NMFS Discussing New Ways to Allow Commercial Fishing Vessels Inside Closed Zones
NEEDS ALL ANGLERS ATTENTION – The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) launched a new and very comprehensive process for evaluating the success or inefficiencies of current Pelagic Longline Closed Zones and Gear Restricted Areas to achieve full swordfish quota utilization and reduction of seafood trade imbalance. The text makes clear billfish are not priorities for NMFS, rather pelagic longline fishing for tuna and swordfish are priorities with sea turtles, marine mammals, and sharks. TBF will be issuing a CALL TO ACTION soon. Details provided below: To evaluate success or inefficiencies of current Pelagic Longline Closed Zones and
Action Alert – Comments due for Forage Fish soon!
The Billfish Foundation submitted our comments to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to consider Bullet Tunas, Auxis rochei, and similar Frigate Mackerel, Auxis thazard to the dolphin/wahoo fishery management plan as ecosystem component species, so they can acknowledge the role the two currently unmanaged species play as important prey for both dolphin and wahoo. Read our official comments below. SAFMC19DolphinWahEcoConScop You still have time to submit your comments to the council! May 16th is the deadline. Click here to submit your
FADS FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO APPROVED
The Proposed Okaloosa County (
Deep-set Buoy Gear set for California
Deep-set buoy gear finally has management alternatives for use in a swordfish fishery off southern California, where the fishery will be a limited entry to approximately 300 commercial vessels. Once the fishery opens (off the Southern California Bight, southeast of Point Conception), 50 permits will be issued immediately, with 25 more permits following each year. The gear lessens the amount of bycatch, which is a major improvement over the previous gillnet gear used for swordfish. Outside the government-specified area for the fishery, anyone can use the gear with a general highly migratory fishery permit. The Pacific Fisheries Management
SAFMC Takes Action On Longline Research
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) considered over 600 written comments and heard public testimony last week, before voting to send a letter to NOAA Fisheries expressing their concerns on an Exempted Fishery Permit (EFP) request to conduct research and evaluate pelagic longline catch rates in a portion of an area off the east coast of Florida currently closed to longline fishing. The majority of the comments received, including those from recreational fishing organizations, were in opposition to the permit, citing concerns about discards of recreational and commercially important species, impacts to protected resources, increased landings of dolphin fish
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Fishery Closes Until June
The National Marine Fisheries Service transferred 10 metric tons (2,2046 pounds) of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota from the Reserve category to the General January sub-category, until that quota is landed or March 31. The agency anticipates that transferred quota will be landed by March 2, 2018, after which vessels in the General Category and HMS Charter/Headboat Category must cease retaining, possessing, or landing large-medium or giant bluefin tunas. The entire General Category will remain closed until June 1, 2018, at which time 233.3 metric tons (514,338 pounds) will be available through
Tell Policymakers to Keep Longlines Out of Conservation Zone
Note: the SAFMC public comment period ended on the day of the meeting, March 7, 2018. More comment periods will be coming, stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is accepting public comments on the possibility of the federal government issuing a second Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to allow pelagic longline research inside the closed zone of Florida’s east coast. The first federally issued permit for the research was invalidated in December 2017 when Nova Southeastern University (NSU) withdrew as a research partner. The NSU scientist remains as the principal
Longline Research Permit Officially Announced Invalid
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) finally announced as “invalid” the Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) issued last year to a Nova Southeastern University (NSU) scientist granting permission to longline within the 16-year closed conservation zone off the east coast of Florida. The research was halted by the NSU president after The Billfish Foundation (TBF) informed him of potential negative impacts to the university’s reputation. As TBF reported in January, the same scientist submitted a second EFP application, but only yesterday did the NMFS clarify the application is identical to the first one with the exception that NSU is removed
NMFS Releases Dec. 2017 Summary of Bluefin Tuna Landings
Preliminary National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) statistics comparing Atlantic bluefin tuna landings in December 2017 to December 2016 indicate more fish were landed in 2017, but smaller in size and less in total weight. The same was true for bluefin tuna landed in the General Category, handline and harpoon, fisheries during the two years. Also more bluefin tuna were landed by pelagic longline gear in December 2017 than in December 2016, but the average weight was higher. The total number of bluefin tuna landed in December 2017 by all commercial gear was 5091 fish, weighing 842 metric tons (1,856,273.2
Anglers’ Sunken Boat Likely ‘Human Error,’ Not Marlin
A group of anglers were rescued off the Boynton Beach Inlet Saturday morning after their boat was allegedly sunk by a massive marlin. However, their story has since been called into question. The Sun Sentinel reports that a passing catamaran pulled the five men from the ocean as their boat sank within view of the shore. One of the men told the crew of the catamaran that a large marlin was responsible for sinking their 31-foot vessel, causing the boat to take on too much water before going under. Local, seasoned fishermen, however, say the cause was likely user
