noaa.gov, the HMS Catch Reporting app, or…
- Planned Rulemaking to Raise U.S. BFT Quota: benefit, medium. NMFS intends a separate rulemaking in 2026 to consider increasing the baseline U.S. Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from 1,316.14 mt to 1,509.98 mt consistent with ICCAT Recommendation 25-05; NMFS expects a proposed rule in the next few months and any final rule would likely be effective in mid-2026 or…

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## Sources
- [2026-00392 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/12/2026-00392/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-fisheries-general-category-january-through)
- [2026-00392 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-12/pdf/2026-00392.pdf)

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- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00392 (as of 2026-06-11).