Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; North and South Atlantic Swordfish Quotas

This final rule adjusts the North and South Atlantic swordfish quotas for the 2009 fishing year (January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009) to account for underharvests, and transfers 18.8 metric tons (mt) dressed weight (dw) to Canada per the 2006 and 2008 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) recommendations 06-03 and 08-02. In addition, this final rule includes minor regulatory modifications and clarifications, eliminates an existing sunset provision in the Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps time/area closure, and establishes a small time/area closure in the Gulf of Mexico called the "Edges 40 Fathom Contour." These changes could impact fishermen with a commercial swordfish, HMS Angling, or Charter/Headboat (CHB) permit who fish for Atlantic swordfish.