NOAA Closes Atlantic Bluefin

Similar to the 2024 season, scads of bluefin tuna were found nearshore off the coast of the Northeast this year, and recreational anglers quickly met quotas. Scott Salyers

Well, that’s a wrap. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shut down recreational harvest of Atlantic bluefin tuna on Aug. 12 (effective 11:30 p.m.), after projections showed the quota had been met. Recreational harvest of Atlantic bluefin will remain closed through the end of the year.

The closure covers all recreational bluefin size classes, but it does not affect the commercial bluefin tuna fishery, which is managed under separate categories and quotas.

Bluefin Tuna Closure was Expected

The closure should come as no surprise to anyone keeping up with the fishery. During a banner 2024 bluefin season off the coast of the Northeast, scads of school-sized bluefins (27-47 inches) podded up close to shore, where private anglers and charter captains experienced a blufin boom and over-ran the quota by at least 50 percent according to NOAA’s estimates.

In response, NOAA revised retention limits. For 2025, private vessels with a highly migratory species (HMS) permit were allowed just one school-sized bluefin tuna; charter boats and headboats were allowed two. No retention of fish longer than 47 inches was allowed without a commercial license. These regulations went into effect June 3.

This June, reports of the same type of nearshore tuna bite as 2024 began to pop-up from anglers. Apparently reduced retention limits had little effect in deterring anglers from fishing. The season has been shut down a little more than two months after it began.

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