NOAA Fisheries Announces Closure of 2025 Commercial Atlantic Mackerel Fishery

NOAA Fisheries has projected that 80 percent of the mackerel domestic annual harvest (DAH) has been harvested as of September 4, 2025. Therefore, effective 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025, limited access mackerel vessels may not take and retain, possess, or land more than 10,000 lb of mackerel per trip at any time, and may only land mackerel once per calendar day, through 24:00 hr local time on December 31, 2025. Limited access mackerel vessels that enter port before 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025, may land and sell more than 10,000 lb of mackerel from that trip, consistent with applicable possession limits. Additionally, effective 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025, open access mackerel vessels may not take and retain, possess, or land more than 2,500 lb of mackerel per trip at any time, and may only land mackerel once per calendar day, through 24:00 hr local time on December 31, 2025. Open access mackerel vessels that enter port before 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025, may land and sell more than 2,500 lb of mackerel from that trip, consistent with applicable possession limits.

Also, effective 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025, through 24:00 hr local time on December 31, 2025, federally permitted dealers may not purchase more than 10,000 lb of mackerel from a limited access mackerel vessel unless the vessel enters port before 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025. Federally permitted dealers may not purchase more than 2,500 lb of mackerel from an open access mackerel vessel unless the vessel enters port before 0001 hr local time on September 16, 2025. The possession limits for the mackerel fishery will reset to the amounts outlined at §§ 648.26(a)(1)(i) and (ii) on January 1, 2026.

For more information, please read the notice as filed in the Federal Register .

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.