Randy Blankinship

The Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division of the Office of Sustainable Fisheries oversees the management of tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish in U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. We: 

• Develop and implement fishery management plans in cooperation with the HMS advisory panel.

• Monitor commercial and recreational catches to ensure compliance with domestic and international quotas and/or catch limits.

• Issue permits for commercial and recreational HMS fishing and scientific research.

• Implement domestic requirements of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna and support international negotiations for ICCAT, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.