An increase in Atlantic bluefin tuna quotas has been implemented for US fishermen. This comes alongside quota increases for North and South Atlantic swordfish, and North Atlantic albacore.
US pelagic longline fishermen who incidentally catch Atlantic bluefin will also benefit from significantly greater operational flexibility. At last year’s ICCAT general meeting, the US delegation secured a substantial increase in the bluefin tuna bycatch set-aside quota. It accounts for the catch of eastern Atlantic-origin bluefin tuna by US vessels operating in the vicinity of the ICCAT bluefin tuna management area boundary and adjacent areas (western Atlantic exclusive of the Gulf of Mexico).
NOAA Fisheries has incorporated this increased allocation into its Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota programme, providing additional opportunities for the fleet.
The baseline annual bluefin tuna quota increases from 1,316.14 to 1,509.58 tonnes. The pelagic longline bycatch set-aside quota increases from 25 to 62.5 tonnes. This represents a total increase of 17%.
NOAA Fisheries is also increasing 2026 annual quotas for north and south Atlantic swordfish, and north Atlantic albacore to account for 2025 underharvests.
