# 2026-07792: Gag Fish Season Snapped Shut Early for Overcatching

2026-07792, Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 2026 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for Gag in the South Atlantic, is a Federal Register rule from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-04-22, effective 2026-08-02; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07792
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-07792
- Title: Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 2026 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for Gag in the South Atlantic
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 21389
- Published: 2026-04-22
- Effective: 2026-08-02
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Gag Fish Season Snapped Shut Early for Overcatching

## Summary

Because anglers caught too many gag fish in 2025, the 2026 recreational gag fishing season in the South Atlantic will close early on August 2, 2026. This temporary closure helps keep fish populations healthy and ensures future fishing fun. If you love fishing for gag, plan ahead to avoid missing out and keep an eye on your wallet since shorter seasons can mean less fishing time and potential economic impacts.

## Abstract

NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) and closure for the recreational harvest of gag in South Atlantic Federal waters. As a result of gag recreational landings exceeding the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) in 2025, NMFS reduces the length of the gag 2026 recreational season to prevent landings from exceeding the recreational ACL in 2026. Accordingly, NMFS announces the gag 2026 recreational season in South Atlantic Federal waters will close on August 2, 2026.

## Effects PRIA read

- Recreational gag season closes early: cost, medium. If you fish for gag in South Atlantic Federal waters, the 2026 recreational gag season will close at 12:01 a.m. local time on August 2, 2026, and remain closed until 12:01 a.m. local time on January 1, 2027. The rule shortens the 2026 season to prevent recreational landings from exceeding the 2026…
- Zero bag and possession limit during closure: cost, low. During the recreational closure in South Atlantic Federal waters (starting 12:01 a.m. on August 2, 2026, through 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2027), the bag and possession limits for gag are set to zero. That means you may not have or keep gag taken from those waters during the closure period.

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## Sources
- [2026-07792 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/22/2026-07792/fisheries-of-the-south-atlantic-2026-recreational-accountability-measure-and-closure-for-gag-in-the)
- [2026-07792 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-22/pdf/2026-07792.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-07773, Annual Update to Fee Schedule for the Use of Government Lands by Hydropower Lic…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07773)
- [Next: 2026-07794, Pesticide Tolerances; Implementing Registration Review Decisions for Certain Pe…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07794)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-07792 (as of 2026-06-11).