SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The snapper-grouper fishery of the South Atlantic includes blueline tilefish and is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). The FMP was prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and NMFS, approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and is implemented by NMFS under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) by regulations at 50 CFR part 622.

Regulations at 50 CFR 622.193(z)(2) specify the recreational ACL for blueline ( printed page 29092) tilefish of 116,820 pounds or 52,989 kilograms, round weight, and the recreational AM. The recreational AM states that NMFS will project the length of the recreational fishing season for blueline tilefish based on catch rates from the previous fishing year and announce the end date of the recreational fishing season based on when NMFS projects the recreational ACL will be met. The fishing year for blueline tilefish is from January 1 through December 31, annually (50 CFR 622.7). However, the recreational sector for blueline tilefish is closed annually from January 1 through April 30, and from September 1 through December 31 (50 CFR 622.183(b)(7)). Data from the NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center informed NMFS' 2026 season length projection that recreational landings of blueline tilefish will not reach the recreational ACL during the 2026 fishing year. In 2026, there will not be an in-season closure based on the recreational AM being triggered during the open fishing season and the sector will remain open from May 1 through August 30. The recreational sector will then close as scheduled on September 1, 2026, in accordance with the annual closure period of September 1 through December 31 (50 CFR 622.183(b)(7)).

During the recreational closure, the bag and possession limits for blueline tilefish in or from South Atlantic Federal waters are zero. The next recreational fishing season for blueline tilefish begins on May 1, 2027.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

91 FR 29091