Changes to Bluefin Tuna Commercial Handgear Fishery
Effective as of July 1st, all Atlantic Tunas General category permit holders, as well as Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permit holders commercially fishing for bluefin tunas will encounter restricted fishing days. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has stated every Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from July 1 through November 30, 2024 will now […]
Modifications to Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Limit
NOAA is adjusting the daily retention limit for recreational fishermen for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category. Effective immediately, the limit will extend throughout the remainder of 2024 unless modified by later action. The daily retention limits will apply to permitted Highly Migratory Species Angling and Charter/Headboat vessels when fishing recreationally. The limits are effective […]
Closure of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category in Southern New England Area
The Southern New England Area Trophy Bluefin Tuna Angling Category will be closed from May 2, 2024, 11:30 pm – December 31, 2024. The 2.3-mt subquota has been reached and exceeded based on available landings information from NOAA. All Highly Migratory Species Angling category permitted vessels, as well as Highly Migratory Species charter and headboat […]
Bluefin Tuna Closure for Angling Category
Based on the best available landings information from NOAA Fisheries, the 2.3-mt sub-quota of the Southern Area Trophy Fishery has been reached and exceeded. Effective as of February 9th, 2024, the closure will remain throughout the rest of the year, officially ending on December 31st, 2024. The area in question is defined as south of […]
TBF’s Official Comments in NMFS Amendment 15
The Billfish Foundation (TBF) made official comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on Draft Amendment 15 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan. We are extremely disappointed in the overly complex, technical, and lengthy presentation of the amendment, feeling as though the reader would need a Ph.D. in modeling fish […]
Proposed Speed Zones Along the East Coast
Extreme Vessel Speed Reductions Once again, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has failed to consider the effects of their decisions on the recreational fishing community. Their recent proposal, which aims to restrict vessel speeds in areas where the North Atlantic Right Whale is known to be present, will be devastating for our community. Just as we experienced with the shark depredation issue earlier in the year, the government has failed to understand how their actions (or inactions) can have negative consequences on ALL users. Let us be clear though: The Billfish Foundation (TBF) understands the importance of protecting
INCREASES in Atlantic Bluefin Angling Category
A few months back, TBF requested the NMFS increase the allocation of Atlantic bluefin tuna to all segments within the Recreational Fishing Category. In March 2022, the agency announced increases to all Fishing Categories following an increase in the total U.S. allocation agreed upon by the international fishery management Commission. The U.S. distribution among the Recreational Fishing Sub-Category are as follows. School Reserve – 5,467.64 lbs, North – 113,758.5 lbs., South 127,206.7 lbs. Large School/Small Medium North 110,451.6 lbs. & South 123,459 lbs. Trophy North, South, Gulf of MX – 4,312.24 lbs
Restricted Fishing Days for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
The National Marine Fisheries Service just announced a proposed rule that would establish a specific Restricted Fishing Day (RFD) schedule. Daily commercial bluefin tuna retention limits would be set to zero every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from July through November for the 2022 fishing year. Atlantic Tunas General category permitted vessels may not fish for (including catch-and-release and tag-and-release), possess, retain, land, or sell a bluefin tuna of any size class on an RFD. HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels MAY fish for, possess, retain, or land bluefin tuna recreationally under applicable HMS Angling category rules, but MAY NOT commercially fish
NMFS Science for Closed Zones is Questionable
In September 2021, an article published in Marine Biology, Journal of Life in Oceans and Coastal Waters, was distributed by the NMFS as a paper and computer model that might be used as a possible decision-making tool for determining whether to open Closed Zones off East and Gulf of Mexico coasts. This model called the “Highly Migratory Species Predictive Spatial Modeling (PRiSM) would be an analytical framework for assessing the performance of spatial fisheries management.” A review of the paper identified flaws that should preclude the application of this PRISM model to any Closed Zone Decisions. The paper presented
Workshop on December 7th regarding Offshore wind project impact
Input requested from anglers regarding potential impacts from offshore wind projects The Billfish Foundation just received word that The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is hosting the only workshop on December 7th at 10 am EST to understand and develop guidance to mitigate potential impacts from offshore wind projects on recreational fishing. They want to get insight and knowledge from the people and organizations that know and use these areas. Be sure to register since this will be one of your only chances to talk about this topic with the BOEM. Follow this link to Register for the workshop
