# 2026-00848: Bluefin Tuna Season Shut Down: Fishermen Told to Catch and Release

2026-00848, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category January Through March Fishery for 2026, is a Federal Register rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-01-16, effective 2026-01-14 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00848
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-00848
- Title: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category January Through March Fishery for 2026
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 2088
- Published: 2026-01-16
- Effective: 2026-01-14
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Bluefin Tuna Season Shut Down: Fishermen Told to Catch and Release

## Summary

Starting January 14, 2026, the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin tuna will be closed until March 31, 2026. This means commercial fishermen with the right permits can’t keep or sell big bluefin tuna during this time but can still catch and release them. The fishery will reopen automatically on June 1, giving fishermen a fresh chance to fish and sell bluefin tuna again.

## Abstract

NMFS closes the General category fishery for Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) for the remainder of the January through March time period. The General category may only retain, possess, or land large medium and giant (i.e., measuring 73 inches (185 centimeters (cm) curved fork length (CFL) or greater) BFT when the fishery is open. This action 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. During the closure, fishermen aboard General category permitted vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels may tag and release BFT of all sizes, subject to the requirements of catch-and-release and tag-and-release programs. On June 1, 2026, the fishery will reopen automatically.

## Effects PRIA read

- Bluefin Tuna General Fishery Closed Jan–Mar 2026: cost, medium. Starting 11:30 p.m. local time on January 14, 2026, commercial General category vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat vessels fishing commercially may NOT retain, possess, or land large medium or giant Atlantic bluefin tuna (measuring 73 inches / 185 cm curved fork length or greater) through March 31, 2…
- 24-Hour Dealer and Vessel Reporting Requirement: cost, low. Dealers must submit landing reports within 24 hours of receiving any bluefin tuna. Owners of General and HMS Charter/Headboat category vessels must report any BFT retained or discarded dead within 24 hours of landing(s) or the end of each trip via https://hmspermits.noaa.gov, the HMS Catch Reportin…

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## Sources
- [2026-00848 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/16/2026-00848/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-fisheries-closure-of-the-general-category)
- [2026-00848 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-16/pdf/2026-00848.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-00846, Radio Broadcasting Services; Various Locations](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00846)
- [Next: 2026-00871, System for Regulating Rates and Classes for Market Dominant Products](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00871)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-00848 (as of 2026-06-11).