Final Rule: 2023 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishery: Quotas, Retention Limits, and Opening Date

Final Rule: 2023 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishery: Quotas, Retention Limits, and Opening Date

NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule that adjusts quotas and retention limits. This final rule also establishes the opening date for the 2023 fishing year for the Atlantic commercial shark fisheries.

What will it do?

This action finalizes adjustments to the quota levels for the various shark stocks and management groups for the 2023 Atlantic commercial shark fishing year based on underharvests that occurred during the 2022 fishing year, consistent with existing regulations.

The 2023 Atlantic shark commercial fishing year opens on January 1, 2023, with a retention limit of 55 large coastal sharks other than sandbar sharks per vessel per trip in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico regions.

Who is affected?

• Any commercial shark fishermen in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
• Any dealers who buy or sell sharks or shark products in these areas.

For more information, contact Ann Williamson or Guy DuBeck at (301) 427-8503.