Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Recreational Atlantic Blue and White Marlin Landings Limit; Amendments to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks and the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Billfish

NMFS finalizes the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This Final Consolidated HMS FMP changes certain management measures, adjusts regulatory framework measures, and continues the process for updating HMS essential fish habitat. This final rule could impact fishermen and dealers for all Atlantic HMS fisheries. The final rule will: establish mandatory workshops for commercial fishermen and shark dealers; implement complementary time/ area closures in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM); implement criteria for adding new or modifying existing time/area closures; address rebuilding and overfishing of northern albacore tuna and finetooth sharks; implement recreational management measures for Atlantic billfish; modify bluefin tuna (BFT) General Category subperiod quotas and simplify the management process of BFT; change the fishing year for tunas, swordfish, and billfish to a calendar year; authorize speargun fishing gear in the recreational fishery for bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack (BAYS) tunas; authorize buoy gear in the commercial swordfish handgear fishery; clarify the allowance of secondary gears (also known as cockpit gears); and clarify existing regulations. This final rule also announces the decision regarding a petition for rulemaking regarding closure areas for spawning BFT in the Gulf of Mexico.