New Fishing Gear Used off California

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) recommended and the NMFS authorized a single Exempted Fishing Permit for testing a new gear – Modified Snap – in federal waters off California. The gear, a significantly modified longline, will fish 5 nautical miles of horizontal line, which is much shorter than traditional longlines.  To help improve the survivability of bycatch species, the PFMC requires a four-hour maximum soak time, per set. TBF is not convinced the gear will actually fish cleaner. The gear is comprised of connected sections of line, each ranging from 300 to 500 meters in length, that will

Changes Coming for Anglers on Atlantic Bluefin Tuna? 

Currently, the NMFS is considering making many changes to the fishery management plan for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) – Bluefin Tuna. Redistributing tonnage allocations to each managed Fishing Category, including the Angling Category, and modifying fishing areas are two of the potentially most impacting options. The Incidental recreational bluefin allocation of trophy-size fish in the Gulf of Mexico, which averages between 5-8 fish a season depending on weight, is most at risk since the Gulf of Mexico is a spawning ground. Though, spawning ground concerns seem to be dismissed in another option, which could authorize permitted Atlantic longline

Reallocation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna for Angling Category

The current proposed Amendment 13 to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan may reallocate the U.S. Atlantic quota share of Bluefin Tuna among Fishing Categories (Angling, Longline, General, Purse Seine, Trap, Reserve). The Purse Seine category is being abolished and its tonnage reallocated since those vessels have landed any bluefin since 2015, due to regulatory size restraints, but their tonnage was leased to Longline Category vessels. The redistribution will result in slight increases in the Angling Category now spread over 4 sub-allocation areas instead of 3 with the division of the Northern area into two areas

Atlantic Bluefin Northern Area Trophy Fishery Closed to Angling

On May 11, 2021 at 11:30pm, the Northern Area Trophy Bluefin Fishery closed to angling. It will remain closed for the remainder of the year. The Northern Area is the area north of Great Egg Inlet, New Jersey. More specifically, it is the area north of 39°18’ N latitude. This closure applies to fishermen aboard Atlantic HMS Angling category and Atlantic HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels (when fishing recreationally). The Northern Area closed because anglers met and exceeded the 1.8mt subquota of trophy bluefin tuna. These trophy bluefin are any bluefin 73″ or greater. However, angling for bluefin at least

Recreational Fishing Gear, Bottom Trawls & Pelagic Longline Gear Are NOT the Same!!

With the recent Executive Order (EO), recreational fishing gear, bottom trawls, and pelagic longline are viewed the same as all other fishing gear when it comes to designating Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The EO, signed by Biden, calls for closing 30% of U.S. ocean waters to fishing, including recreational fishing, by 2030 through the MPAs. This is not the first time such a strategy has been raised, very large marine protected areas in various regulatory (marine monuments, wildlife refuges, sanctuaries, marine reserves, etc) forms have preceded the current initiative. Through the US Ocean Action Policy in 2006, the

TBF Cautions Caribbean Swordfish Retention Expansion

Representatives from The Billfish Foundation attended a recent meeting with NOAA in which a swordfish retention expansion was discussed in the Caribbean. This proposed expansion applies to vessels in USVI and Puerto Rico with an (HMS) Commercial Caribbean Small Boat (CCSB) permit, Swordfish General Commercial permit, or HMS Charter/Headboat permit with a commercial endorsement on a non-for hire trip. The expansion of swordfish retention was proposed at levels ranging from zero to eighteen swordfish retained per vessel per trip. We believe that only the most conservative expansion (up to six fish per vessel) should be considered or authorized

Atlantic Swordfish and Bluefin Landings Update

NOAA Fisheries announced landings updates for Atlantic swordfish and bluefin tuna. This update includes all fish landed between January 1st and October 31st of this year. For swordfish, a total of 835.2 metric tons dressed weight (mt dw) has been landed, totaling 28.4% of the 2,937.6 mt dw baseline quota for 2019. Of this, 791.2 mt dw has been caught intentionally by commercial fisheries, 7.4 mt dw has been reported as commercial bycatch, and 36.6 mt dw has been caught by recreational anglers. At this time in 2018, only 606.9 mt dw had been landed, resulting in a 228.3

NOAA Proposes Fishing Regulations in Gulf of Mexico

NOAA is considering an amendment to the current Fishery Management Plan for Coral and Coral Reef Resources in Gulf of Mexico. The amendment establishes new and modifies existing habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC), specifically coral habitats. An HAPC is a subset of essential fish habitat that is either ecologically important, sensitive to human degradation, currently stressed, or rare. Being essential fish habitat means that these coral reefs are essential to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. With the potential passage of this amendment, NOAA hopes to protect these essential coral habitats against further degradation

Updated English and Spanish Atlantic HMS Compliance Guides

NOAA Fisheries has released updated compliance guides for recreational fishing of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean. These guides include detailed anatomical figures, identification charts, and species-specific bag limits, landing information, and reporting requirements. The guides also include information on permitting, gear restrictions, sale restrictions, chartering, and tournaments. We recommend fishers keep copies of this guide on hand (either printed out or on their phones) when they’re out fishing. This way, you can ensure that you’re following all the necessary regulations to ensure that billfish and other highly migratory species are around for generations to come. A summary

FWC Announces Blackfin Tuna Recreational Limit

In July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) drafted a proposal to create a recreational limit for blackfin tuna in Florida and the surrounding federal waters. In it’s October meeting, the proposal was finally voted on and approved. This new regulation changes only slightly the old bag limits for blackfin tuna. Previously, blackfin tuna had a recreational limit of 2 fish or 100 pounds per person, per day, whichever is greater. Now, that limit has been altered to be 2 fish per person or 10 fish per vessel, per day, whichever is greater. The recreational limit previously