Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Annual Quotas and Effort Controls

NMFS amends the regulations governing the Atlantic tuna fisheries to: Set Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) fishing category quotas for the 1996 fishing year, revise allocations to monthly quota periods and establish the effort control schedule in the ABT General category, allow the partial transfer of quotas among Purse Seine category permit holders and amend landing requirements, and increase minimum sizes for Atlantic yellowfin and bigeye tunas. The regulatory amendments are necessary to implement the 1994 recommendation of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) regarding fishing quotas for bluefin tuna, as required by the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management objectives.