Final Rule: 2024 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishery Quotas, Opening Dates, and Retention Limits
Summary
NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule for 2024 and future fishing years of the Atlantic shark commercial fishery.
What it Will Do
- Automatically opens the Atlantic shark commercial fishery on January 1 each year under base quotas and default retention limits.
- Sets new default Shark Directed permit holders commercial retention limit: 55 large coastal sharks—other than sandbar sharks—per vessel per trip.
- Adjusts 2024 quota levels based on underharvests from the 2023 fishing year, consistent with existing regulations.
The final rule is based on public comment and updated data received in dealer reports by mid-September 2023. We anticipate that dealer reports received after the date of the final rule would be used to adjust the 2025 quotas, as appropriate.
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.