Virginia Bluefin Tuna State Record Broken

A 708-pound bluefin tuna, caught on February 16, 2020 by Jake Hiles, of Virginia Beach, has been certified as the new Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament’s Director Lewis Gillingham. Hiles catch surpasses the previous state record … Continued

Virginia State Record Albacore Tuna

A 70-pound 11-ounce longfin albacore tuna caught on September 22, 2019 by Wendy Brockenbrough of Virginia Beach, VA, has been certified as a Virginia State Record by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. Brockenbrough caught the record tuna while deep dropping … Continued

NOAA Fisheries Mackerel and Tuna Identification Guide

A new Mackerel and Tuna Identification Guide is available from NOAA Fisheries. The guide includes key characteristics that will help captains and anglers distinguish between these species when filling out vessel trip reports (logbooks) or completing recreational angler surveys. NOAA … Continued

Atlantic HMS Recreational and Commercial Fishery Compliance Guides

Updated Atlantic HMS Recreational and Commercial Fishery Compliance Guides are now available. The new guides are designed to help fishermen comply with federal regulations for tunas, swordfish, sharks, and billfishes in the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Carribean. The … Continued

Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program – AOTTP

Over a five year period, the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Program (AOTTP) aims to partner with scientists and commercial and recreational tuna fishermen to tag at least 120,000 tropical tuna with conventional and/or electronic tags throughout the Atlantic. The … Continued

HMS Tournament Reporting Requirements

Beginning January 1, 2019, all Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) tournaments will be required to submit catch summaries, according to NOAA Fisheries. An Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) tournament is a tournament that awards points or prizes for catching Atlantic … Continued

2017 NOAA SAFE Report

NOAA Fisheries has released its 2017 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species. The 2017 SAFE report reviews the status of highly migratory Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfishes, and sharks. The report also updates constituents on … Continued

Atlantic HMS Tournament Economics Study

From March 2016 through February 2017, NOAA Fisheries will conduct a web-based survey of Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) tournament operators and participants. The agency will collect data on the costs associated with operating and participating in these events. These … Continued