NOAA proposes Atlantic HMS rule changes affecting tuna fleets and quotas

Will this change the fishery anglers see on the water? NOAA’s new Atlantic Highly Migratory Species proposal would remove the pelagic and demersal indicator-species regulations and species lists that have helped separate longline gear categories for years, and that could ripple through where commercial tuna effort lands, how much quota gets chased, and how tightly bycatch is controlled.

The rule, published in the Federal Register on April 17, 2026, targets pelagic and bottom longline fishermen who hold Atlantic HMS permits in the Atlantic, the Gulf of America, and the Caribbean. NOAA says the point is to increase fishing flexibility, remove regulatory inefficiencies, and help the pelagic and bottom longline fleets harvest available quotas while still meeting conservation and management goals. Written comments are due by May 29, 2026, and NOAA will hold a public hearing webinar on May 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time under Docket No. 260413-0097 and RIN 0648-BN27.

For tuna operators, the practical question is whether stripping away the indicator-species framework changes the daily rules of the game. NOAA’s 2021 materials said those species lists were used to differentiate pelagic longline and bottom longline gear based on catch composition, and to support gear restrictions and time-area closures in closed areas. The original setup dates to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic HMS Fishery Management Plan, which folded the Atlantic billfish and Atlantic tunas, swordfish and sharks plans into one system. NOAA says the current proposal would remove those regulations entirely, not simply tweak them.

That matters because the target species for pelagic longline operations include swordfish, yellowfin tuna, and bigeye tuna, while bottom longline fishing still sits inside the broader HMS management web, including shark rules. If the indicator-species lists disappear, fishermen could face less paperwork and fewer gear-classification disputes, but regulators would also have one less tool for distinguishing how different longline vessels are operating. In the water, that could alter effort distribution, particularly if boats shift toward the most profitable tuna grounds with fewer compliance headaches tied to what is landed or carried aboard.

NOAA’s supporting documents say the agency has been weighing this move since at least July 18, 2025, and calls it consistent with Magnuson-Stevens Act section 304(g)(1). The proposal lands just weeks after NOAA finalized Amendment 15 to the HMS plan on March 4, 2026, a separate action that changed the Mid-Atlantic Shark, Charleston Bump, East Florida Coast, and DeSoto Canyon closed areas. Together, the two rules show NOAA trying to reshape HMS management from both ends: tightening some spatial controls while loosening older gear-identification rules.

The public-comment window is the place to watch. NOAA’s own advisory process has already shown support for removing the indicator-species lists, but the agency will still have to weigh how much flexibility commercial tuna fleets gain against the risk of dulling the lines that separate gear types, bycatch pressure, and quota use across Atlantic HMS fisheries.