Overview
Title
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; 2025 Atlantic Shark Commercial Fishing Year
Agencies
ELI5 AI
The people in charge of fishing rules are letting fishermen catch a bit more of certain types of sharks in 2025 because last year they didn't catch as many as they were allowed to. But for some types of sharks that are in trouble, they won't let extra fishing happen to keep them safe.
Summary AI
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued a temporary final rule adjusting the annual commercial quotas for Atlantic sharks for 2025. These changes are based on shark underharvests from the 2024 fishing year, allowing additional fishing opportunities for commercial shark fishermen. The rule specifies that certain shark species, such as Gulf of America blacktip and smoothhound sharks, can have unharvested quotas carried over because they are not overfished. However, other shark groups like Hammerhead and Blacknose, which are either overfished or overfishing is occurring, won't have quota carryovers. The rule is effective from April 16, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
Abstract
In this action, NMFS adjusts the base annual commercial quotas for the 2025 Atlantic shark commercial fishing year as allowable based on underharvests from the 2024 fishing year. The 2025 Atlantic shark commercial fishing year opened on January 1, 2025 under the base annual commercial quotas and default commercial retention limits. This action is necessary to provide additional fishing opportunities for commercial shark fishermen to harvest optimum yield from the Atlantic shark fisheries.
Keywords AI
Sources
AnalysisAI
The document from the Federal Register gives an overview of a temporary final rule issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) relating to commercial quotas for Atlantic sharks for the year 2025. This rule allows for adjustments based on underharvests during the 2024 fishing year, which aims to provide more opportunities for commercial shark fishermen to maximize their yield.
General Summary
The NMFS has decided to adjust the annual quotas for various shark species in the Atlantic for the commercial fishing year 2025. These changes arise from underharvests during the previous year, 2024. Specifically, shark species that are not overfished, such as Gulf of America blacktip and smoothhound sharks, allow for unharvested quotas to be carried forward to the next year. In contrast, sharks categorized as overfished, like the Hammerhead and Blacknose sharks, do not allow for such carryovers. This type of regulatory adjustment is quite routine, with the effective period for the rule being from April 16, 2025, through December 31, 2025.
Significant Issues or Concerns
One of the notable mentions in the document is an Executive Order from "President Trump" issued in 2025, renaming the 'Gulf of Mexico' to the 'Gulf of America.' This presents a potential timeline conflict, as it references an action by President Trump during a period when he's no longer in office. This name change might lead to confusion in geographical terminology, necessitating clarification in related documents.
Another concern is regarding how the term "optimum yield" is defined and whether it aligns with long-term environmental sustainability goals. The rule permits carrying over 50% of the previous year's quota for certain shark groups and provides criteria for this process; however, the details could be more comprehensive to ensure that overfishing is avoided.
Impact on the Public
The rule provides commercial shark fishermen with clear guidelines and opportunities to capitalize on underharvested quotas from the previous year. By allowing some flexibility in quota adjustments, fishermen can potentially increase their catch, which could translate to economic benefits for those involved in the fishing industry.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
Fishermen targeting shark species that are not overfished, such as the Gulf of America blacktip, stand to benefit from the increased quotas due to the carryover policy. This could positively impact their livelihood by allowing them to harvest more without immediately facing overfishing constraints.
Conversely, for species that are overfished or experiencing overfishing, the rule reinforces stricter constraints on harvests, which could negatively impact fishermen targeting these species. This highlights the ongoing need for careful balance between environmental conservation efforts and economic interests within the fishing industry. Such regulations are crucial for ensuring that fishing practices do not lead to the depletion of shark populations, aligning with broader conservation goals.
Overall, while the rule encourages sustainable practices by preventing overfishing and allowing certain flexibilities, it also underscores the importance of informed and transparent decision-making to avoid unintended environmental consequences.
Issues
• The rule references an Executive Order by 'President Trump' issued in 2025, which could be a point of confusion considering the timeline of presidencies.
• The renaming of the 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' might cause geographical confusion or require additional clarification in other related documents.
• There is potential ambiguity in how 'optimum yield' is determined and whether it aligns with environmental sustainability goals.
• The allowance to carry over up to 50% of quota and the criteria for doing so could be more explicitly detailed to avoid potential overfishing concerns.
• No apparent wasteful spending or favoritism is evident in this document, but continuous monitoring is advised.