This update brings a major reduction in both the number and size of fish recreational anglers can harvest.
Why This Matters to Your Shop
Even if your business doesn’t primarily cater to tuna anglers, these changes will likely affect you this season. In many parts of the region the Bluefin bite in recent years has consisted of predominantly 50–70” class fish —these fish are ineligible for harvest in 2025.
Over the past five seasons, Northeast Anglers have seen a “Tuna Boom,” with many new anglers getting into the fishery. As a result, tackle shops that previously had no involvement in the tuna market have been selling rod and reel combos, jigs, poppers, and trolling gear which has been a nice boost in sales. These new limits threaten to slow that momentum.
New Retention Limits (Effective June 3, 2025)
- Recreational Anglers:
- 1 school-sized fish (27”–47”)
- 0 medium-sized fish (47”–<73”)
- Charter/Head Boats:
- 2 school-sized fish (27”–47”)
- 0 medium-sized fish (47”–<73”)
To put this into perspective: the default retention limit is 1 school OR 1 medium fish per vessel. Due to the strong fishery in recent years, NOAA had allowed adjusted limits of 2 school and 1 medium fish. This new rule is a dramatic step backward.
NOAA’s Justification
NOAA’s data suggests an abundance of small Bluefin and classifies the species as “Least Concern” in terms of conservation status. They claim recreational anglers exceeded quota by more than 50% in 2024 and retained more small fish than in 2023.
A key issue cited was underreporting by recreational anglers. Many have been hesitant to report catch data, fearing that doing so would lead to more restrictions—ironically, exactly what we are now facing. Unfortunately, NOAA has not done enough to educate the recreational community on how reporting directly impacts quotas and regulations.
If you’d like to voice your concerns about how these changes will affect retailers, charter boats, and manufacturers in the fishing industry, you can contact NOAA directly. Here are the key contacts and email addresses:
Primary Contact:
Brad McHale (New England/Mid Atlantic)
Information, Reporting, and Monitoring Branch Chief
Office of Sustainable Fisheries
(978) 281-9260
brad.mchale@noaa.gov
Additional Contacts (Atlantic HMS Coordinators):
Let’s work together to ensure that our voices are heard and that future policy decisions reflect both conservation goals and economic realities for small businesses like ours.
