Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; General Category October Through November Quota Transfer and Adjustment
Key claim: NOAA is shifting unused bluefin tuna quota into the commercial General category for October–November 2026, giving those boats 192.9 metric tons to catch in that period.
Abstract
(Rule · Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NMFS is adjusting the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) General category October through November 2026 time period subquota by transferring 70.2 metric tons (mt) of quota from the Reserve category. Simultaneously, NMFS is adding 16.7 mt of subquota remaining from the June through August time period to the General category October through November time period. This action results in a total adjusted General category October through November time period subquota of 192.9 mt and an adjusted Reserve category of 42 mt. This action would affect Atlantic Tunas General category (commercial) permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Charter/Headboat permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT.
Why this matters
Inseason quota transfers are the main lever NMFS uses to keep the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery open as landings run ahead or behind projections, directly shaping how much commercial handgear and harpoon boats can land in a given window. The October–November 2026 bump to 192.9 metric tons illustrates the recurring pattern of shifting unused allocation across categories to maximize use of the overall U.S. quota without exceeding ICCAT limits.