Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; North and South Atlantic Swordfish Quotas

This final rule adjusts the North and South Atlantic swordfish quotas for the 2011 fishing year (January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011) to account for the 2010 underharvest and implement International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Recommendations 10-02 and 09-03, which maintain the U.S. allocation of the international total allowable catch (TAC) for North and South Atlantic swordfish, respectively. This rule could affect commercial and recreational fishing for swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, by establishing annual quotas. The effects on commercial and recreational fishermen are expected to be minimal since the annual quota has not changed and recent years' landings have been less than adjusted quotas.