Federal fisheries regulators are asking for public input on a proposal that would reduce how many Gulf Spanish mackerel can be caught each year, a change that could ripple through the recreational and commercial fishing fleets that work out of Mobile and Baldwin county waters.
NOAA Fisheries has opened a public comment period on a proposed rule that would lower the annual catch limit for Gulf Spanish mackerel and change the way fishery managers track whether that limit has been exceeded. The proposal is part of Framework Amendment 14 to the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf and Atlantic Region. Spanish mackerel is a staple catch for anglers and commercial operators along the Alabama Gulf Coast, making the outcome of this rulemaking directly relevant to the region’s fishing community.
Under the proposed rule, the annual catch limit for Gulf Spanish mackerel would drop from 11.3 million pounds to 9.63 million pounds. The rule would also replace the current in-season closure method of enforcing the limit with a post-season monitoring system, an approach federal officials say is meant to expand fishing opportunities across future fishing years rather than force abrupt closures once the limit is reached.
NOAA Fisheries officials say the Gulf Spanish mackerel stock is currently healthy, but that adjustments are needed to keep it that way over the long term. “The current catch limit exceeds what the data support for long-term productivity,” the agency said. Officials described the goal of the proposed changes as maintaining the fish population at a level that supports maximum sustainable yield over time.
The proposed adjustments stem from a stock assessment completed in 2023, which was accepted as the best available scientific information on the health of the Gulf Spanish mackerel population. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council reviewed the assessment’s findings, accepted its catch-limit recommendations, and asked NOAA Fisheries to carry out those recommendations through this rulemaking process.
The proposed rule was formally published in the Federal Register on July 22, 2026, as 91 FR 46042. The public comment period opened that same day and will remain open through August 21, 2026.
Members of the public who want to weigh in can submit comments electronically through the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at regulations.gov, referencing docket number NOAA-NMFS-2026-0794. Written comments may also be mailed to Kelli O’Donnell, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Full details of Framework Amendment 14 are available online through the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office website. Gulf Coast anglers and commercial fishing operators who catch Spanish mackerel are encouraged to review the proposal before the comment window closes.