FWC Supports TBF In Opposing NMFS Initiatives
The Billfish Foundation is encouraged by the comments made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) regarding the proposed actions of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NFMS). As a reminder, NMFS proposed to loosen regulations in Gear Restricted Areas of the Gulf of Mexico, New Jersey, and Cape Hatteras, as well as decrease the required time for weak hook use in the Gulf of Mexico in half, including during billfish tournament season. This initiative comes as the U.S. federal government seeks to reinvigorate commercial longline fishing at the expense of the recreational fishing industry and the wellbeing
TBF Tells NMFS NO To Harming Billfish and Sportfishing
As promised, below are TBF’s final comments for the NMFS initiative that will potentially decimate billfish populations and harm the recreational fishing community. As a reminder, the new NMFS proposal is twofold: To read more about the proposal, click here. Most importantly, to add your comments telling NMFS NO to loosening gear restrictions and harming our community, click here. Comments are due by midnight tonight, September 30th
New NMFS Initiatives Benefit Longlines and Harm Recreational Community
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing initiatives that once again ignore the recreational fishing community and do not benefit billfish conservation. NMFS seeks to reinvigorate commercial catch by loosening regulations on the longline fishery. This comes despite the fact that NMFS scientists and scientists of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have made it clear that fishing pressure must be reduced on overfished marlin and other species – or to use a precautionary fishing approach. These new adjustments are irresponsible and show a true lack of regard for our community, the economic capacity
New Gear Restrictions May Help Billfish in the Pacific
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission recently announced new requirements for fisheries targeting tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). These new regulations intend to reduce sea turtle bycatch but have the potential to help billfish as well. While much of the resolution focuses on sea turtle-specific protections, two major factors may also benefit billfish. These include the increasing observer coverage on commercial fishing boats and the use of circle hooks. The first way this resolution may help conserve billfish is the intent to bolster observer coverage onboard commercial vessels. Observers are independent beings (not tied to the fishing boat)
Potential Changes to the NOAA HMS Fishery Management Plans
Earlier last week, NOAA Fisheries announced that they are considering changes to the 2006 Consolidated HMS Fishery Management Plan and we will be monitoring and reviewing this further and providing comments soon. There are currently five major changes being considered. Public comment on these potential changes is open until November 11th, 2019. The scoping meeting is open to the public online, information for attending can be found here. For more information and to stay up-to-date on current fishery management, subscribe to the TBF newsletter, or follow us on social media
Proposed Modifications to Pelagic Longline Bluefin Tuna Area-Based and Weak Hook Management Measures
NMFS proposes to modify the one-month closed zone off New Jersey and the spring two-month gear restricted area in the Gulf of Mexico to become Monitoring Zones with an annual allocation for pelagic longline vessels. If reported data indicates the allocation is close to being landed, the zones will be closed for the balance of the year. Accountability is the weak link, without an observer on board, billfish reporting is likely going to receive a low priority. The Cape Hatteras Gear Restricted Area will be opened to pelagic longline fishing, again accountability on bycatch species caught, specifically billfish, will
Options to maximize Bluefin Tuna in the Atlantic Ocean
Amendment 13 to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan proposes many options striving to maximize utilization of the U.S. bluefin quota. Half of the options propose changes to the pelagic longline fishery’s Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) current management strategy and the other half proposes options that include all managed fishing Categories, including the Angling Category. Three Key Amendment Options: 1. Abolish Purse Seine Category – because no bluefin tuna have been landed since 2015, the unused tonnage should be redistributed to other fishing Categories, except for the pelagic longline vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.
Help Keep Pelagic Longlines OUT of Closed Zones
The U.S. pelagic longline closed zones and gear restricted areas were established to reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish by protecting nursery grounds, overfished marlin, sailfish, which remain overfished, large coastal sharks (some remain overfished), marine mammals and loggerhead (“Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act) and leatherback sea turtles (Endangered under the ESA). At the time the U.S. fleet was not landing its swordfish quota, rather it was catching 80% of the Atlantic-wide undersize swordfish, reported as dead discards until international management decided that practice had to stop by 2004. Authorizing pelagic longline vessels back into juvenile swordfish nursery areas
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna In-Season Adjustment
Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Northern Area Trophy Fishery to Close June 27, 2019 Notice – NOAA Fisheries has determined that the subquota of 1.8 mt for the Angling category northern area trophy bluefin tuna fishery has been reached. The incidental Angling category fishery for trophy bluefin tuna in the northern area will close effective 11:30 p.m., […]
New Exempted Fishing Permits for Longlines off US West Coast
Exempted Fishing Permits were issued by the Pacific Fishery Management Council on April 29, 2019 to two vessels to fish off the U.S. west coast in federal waters (Exclusive Economic Zone) with pelagic longline gear. The listed purpose is to collect data about the performance of shallow-set (pelagic) longline gear and mitigation measures to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Restrictions include 100% observer coverage, strict limits on incidental hooking, entanglements and mortality of loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles, no fishing within Southern California Bight (Santa Barbara County south to the border with Mexico) and within leatherback sea turtle critical habitat
