September 20, 2026 to September 26, 2026

This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly digest of regulatory developments, legislative discussions and other government-related news concerning fisheries, aquaculture, shellfish, and marine conservation. Once a week, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to see GR activities in areas of the economy related to the Fisheries channel? Don’t miss this week’s updates in Environment and Agri-Food. Also consider subscribing to our Fisheries - Ottawa edition covering critical GR news north of the border.

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🏛️ This Week's Congressional Calendar
• 🇺🇸 Federal Government News
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

This Week's Congressional Calendar

• North Pacific Fishery Management Council: Charter Halibut Management Committee Meeting: The Charter Halibut Management Committee will meet October 21, 2026, via web conference, to review 2025-26 harvest numbers and discuss management measures for the 2027 season.
• North Pacific Fishery Management Council: Joint Protocol Committee Session: A meeting is scheduled for October 16, 2026, at the Marriott Anchorage Downtown and online, covering trawl fisheries, gear innovations, and essential fish habitat review.
• New England Fishery Management Council: Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting: The SSC will gather on October 7, 2026, in New Bedford, MA, and by webinar, to recommend overfishing limits and acceptable biological catches for scallop and groundfish stocks.
• Gulf Fishery Management Council and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Joint Public Hearing: A virtual public hearing on Gulf Reef Fish Amendment 55/South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 will take place October 20, 2026, seeking public comment on catch limits and allocations.
• Gulf Fishery Management Council: Shrimp Advisory Panel Meeting: A virtual Shrimp Advisory Panel meeting is scheduled for October 15, 2026, addressing shrimp permit thresholds, fishery estimation, and Draft Shrimp Amendment 20.

Federal Government News

Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery: Amendment 38 and 2027-28 Specifications Proposed

NOAA released a proposed rule for Pacific Coast groundfish, establishing harvest specifications, control rules, and sector allocations for the 2027-28 biennium under Amendment 38. The rule introduces modifications for the management of key stocks, including canary rockfish, petrale sole, yelloweye, widow rockfish, and shortspine thornyhead. Several stocks show ACL increases based on recent assessments, such as yelloweye rockfish, chilipepper, and rougheye/blackspotted rockfish, while others—e.g., splitnose and English sole—have reduced ACLs due to assessment age. Among the changes, tribal set-asides are refined, area-based closures are revised, and trip limits are updated for LEFG and OA fisheries. Emergency increases for certain stocks follow mid-biennium catch projections. Recreational bag and season structures are further adjusted per state. The allocation methodology for blackgill rockfish now uses rolling sector averages. The rule is open for comment until October 22, 2026.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Executive Order 14430: Modernization of Recreational Fishing Management

President Biden issued Executive Order 14430, directing agencies to update Federal fisheries management and data collection infrastructure, particularly for recreational saltwater angling. The order requires the Secretary of Commerce to review National Standards under Magnuson-Stevens, enhance state-federal data integration, and deploy mobile reporting platforms. The directive seeks to phase out mail-in survey systems, establish data-replacement thresholds, and pilot advanced tagging and catch-and-release mortality programs. Agencies must streamline marine permitting, extend permit terms, and facilitate a unified joint permit portal. The order also calls for faster artificial reef creation, improved predator management, and coordinated habitat restoration efforts.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna: General Category September Fishery Closure Announced

NMFS announced an immediate closure for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General category fishery, effective September 24, 2026, through September 30, 2026, as subquota thresholds have been reached. The closure waives restricted-fishing days (RFDs) for the remainder of September, while tag-and-release activities remain allowed. All landings and catch reports must be submitted within 24 hours. The fishery will reopen October 1 for the next quota period, and additional inseason adjustments may follow.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery: Regulatory Amendment 37 Proposed

NMFS proposed Regulatory Amendment 37 for the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery to address declining black sea bass stocks. The amendment sets new annual catch targets below current ACLs, revises accountability measures to close harvests once ACTs are reached, reduces the recreational bag limit from seven to three fish, and introduces a seasonal spawning closure through February and March. Commercial and recreational ACTs are specified at 48,557 and 63,143 pounds. Public comments are open through October 22, 2026.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

Aleutian Islands 'Other Rockfish' TAC: Prohibition on Retention

NMFS is prohibiting retention of ‘other rockfish’ in the Aleutian Islands subarea due to the 2026 total allowable catch being reached. The action applies from September 21 to December 31, 2026, and directs that ‘other rockfish’ be treated as prohibited species except for hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear by catcher vessels under specified regulations. The closure follows monitoring of annual catch and aims to prevent exceeding TAC.

Sources: www.federalregister.gov

What We're Reading This Week

• Opinion | Here’s why the seafood on your plate had to be imported: U.S. seafood imports rise as aquaculture expands overseas, creating supply chain gaps.
• How Europe’s intensifying marine heatwaves threaten its fisheries: European fisheries confront operational challenges from increasing marine heatwaves.
• Countries still way behind on UN biodiversity targets, research shows: New analysis finds governments lagging in meeting UN marine biodiversity commitments.

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