Current Bluefin Tuna Regs

[capt. carl]

Whaler..
Under the rules of the Charter/Headboat permit....
If you have paying customers and you take and keep a fish under 73 inches, you are fishing on the recreational side of the permit...(allowed 1 over and 1 under).u can still take 1 trophy per year....unless you harvested that trophy already....the safety gear is not required on these
Trips (ie...raft, survival suits for every person onboard, Type 1 Auto Epirb instead of Type 2 Manual deployed)).
I am goinh to double check on this but i was told , If you fish the commercial side of the permit and take the 3 fish at 73 and over...you are now just like a liveliner or scalloper and all the applicable safety gear must be onboard as well...and you ARE REQUIRED to sell that catch to a dealer.....cant just go out and say I'm fishing commercially, catch your 3 big ones and then keep the catch for yourself.
Will definately find the correct answer for us....in the meantime, anyone who fishes commercially on these permits can maybe chime in?