NOAA Fisheries is announcing the 2024 annual catch limit for the commercial Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) fishery in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) (89 FR 14594, February 28, 2024).
- In accordance with the final rule implementing IATTC Resolution C-21-05, the annual catch limit for 2024 is the biennial limit minus the amount caught in 2023, or 720 mt, whichever is less.
- As of February 5, 2024, 186 mt of PBF were caught by U.S. commercial vessels fishing in the EPO in 2023, which when subtracted from the biennial limit (1,054 mt) results in an amount that is more than the one-year maximum catch limit of 720 mt.
- Therefore, the catch limit for 2024 will remain unchanged at 720 mt (i.e., the one-year maximum catch limit for 2023-2024).
Please refer to the Pacific bluefin tuna harvest webpage for additional information.
For more information, contact
Tyler Lawson, NMFS WCR Highly Migratory Species Fish Biologist, at Phone: (503) 230-5421 Email: tyler.lawson@noaa.gov.
