Data / Federal rules / 2026-10096

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Prohibit Retention of Mobulid Rays in Fisheries for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on May 20, 2026. It took effect on June 22, 2026.

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What the agency says

In this final rule, NMFS is changing regulations to implement the binding International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Recommendation 24-12 on mobulid rays of the family Mobulidae. Specifically, this action prohibits retention of mobulid rays in fisheries for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS), requires mobulid rays to be released unharmed in HMS fisheries, and implements mobulid ray handling practices for vessels fishing with pelagic longline gear.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-10096
Type: Final rule
Action: Final rule
Agency: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: May 20, 2026
Takes effect: June 22, 2026
Dates: This final rule is effective June 22, 2026.
Docket: Docket No. 260515-0132
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BN53
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 635
Topics: Fisheries; Fishing; Fishing vessels; Foreign relations; Imports; Penalties; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Statistics; Treaties
Pages: 9

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Everything from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Rules on fisheries · Rules on fishing · Rules on fishing vessels · Published in May 2026

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.