The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is currently in the process of evaluating proposed amendments to the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries Management Plan. Draft Amendment 8 focuses on options to revitalize the U.S. swordfish fishery and streamline permit issuing, a process that has been underway since 2007.
Even though the North Atlantic swordfish stocks are fully recovered, representing a success story for international fisheries management, the U.S. has failed to catch its allocated quota in recent years. From 2007 to 2011, a persistent underharvest of quota at roughly 70% of the baseline has put the U.S. in jeopardy of losing unharvested quota. A number of factors have contributed to this issue including failure by many anglers to report swordfish landings as well as the lack of availability for commercial permits, restrictions in the size of permitted vessels, and little available financing for distant water vessels. Additionally, the restriction of fishing in established closed zones to protect juvenile swordfish, marlin, and sea turtle bycatch has decreased commercial harvest, but are essential to further conservation efforts.
It is extremely important for the U.S. to land its full quota allocation to not only remain a dominant force during international negotiations, but a failure to do so increases the likelihood that uncaught tonnage will go to other nations. Nations currently clamoring for a portion of the unharvested quota fish with little regard for conservation and dump swordfish back into the U.S. market. Economically, this drives down prices and causes negative economic impacts on U.S. fisheries and related businesses.
The authorization of new gear types into the commercial swordfish fishery, as proposed in Draft Amendment 8, may increase landings and the likelihood of the U.S. retaining its quota. A large emphasis is being placed on the use of ‘Handgear’ because of its highy selective nature with regard to target species and may have a lower post-release mortality of undersized fish and protected resources compared to longlines. Handgear types include rod and reel (like the Bluefin General Category permit, not a recreational rod and reel permit), handline, harpoon, and bandit gear. While Handgears only accounted for 5% of the commercial swordfish landings, they may provide an increased opportunity to fully harvest quota.
The preferred alternatives proposed by NMFS in Draft Amendment 8 include:
- Create a new Open Access Commercial Swordfish Permit
- Allow charter/headboats to fish and harvest swordfish under a General Category permit when not on a for-hire trip.
- Utilizing a combination of modifications to retention limits and closures based on regional fishing zones
TBF submitted their comments for NMFS on May 2, read them here.
