Feds Set 2026 Monkfish Catch Limits: Ugly Fish Get Rules
Published Date: 8/27/2026
Rule
Summary
Through this action, NMFS is implementing specifications and management measures in Framework Adjustment 17 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This action sets monkfish specifications for fishing year 2026, projects specifications for fishing years 2027 and 2028, streamlines the Annual Catch Limit (ACL) Overage Accountability Measure (AM) trigger, and adds default specifications for the monkfish fishery. This action is necessary to respond to updated scientific information and achieve the goals and objectives of the FMP. These measures are intended to help prevent overfishing and ensure that management measures are based on the best scientific information available.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
2026 Monkfish Quotas Set
NMFS sets monkfish catch limits for fishing year 2026 and projects 2027–2028. For the Northern area the acceptable biological catch (ABC) and ACL are 6,224 metric tons (ACT 6,038 mt; TAL 5,309 mt, a 3% decrease from 2023–2025); for the Southern area the ABC and ACL are 5,861 mt (ACT 5,685 mt; TAL 3,487 mt, a 0.2% increase from 2023–2025).
Regional Administrator Implements Overage AMs
Framework 17 removes the requirement that the Councils must trigger Annual Catch Limit (ACL) overage accountability measures (AMs). Instead, the Regional Administrator is now responsible for implementing ACL overage AMs and will make ACT adjustments in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and other law, which NMFS can publish as part of its annual quota notices.
Default Rollover Catch Specifications
If final OFLs, ABCs, and ACLs for a fishing year are not published in the Federal Register by the start of that fishing year, the regulation makes that fishing year's specifications equal to the prior year's specifications until superseded. The rule also states ACTs and accounting for incidental catch and discards under default ACLs must be consistent with the previous year's specifications.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-14204, Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary; Delay of Effective Date
NOAA is giving everyone more time before the rule that bans grappling or anchoring on Lake Ontario shipwrecks kicks in. Instead of starting in July 2026, this rule is now delayed until September 2028 to let NOAA set up mooring buoys and work with divers and boaters. This means boaters and commercial vessels can keep anchoring safely while NOAA gets everything ready without rushing.
2026-14195, Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are wiping away the official definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act starting September 14, 2026. This change affects anyone involved in protecting endangered plants and animals by shifting how “harm” is understood and enforced. It’s a big move that could change how projects and protections are handled, but no new costs or deadlines are added right now.
2026-05599, Deep Seabed Mining: Notice of Receipt of Applications for Deep Seabed Mining Exploration Licenses and Announcement of Public Comment Period and Virtual Public Hearings
NOAA got two applications from companies wanting to explore mining deep under the ocean floor. They’re holding virtual public meetings in April and want your thoughts by May 22, 2026. This affects anyone interested in ocean mining and how we protect our seas while exploring new resources.
2026-04256, Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Spatial Fisheries Management; Amendment 15 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
Starting April 3, 2026, new rules change shark fishing zones and times in the Atlantic to better protect sharks and manage fishing risks. Fishermen using bottom and pelagic longline gear will see updated area boundaries and must pay for electronic monitoring if fishing in certain safer zones. These changes help keep shark populations healthy while supporting responsible fishing.
2026-17345, New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
The New England Fishery Management Council is holding a public meeting on September 9, 2026, to plan fishing rules for scallops in 2027 and 2028. Fishermen and seafood businesses will see updates on catch limits, fishing days, and special zones to keep scallop populations healthy. This meeting helps set the rules that balance fishing fun and ocean care, with no immediate cost changes announced.
2026-17391, Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Duckabush Estuary Restoration Project in Washington
NMFS, upon request from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issues this final rule pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to the Duckabush Estuary Restoration Project (DERP) in Hood Canal, Washington over 5 years (2027-2032). This final rule, which allows for the issuance of a 5-year letter of authorization (LOA) allowing for the incidental take of marine mammals during the described activities and timeframes, prescribes the permissible methods of taking and other means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on marine mammal species and their habitat, and establishes requirements pertaining to the monitoring and reporting of such taking.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2026-17494, Air Plan Approval; Arkansas; Regional Haze State Implementation Plan for the Second Implementation Period
Pursuant to the Clean Air Act (CAA or the Act), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing approval of a State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the State of Arkansas through the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on August 8, 2022, clarified by DEQ on July 29, 2025, and further supplemented on May 4, 2026, to satisfy the requirements of the Act and the EPA's Regional Haze Rule (RHR) for visibility protection in mandatory Class I Federal areas (Class I areas) for the program's second implementation period. Arkansas' SIP submission addresses the requirement that States must revise their long-term strategies for making reasonable progress to prevent any future and remedy any existing man-made visibility impairment in the Class I areas. The EPA is taking this action pursuant to CAA sections 110 and 169A.
Next: 2026-17508, Upper C-Band (3.98-4.2 GHz); Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 GHz Band; Correction
The Federal Communications Commission (Commission or FCC) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on July 31, 2026. The text of the Report and Order, Order of Proposed Modification, and Order on Reconsideration inadvertently contained minor editorial errors and incorrectly restated the number of years provided in the definitions of the first and second performance benchmarks, which are corrected as detailed below. We make this correction to improve the clarity and internal consistency of the document.