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

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quota Transferred

Fifteen metric tons of Atlantic bluefin tuna quota was transferred from the Reserve Category to the Harpoon Category, bringing the total tonnage for the category to 91 metric tons and leaving 98 metric tons in Reserve to be used as the agency thinks best over the balance of 2019. This transfer will be in effect through November 15, 2019 or until the Harpoon category quota is reached, whichever comes first, and only applies to those commercial vessels with an Atlantic tunas Harpoon category permit. This is at a time when some federally permitted Atlantic tunas dealers are not accepting

Changes in Reporting for HMS Tournaments

Beginning January 1, 2019, all Atlantic highly migratory species tournaments will be required to submit catch summaries. An Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) tournament is a tournament that awards points or prizes for catching Atlantic highly migratory species (i.e., swordfish, billfish, sharks and/or tunas). All Atlantic highly migratory species tournament operators will be required to submit an HMS tournament catch summary report within seven days after tournament fishing has ended. NOAA Fisheries uses the data to estimate the total annual catch of highly migratory species and the impact of tournament operations in relation to other types of fishing

ICCAT Marlin Update

Very late in the year and not anticipated, landing limits for Atlantic marlin were raised in the international arena. It was the overfished status of  Atlantic billfish that became the subject of an international negotiating proposal put forth by the European Community (EC) at the annual negotiations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The EC’s proposal called for further reductions in Atlantic blue marlin landing quota from 2000 metric tons to 1,750 metric tons, a positive for that harvesting level would give marlin a 50% probability of recovering by 2028. The reduction is essential

Billfish Conservation Act Amendment Update

TBF was very pleased when the National Marine Fisheries Service staff announced the 2018 amended Billfish Conservation Act (BCA) must comply with the agency’s official Guidelines. The amended BCA prohibits Pacific billfish landed by U.S. vessels from Hawaii and U.S. island areas from being sent into the continental U.S. Compliance to the government guidelines prohibiting the redirection of those billfish from being sent to other nations’ markets. Prohibiting the redirecting of U.S. landed Pacific marlin increases the conservation benefits gained from the amended BCA. TBF will remain vigilant to any challenges that may arise to guideline compliance. Generally, government

Florida East Coast Closed Zone Will Remain Closed!

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is not issuing an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) that would open the east coast Florida closed zone to pelagic longline vessels for the stated purpose of conducting “research.” Thanks in large part to TBF’s efforts and to our constituency submitting comments to NOAA, this victory was achieved. This is a major accomplishment that will continue yielding conservation benefits to the fish and other marine resources, which will further support recreational fishing and boating opportunities that support a wide array of associated jobs. The decision comes after almost two years of effort

Passing of a Legend – Capt. Ron Hamlin

Hamlin was recognized not only for his expertise at placing anglers from all over the world on billfish, but also for his contributions to billfish conservation.  His expertise at the helm won him awards year after year, including the Billfish Foundation’s Top Captain Award, for which he stopped competing. After landing billfish for years during the early part of his career, he later recognized that continuation of his profession depended upon the availability of healthy stocks of fish in the water for clients to catch. He turned to catch and release fishing and became a voice for billfish conservation

Sargassum Invasion

Weed, Weed – too much of a good thing? Offshore anglers know seeing and fishing a floating Sargassum weed line is a good thing for it they usually are very productive for catching dolphin fish and, if lucky, possibly a marlin. Sargassum is a brown-green microalga, or seaweed, which provides habitat for a significant variety of marine species, particularly juveniles seeking shelter from larger prey species. The structure of the Sargassum plant, includes a stem or stipe attached lateral branches with slender leaves and some have berry-like bladders that fill with air and provide buoyance. The weed plants often

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (BFT) Angling Category – Northern Area Trophy Fishery Closing

NOAA Fisheries will close the Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) Angling category fishery for large medium and giant “trophy” BFT (measuring 73” or greater) in the northern area effective 11:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, July 26, 2018, through December 31, 2018.  The northern area is the area north of 39°18’N (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ).   Note that the Angling category fishery for school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna (27 to <73”) remains open in all areas except for the Gulf of Mexico, which is designated as bluefin tuna spawning grounds and where NOAA Fisheries does not allow targeted fishing for bluefin