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Fisheries Home » Sustainable Fisheries » Atlantic HMS

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

  • 2015 SAFE Report Available

    The 2015 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report is now available. Read More . . .

  • Proposed ICCAT Porbeagle Measures

    NOAA Fisheries Announces a Proposed Rule to Implement the ICCAT Recommendation Requiring Release of Live Porbeagle Sharks Read More . . .

  • Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Dealer Reporting

    NOAA Fisheries Announces Final Rule to Modify Dealer Landings Reporting Methodology for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Read More . . .

  • Atlantic HMS Advisory Panel Meeting

    On September 7-8, 2016, NOAA Fisheries will hold a meeting of the Atlantic HMS Advisory Panel. Read More . . .

  • Proposed Rule for Small Coastal Sharks

    NOAA Fisheries Announces a Proposed Rule to Modify the Commercial Retention Limit For Small Coastal Sharks in the Atlantic Region Read More . . .

The Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division manages a number of fish species in U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters known as highly migratory species (HMS). These fish—tuna, sharks, swordfish, and billfish—live throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and often migrate long distances. Because these species cross domestic and international boundaries, NOAA Fisheries' HMS Management Division is responsible for managing them under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. In cooperation with an advisory panel, the division develops and implements fishery management plans for these species taking into account all domestic and international requirements under the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Because these fish travel long distances, responsible management of HMS requires international cooperation through a number of agreements including the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).