Atlantic bluefin General category reopens Oct. 1 after September subquota closure

NOAA Fisheries closed the Atlantic bluefin tuna General category commercial fishery at 11:30 p.m. local time Sept. 24 after projecting the September subquota would be reached. The closure runs through Sept. 30 for Atlantic Tunas General category vessels and HMS Charter/Headboat vessels fishing commercially.

The General category reopens automatically Oct. 1 for the October–November period at the default daily retention limit of one large medium or giant bluefin (73 inches CFL or greater) per vessel. Restricted-fishing days — every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday — resume with the reopen; those RFDs were waived during the late-September closure.

Recreational anglers are not affected by this commercial closure. Dealers and vessel owners still face 24-hour landing and catch-reporting rules when the fishery is open. Monitor https://hmspermits.noaa.gov for quota and inseason updates after Oct. 1.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NOAA Fisheries — Closure: Atlantic bluefin tuna General category commercial fishery (Sept. 24, 2026).