Data / Federal rules / 2026-16591

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Revisions to Fishing Gear Regulations

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on August 14, 2026. Comments closed on October 13, 2026.

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What the agency says

NMFS is proposing regulatory revisions to fishing gear requirements in fisheries targeting Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) to increase flexibility and remove inefficiencies, thus increasing fishing opportunities and the ability of HMS fisheries to achieve optimum yield. Specifically, NMFS is proposing changes to buoy gear regulations that include modifying gear deployment and retrieval requirements, authorizing this gear under additional permits, and allowing the retention of additional species. NMFS is also proposing changes to speargun fishing gear regulations that include authorizing this gear under additional permits and targeting additional species. Finally, NMFS is proposing overarching changes regarding gear used for the collection of bait in all HMS fisheries.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-16591
Type: Proposed rule
Action: Proposed rule; request for comments
Agency: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: August 14, 2026
Comments due: October 13, 2026
Dates: Written comments must be received by October 13, 2026. NMFS will hold two public hearing webinars on August 31, 2026 from 1 to 3 p.m. ET and October 1, 2026 from 1 to 3 p.m. ET. For additional details on the public hearings, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.
Docket: Docket No. 260811-0511
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BN52
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

Other documents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska 2026-21680	Final rule	Oct 23
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Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modification of the West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Action #1-#11 2026-21607	Final rule	Oct 22
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska 2026-21556	Final rule	Oct 21
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Modify Groundfish Season Timing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fisheries 2026-21507	Proposed rule	Oct 21
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category October Through November Fishery for 2026 2026-21450	Final rule	Oct 20
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Atka Mackerel in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area 2026-21239	Final rule	Oct 16
Fishery Management Plans of St. Croix and St. Thomas and St. John; Spiny Lobster Management Measures 2026-21205	Proposed rule	Oct 16

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