Update 11/29/25: ICCAT Has Raised Bluefin Quota for 2026 – 2028
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) annual meeting kicks off this Saturday in Seville, Spain. Mike Pierdinock, president of the Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association, will join the U.S. delegation, which plans to propose a major increase in the Atlantic bluefin tuna quota. ICCAT is the intergovernmental organization (consisting of 53 member countries) that sets science-based quotas and conservation measures to manage and protect tuna and other highly migratory species across the Atlantic.
Recent studies show Atlantic bluefin tuna are more abundant than previously thought, with the western stock potentially fully rebuilt and the eastern stock spreading across the Atlantic. At this weekend’s ICCAT meeting in Seville, the U.S. delegation will propose adjusting quotas to reflect these new findings — a move aimed at correcting historically suppressed western Atlantic catch limits. The changes would be reviewed as part of ICCAT’s bluefin tuna Management Procedure between 2026 and 2028.
Last season, recreational anglers filled the “angling category preliminary adjusted quota,” forcing a mid-August closure that remains in place. This left many charter captains facing cancellations because anglers weren’t interested in mandatory catch-and-release fishing.
The U.S. proposal will cite the “close-kin recapture DNA science,” championed by Dr. Walt Golet, along with the region’s recent strong bluefin biomass. For a deeper dive, check out our podcast with Dr. Golet.
We’ll catch up with Mike when he returns from Spain to share any news that may affect the 2026 bluefin tuna season in the Northeast.
I really hope they do not increase the quotas, and maybe reduce the quotas instead so that we continue revitalizing the fishery. even if we have had one or 2 years of great harvests, just as we have seen with the stripers it only takes a couple years of heavy harvests for the fishery to go into a downwards trend.
We need to all think about long term sustainability and consider ALL causes of fishery declines, not just recreational/commercial fishing. (ie reductions of feedstock, warming and acidifying oceans, plastics, etc etc)