NOAA Tightens Rules for Shark and Tuna Tournaments
Published Date: 7/22/2026
Notice
Summary
NOAA is updating its rules for fishing tournaments that target big ocean fish like sharks and tuna. Tournament organizers must register early and, if picked, send a quick report after the event. This helps NOAA keep track of fish caught and protect ocean life without adding much extra work or cost.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Mandatory 4‑Week Tournament Registration
If you run a tournament that targets Atlantic highly migratory species, you must register the tournament at least four weeks before it starts and give contact information plus the tournament date(s), location(s), and target species. Registration is mandatory and NOAA estimates the registration takes about 2 minutes per tournament; the collection covers about 300 respondents annually.
Post‑Event HMS Summary Reporting Requirement
If NOAA selects your tournament, you must submit an HMS tournament summary report within seven days after tournament fishing ends. NOAA estimates the summary report takes about 20 minutes to complete; the reporting requirement is mandatory and helps NMFS estimate total annual catch and tournament impacts.
New Data Fields and Operator Survey Added
NOAA is changing registration and reporting forms to add or change data fields — e.g., updated target species list; reporting vessel effort by in‑state vs. out‑of‑state residency; bluefin tuna catch by size class; specifying species for individual lengths and weights; and adding questions about depredation. NOAA is also adding a tournament operator survey to ask about operating costs and income sources; the survey is estimated at 30 minutes per response. These changes are mandatory for affected operators.
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