National Marine Fisheries Service

03/30/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/30/2026 07:48

2026 Golden and Blueline Tilefish Specifications Proposed Rule

NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on proposed 2026 Blueline and Golden Tilefish Specifications.

This action would implement increased specifications for blueline tilefish for fishing year 2026. These specifications are consistent with the recommendations of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and are based on the most recent blueline tilefish assessment, completed in March 2025. The proposed specifications are below:

Specification

2025

Proposed 2026

ABC - North of NC/VA line

100,520 lb

452,200 lb

Recreational ACL

73,380 lb

330,106 lb

Recreational TAL

71,912 lb

323,504 lb

Commercial ACL

27,140 lb

122,094 lb

Commercial Overage Adjustment

-5,975 lb

-617 lb

Adjusted Commercial ACL

21,165 lb

121,477 lb

Commercial TAL

20,894 lb

109,330 lb

This action would implement status quo specifications for golden tilefish. We previously projected 2026 golden tilefish specifications in the final rule for 2025 golden tilefish specifications (June 26, 2025; 90 FR 27257 ), and no changes are proposed. This is consistent with Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council recommendation for status quo golden tilefish specifications for fishing years 2025 through 2027. The proposed golden tilefish specifications are below:

Specification

2026

ABC

1,878,338 lb

ACL

1,878,338 lb

IFQ ACT

1,733,109 lb

Incidental ACT

91,216 lb

IFQ TAL

1,728,590 lb

Incidental TAL

68,949 lb

National Marine Fisheries Service published this content on March 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 30, 2026 at 13:49 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]