Editor's note: The only change in the regs is that private and charter boats south of Great Egg Inlet can no longer keep one bluefin tuna 73 inches or larger per year as a "trophy" fish. That's not so important to New Jersey anglers, because bluefins that large aren't normally caught in those waters.

From the National Marine Fisheries Service:

NMFS announces the following three actions regarding the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Angling category fishery:

•  (1) STARTING ON SATURDAY JUNE 12TH adjustment of the daily retention limit for private vessels to one school or large school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 59 inches) per vessel per day/trip and for charter vessels to one school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 47 inches) and one large school BFT (measuring 47 to less than 59 inches) per vessel per day/trip, for the remainder of the 2010 fishing year,
• (2) closure of the southern area large medium/giant “trophy” BFT fishery (for BFT measuring 73 inches and greater), and
• (3) transfer of 1.7 mt from the Reserve to the northern area trophy category subquota. The Angling category North/South line is at 39°18’ N. lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ).

These adjustments are intended to provide a reasonable opportunity to harvest the U.S. landings quota of BFT without exceeding it, while maintaining an equitable distribution of fishing opportunities; to help achieve optimum yield in the BFT fishery, to collect a broad range of data for stock monitoring purposes; and to be consistent with the objectives of the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (2006 Consolidated HMS FMP).

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