NOAA updates Atlantic bluefin tuna open areas, retention rules for anglers

If your weekend plan includes a bluefin trip, the answer is yes in some places and no in others, and NOAA’s April 17 status page makes that call before the fuel dock ever sees your boat.

The Gulf of Maine and Southern New England trophy areas were both listed open, each with a 2.3-metric-ton base quota. The South trophy area was listed closed after landings reached 11.6 mt, and the Gulf of America was listed open with 0.3 mt landed against a 2.3-mt base quota. That is the difference between a legal pull and a wasted run offshore.

Size still decides most of the fight. Bluefin under 27 inches curved fork length cannot be retained. Fish from 27 inches to under 73 inches are open only in the Atlantic, with a one-fish-per-vessel-per-day or trip limit. Trophy fish 73 inches or larger are limited to one per vessel per year in the trophy areas, which is why captains measure before they celebrate.

The Southern New England trophy box remains the one to watch hardest. NOAA defines it as the water south of 42° N. lat. and north of 39°18′ N. lat., the same zone that was shut on May 16, 2025, after the 2.3-mt subquota was projected to be reached and exceeded. NOAA also closed the entire recreational angling category for all bluefin sizes on August 12, 2025, for the rest of that year, a reminder that an open morning can turn into a closed return trip fast.

There is one more trap that can ruin a day. Bluefin cannot be retained if a hammerhead shark is on board or has been offloaded from the vessel. And if you run under an HMS Angling or HMS Charter/Headboat permit, landings and dead discards have to be reported within 24 hours of returning, through the HMS Permit Shop, the Catch Reporting app, or SAFIS eTrips. NOAA says targeted bluefin fishing is not allowed in the Gulf of America because it is a spawning area, so only incidental trophy-sized retention is in play while fishing for other highly migratory species.

The backdrop is still shifting. NOAA said the 2025 ICCAT meeting in Seville, Spain, with 55 nations involved, produced an additional 231 metric tons for the U.S. side, described as a 17% increase in baseline quota and allowances beginning in 2026. For anglers looking at a spring weather window, the live status page is the difference between coming home with a legal bluefin and coming home empty-handed.