# 2026-12724: NOAA Requires Gear Marking to Protect Atlantic Whales

2026-12724, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, is a Federal Register notice from Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published 2026-06-24, effective To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before August 24, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12724
- As of: 2026-07-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-12724
- Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Gear-Marking Requirements for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 37956
- Published: 2026-06-24
- Effective: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before August 24, 2026.
- Comments close: 2026-08-24
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-07-01

## In one line

NOAA Requires Gear Marking to Protect Atlantic Whales

## Summary

NOAA is asking for public feedback on renewing rules that require fishermen to mark their gear to protect big whales in the Atlantic. This helps track and reduce whale injuries caused by fishing equipment. Comments are open until August 24, 2026, and the changes won’t cost fishermen extra but help keep whales safe and fishing sustainable.

## Abstract

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

## Effects PRIA read

- Mandatory Gear Marking for Commercial Fishers: cost, medium. If you set trap/pot or gillnet gear commercially in some areas of the Atlantic, you must paint or otherwise mark your gear with specific color codes and meet buoy marking requirements. These gear-marking rules were adopted in a 2021 rule that became effective May 1, 2022, and the information collec…
- State-Specific Color and Marking Specs: cost, low. Vessels must use state-specific buoy-line colors: Maine = purple, New Hampshire = yellow, Massachusetts = red, and Rhode Island = silver/gray. Marks must include a 3-foot (0.9 m) state-specific colored mark within 2 fathoms (3.7 m) of the buoy and at least three 1-foot (0.3 m) state-color marks on…
- LMA 3 Vessels Keep Black Marking: cost, low. Vessels fishing in Lobster Management Area (LMA) 3 must retain black as the primary gear mark color, including a 3-foot (0.9 m) black mark within 2 fathoms (3.7 m) of the buoy and at least three 1-foot (0.3 m) black marks on the primary buoy line with 1-foot green marks within 6 inches (15.24 cm) o…
- Time and Cost Estimates Per Vessel: cost, medium. NOAA estimates 3,970 vessels are affected. The estimated burden is 43–56 hours per vessel per year (total 170,710–222,320 hours) and an estimated annual cost of $27–$75 per vessel (total $107,190–$297,750). Responding (marking gear) is mandatory.
- Data Collection to Reduce Whale Entanglements: benefit, low. Continuing the gear-marking data collection helps NMFS learn where entanglements occur and will enable reducing injuries and deaths of large whales, including North Atlantic right, humpback, minke, and fin whales. The Team uses this information to develop measures to reduce mortality and serious in…

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## Sources
- [2026-12724 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/24/2026-12724/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for)
- [2026-12724 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-24/pdf/2026-12724.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-12723, Lyonsdale Associates, LLC; Notice of Authorization for Continued Project Operat…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12723)
- [Next: 2026-12725, Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; National Science Fou…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12725)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12724 (as of 2026-07-01).