THE OFFSHORE FISHING LEAGUE – PRO SERIES
Very much like NASCAR or a professional sports team, large investment opportunities and top notch fishing skills are heading offshore with the creation and launching of the Offshore Fishing League (OFL). The OFL is the world’s first professional big-game sportfishing competition. “OFL investors see the sport, with over 45 million U.S. anglers, ready for prime time,” said Carlos Suito, CEO, “watching tough battles on the high seas, adrenaline-pumping action by the anglers working with the captain and team members while fighting large blue marlin to the boat, where they must be tagged and successfully released.” The equipment sponsors
RECREATIONAL HMS ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MID-ATLANTIC TO MAINE
Whether it is billfish, tuna, or sharks, fishing for HMS species means finding blue water far offshore from the dock. Venturing offshore and pursuing big game fish requires larger boats, heavier tackle and presents challenges on the scale of the fish that anglers target. Of course, the bigger boats, specialized equipment, and more fuel needed means offshore anglers pursing species like billfish spend more than the average saltwater angler. For HMS fisheries in the Mid-Atlantic and New England region where fishing grounds can be 30-100 miles offshore and multiday trips are the norm this is especially true. When all
FINALIZED AMENDMENT 7 MEASURE FOR BLUEFIN TUNA
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released the final regulations for the domestic management of western Atlantic bluefin tuna with Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan. Anglers in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida will applaud the decision to maintain closed zones and to allocate a portion of the trophy bluefin quota to Gulf anglers. These new regulations were developed to reduce the amount of dead discards, increase accountability and reporting requirements, and ensure regulations are consistent with international management goals. Maximizing fishing opportunity is also a major objective of the amendment to help the
NMFS Keeping Promises
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) kept a promise made at the National Recreational Fishing Summit, February 2014, by its leader, Eileen Soebeck, Assistant Administrator in September 2014, when it released the first draft of the policy. The agency subsequently accepted public comments and in February 2015 at the Progressive Miami Boat Show released its […]
INPUT NEEDED FOR NATIONAL SALTWATER RECREATIONAL FISHERIES POLICY
NOAA Fisheries recently held a National Town Hall Meeting in Mid July as well as several webinars seeking input on the development of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy. Put into action by Eileen Sobeck at the 2014 National Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit, the policy aims to create a clear statement on operating guidelines in regards to managing recreational fisheries. While this will not be a silver bullet to fix many of the current fisheries management issues facing recreational fisheries, the policy will institutionalize the agency’s commitment to recreational fishing as well as provide guidance during the decision making
FEDERAL FISHERIES AGENCY ADJUSTS MISLEADING ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Washington, D.C. – June 26, 2014 – After significant objection from the recreational fishing and boating community, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has taken steps to correct a key fisheries economics report that misleadingly indicated that the domestic commercial fishing industry in the United States was significantly larger than the recreational fishing industry. When imported seafood, which is not regulated or managed by NMFS, is removed from the equation, the corrected data show that the recreational fishing industry is actually $7.9 billion dollars larger than the commercial fishing industry. Furthermore, the corrected data show that the domestic commercial
NOAA FISHERIES TO DEVELOP NATIONAL POLICY ON RECREATIONAL FISHING
Historically, the saltwater recreational fishing community and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have not always had a great relationship. Over the years this has changed and NOAA has put more emphasis and effort to learn about and from the recreational fishing community. This effort has allowed the two groups to strengthen their current relationship. This week’s 2014 Saltwater Recreational Fishing Summit showcased this strengthening bond. The NOAA-hosted event brought together over 100 fishing industry leaders, scientists, fishery managers and interested observers to brainstorm new ideas for future management of saltwater recreational fishing.The Billfish Foundation was honored
RECREATIONAL FISHING AND BOATING COMMUNITY CALLS ON CONGRESS TO REVAMP MARINE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
Washington, D.C. – Congress is currently revising the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, the law that governs our nation’s marine resources. Recreational saltwater anglers and the sportfishing and boating industries are intensifying efforts to ensure that their social, conservation and economic priorities are well represented in the legislative process. Today, in a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management co-chairs, Johnny Morris, founder and CEO, Bass Pro Shops, and Scott Deal, president, Maverick Boats, briefed members of Congress and media on the commission’s recommended changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The commission, composed
TBF SUBMITS COMMENTS FOR AMENDMENT 7 FOR BLUEFIN TUNA MANAGEMENT
On January 10,The Billfish Foundation (TBF) submitted official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for bluefin tuna. Within the comments TBF strongly opposed the proposed conditional access to the current pelagic longline closed zones, supported the creation of a Gulf of Mexico Gear Restricted Area (GRA), and advocated for a separate Trophy allocation for Gulf of Mexico anglers. Additionally, TBF questioned the feasibility of an Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) for longline vessels and opposed the reallocation of Angling quota to the Longline category
HMS Amendment 7 – Bluefin Tuna
Draft Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for bluefin tuna was released in August of 2013 with possible alternatives for managing domestic bluefin tuna. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must find a balance between management decisions that will prevent overfishing and minimize bluefin bycatch while also providing opportunities for U.S. fishermen to harvest the full allocation of bluefin tuna. Landing and retaining the entire U.S. quota is a major concern; a failure to land and retain the quota could result in a loss of tonnage to other nations and a diminishment of
