New Daily Limit to Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category

NOAA Fisheries is adjusting the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) daily retention limits that apply to vessels permitted in the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling category and the HMS Charter/Headboat category (when fishing recreationally for BFT). The adjustments below are effective May 11, 2019, through December 31, 2019. These daily retention limits apply to vessels permitted in the recreational HMS Angling category and the HMS Charter/Headboat category while fishing recreationally. The daily retention limits are effective for all areas EXCEPT FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO, which is designated as BFT spawning grounds and where NOAA Fisheries does not allow targeted

Clean Water Essential for Outdoor Recreation

EPA & Corp Proposal to Repeal Clean Water Rule – Anglers & Hunters Oppose The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Corps of Engineers (Civil Works) desire to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” by repealing the 2015 Clean Water Rule (the Rule). The Rule provides federal protection for “60% of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands, including downstream waters” that could be destroyed if the proposed action is implemented. At stake are spawning grounds and nursery habitat for juvenile fish, habitat for breeding ducks, geese and other

Action Alert – Push for Passage of the Forage Fish Conservation Act

Saltwater ecosystem dynamics include not just the marine habitat, but also the creatures, overfishing, predator/prey interaction, pollution, temperature changes, etc.  Yet the primary fishery management law of the U.S., the Magnuson-Stevens Act, does not include provisions for managing prey or forage fish that provide an important food source for larger fish, marine mammals and birds.  If the Forage Fish Conservation Act (FFCA), a bipartisan bill, introduced on April 10, 2019, becomes law, monitoring and assessments will be required of predator needs, impacts of increased removal of forage fish on other species, established fisheries and fishing communities before any new

Everglades Reservoir Bill

TBF joined many other recreational fishing organizations in calling on House Subcommittee on Energy and Water to approve $210 million dollars for the Army Corps of Engineers in support of South Florida Ecosystem Restoration projects in 2020.  The projects are part of the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee watershed restoration. The Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir project is supported by both the State of Florida (Water Resources Law of 2017) and the federal Army Corps (America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (https://www.sfwmd.gov/our-work/cerp-project-planning/eaa-reservoir ). Once the reservoir is complete, water can flow from Lake Okeechobee to the reservoir, once treated, then south

2018 Recreational Atlantic Billfish Landings Updates

The table below provides the total number of billfish (January 1, 2018, through, December 31, 2018) landings in numbers of fish for Atlantic blue and white marlin, roundscale spearfish, and western Atlantic sailfish.  We can see as stated in a previous post, that the recreational community was below not only the 250 quota but almost on par with the 2017 numbers. Landings are compiled using self-reported angler reports from the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Non-Tournament Recreational Swordfish and Billfish Landings Database; tournament landings from the Atlantic Tournament Registration & Reporting (ATR) system; catch card

Angling Category Trophy Bluefin Tuna Fishery for Southern Area Closed

NOAA Fisheries determined that the Angling category southern area “trophy” bluefin tuna (measuring 73 inches or greater) subquota of 1.8 mt had been reached and exceeded and therefore closure of the southern area trophy bluefin tuna is warranted. The southern area is the area south of 39°18’N lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside the Gulf of Mexico. This closure was in effect as of 11:30 p.m., March 14, 2019, through December 31, 2019. Persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic HMS Angling and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat categories fishing recreationally in the southern area (defined

FADS FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO APPROVED

The Proposed Okaloosa County (north central Gulf of Mexico) recreational fishing Buoy/Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) System was approved as a means to improve catches of billfish and other species. The stated hope of county officials is to transform the region from targeting reef fish (especially red snapper) to targeting pelagic fish, including billfish. The eight surface buoys, with no trailing lines, floats or attached streamers, will be placed inside DeSoto Canyon in water of 1,191 to 2,359 feet in depth. While many prefer FAD fishing for it saves time, fuel and usually places their boats where fish

Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Allocation Update

The Billfish Foundation recently submitted comments again to The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council regarding the future management of a dolphin (mahi mahi) and wahoo fishery. The Amendment looks to modify the management strategy for mahi-mahi that would better ensure healthy population levels into the future. Central to protecting mahi-mahi is a restriction of pelagic longline gear by not authorizing the fishery an allocation. While these fish are known to reproduce and grow quickly, it takes only a few pelagic longline vessels to fish down a species. Whereas far less of an impact is made by individual

Panama on the Chinese Maritime Silk Road?

Could China’s heavy financial investments in and aid to Panama along with the 47 recent trade agreements between the two nations possibly lead to a diminishment of Pacific fish stock abundance and sportfishing experiences in Panama?  Possibly. That was the fear among sportfishing and eco-tourism interests in Panama when recently learning that 13 large purse seine fishing vessels currently in Peru may soon be catching cobia and black skipjack tuna (bonito) off Panama, as part of an agreement with China. The purse seine caught fish are to be transshipped to a large Chinese processing vessel offshore in international

Modern Fish Act Signed Into Law

Courtesy of Jasen Gast – Rehab

The Modern Fish Act (MFA), signed into law at the end of 2018, is to improve recreational fishing landings data, increase allocation of fish to anglers by expanding access in mixed-use (commercial and recreational both targeting the same species) fisheries, re-evaluate limited access systems and provide greater flexibility to fishery managers. Flexibility is to be achieved by removing the current hard recovery deadlines (as “short as possible” and “not to exceed ten years”) and establishing recovery deadlines to be “as short as practicable.” Access for 11 million saltwater recreational anglers to fish is