Effective May 15, the bluefin tuna (BFT) daily retention limits are increased from the previous limit of one measuring 27 to less than 73 inches.
For HMS Angling-permitted vessels, the new limit is one school BFT (27 to less than 47 inches) and one large school/small medium BFT (47 to less than 73 inches).
For HMS Charter/Headboat-permitted vessels, the new limit is two school BFT (27 to less than 47 inches) and one large school/small medium BFT (47 to less than 73 inches). These limits are effective for all areas except the Gulf of Mexico.
The recreational BFT trophy fishery (73 inches and over) is currently open in all areas with a limit of one BFT measuring 73 inches or greater/vessel/year.
The recreational yellowfin tuna retention limit is three/person/day or trip. The minimum size for yellowfin and bigeye tuna is 27 inches curved fork length. There are no recreational limits for bigeye, skipjack, or albacore tunas.
There are also new bluefin catch reporting requirements effective as of the first of this year for Atlantic Tunas General, Harpoon, and HMS Charter/Headboat categories that all are required to report the number and length of all bluefin tuna retained or discarded dead through the online catch reporting system of the HMS website within 24 hours of the landing(s) or end of each trip.
For permits, catch reporting and all regulatory information for highly migratory species, go to https://hmspermits.noaa.gov