Pacific Island Fisheries; Catch and Retention Limits for Striped Marlin in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean North of the Equator

Document 2026-08502 is a Proposed Rule published by the Department of Commerce in the Federal Register on May 1, 2026. NMFS proposes a framework to determine catch limits for all U.S. fisheries and retention limits by U.S. longline fisheries under a Hawaii longline limited entry permit for Western and Central North Pacific Ocean (WCNPO) striped marlin (Kajikia audax), consistent with Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Conservation and Management Measure (CMM) 2024-06. If the retention limit is reached, NMFS proposes to prohibit longline retention of WCNPO striped marlin by longline fishing vessels until the end of the year to prevent the U.S. catch limit from being exceeded. Because the U.S. limit under the framework can change each year, NMFS proposes to specify the updated catch and longline retention limits by notice in the Federal Register early each calendar year. For fishing year 2026, NMFS proposes to specify a U.S. WCNPO striped marlin limit of 393.4 metric tons (mt) (867,300 pounds (lb)) and a U.S. longline retention limit of 381.6 mt (841,300 lb) using the framework. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/01/2026-08502/pacific-island-fisheries-catch-and-retention-limits-for-striped-marlin-in-the-western-and-central.

No. Document 2026-08502 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.