Last week’s wild bluefin blitz close to the beach in Nag’s Head, North Carolina, during which multiple tuna were hooked from the end of Jenette’s Pier, has attracted the attention of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which manages the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery through the Highly Migratory Species Management Division.

Some remarkable catches, including two bluefin from kayaks and several hookups from the pier garnered widespread attention on social media since the tuna first appeared close to the beach at the end of March. This attention drove more anglers to Jenette’s for their own once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hook a bluefin tuna from shore.

For those of us in the “boat fish don’t count crowd,” this was like a dream come true. However, before I could strap my tuna reels on my heaviest surf rods and head for the Outer Banks, the folks at NOAA reminded those of us with a case of land-based tuna fever, that targeting tuna from shore isn’t allowed.

Any and all tuna fishing requires a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Permit, which is attached to the vessel from which the tuna fishing is to be done. While kayaks can be registered, and therefore can carry an HMS Permit, no such possibility exists for land-based fishermen. That means, in the rare instances when bluefin tuna come within casting distance of shore, it is illegal to target them.

All the social media attention given to anglers casting to tuna off Jenette’s attracted a NOAA Law Enforcement Officer to the pier last Tuesday, to advise the folks working there that targeting bluefin tuna without an HMS Permit carries a $2,000 fine for the first violation, and that by posting about the tuna being hooked on the pier, Jenette’s was promoting an illegal activity.

Feeling denied a unique opportunity to target tuna from shore, anglers have begun pushing NOAA to “create a lawful path for recreational shore-based anglers—including pier fishermen—to participate in the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery.” The petition on Change.org has roughly 1,200 signatures as of this posting, and Dr. David Harding, who started the petition, is organizing a protest in Nag’s Head this Saturday. In his words, the currently regulations that prevent shore-based anglers from being able to legally target tuna is “not conservation — it’s exclusion.”

If Harding’s Efforts are successful, and NOAA develops a way for shore-based anglers to buy Highly Migratory Species Permits, I think I’d buy one, in an extreme act of optimism. After all, what surfcaster hasn’t daydreamed about landing a bluefin tuna from the beach?

Featured Image: One of the bluefin caught and released from Jenette’s Pier in Nag’s Head, North Carolina. 

Here’s the full press release of the protest, and more information about the cause below:

Operation Inflate: The Bluefin Uprising

Season’s open, bluefin in sight
Why can’t we all share the right
Inflate a toy it’s that insane
Equal access that’s our aim

NAGS HEAD, NC – April 10, 2025 – On Saturday, April 19 at 10 a.m., hundreds of recreational anglers will gather on the beach next to Jennette’s Pier-standing with inflatable unicorns, rubber ducks, and other novelty floats registered as vessels-for a highly visible protest called Operation Inflate: The Bluefin Uprising. Their goal: to expose what they say is an absurd and discriminatory
federal policy that bans shore-based anglers from legally fishing for bluefin tuna, even when the season is open and the fish are within casting distance.

“The law says we can fish for bluefin tuna if we have a permit – but you can only apply if you own a registered vessel, like a boat,” said Dr. David Harding, spokesperson for FishingPiers.Info. “So we’re registering our floaties and fishing from the beach using them as registered vessels. This may seem absurd – and that is how absurd the law is.”

The protest highlights a regulatory gap in NOAA’s Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit system. Recreational harvest of bluefin tuna is currently allowed for boat owners with a $27.50 permit. But shore-based anglers – including those fishing from public piers, jetties, and beaches – are not even eligible to apply, even during an open season.

“This isn’t about breaking the law – it’s about being written out of it entirely,” Harding said. “If you can’t afford a boat, you’re denied access to a legal public fishery. That’s not conservation – that’s
exclusion.”

The event has already drawn national attention online, where photos and videos of bluefin tuna within casting distance of piers have gone viral. NOAA officials recently visited Jennette’s Pier and
warned that shore anglers could face fines of up to $2,000 for targeting bluefin – even catch-and-release. Pier staff were told to remove social media posts showing the fish, on grounds that they were “promoting illegal activity.”

A Symbolic, Serious Protest

Participants in Operation Inflate plan to stand on inflatable unicorns, ducks, and other novelty floatation devices – each registered as a state vessel – along the beach near the pier. This satirical act highlights the absurdity of a regulation that allows boat owners to fish legally while denying access to anglers using public shoreline and pier infrastructure.

“This protest may look absurd, but that’s because the law is absurd,” said Harding. “We’re using satire to fight for fairness. Public waters should be accessible to the public – not just those who can afford a hull and a motor.”

For comparison, the Federal Duck Endorsement-also managing highly migratory species-is tied to an individual’s hunting license and not to land ownership or a vessel. In contrast, the HMS permit system excludes anyone who does not own a registered vessel, creating a barrier that disproportionately affects shore anglers.

Call to Action
Anglers across the country are invited to join in-person or remotely by submitting their own inflatable protest photos from local piers, beaches, and jetties. Supporters can also sign the petition titled ‘Demand Shore Based Access to Bluefin Tuna – End Vessel-Only Permits for Coastal Anglers’ at https://chng.it/4kJGGxDbTR.

Event Details:
What: Operation Inflate: The Bluefin Uprising
When: Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.
Where: On the beach next to Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, North Carolina
Who: Recreational anglers, advocates, and supporters of public fishing access