Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Allocation Update

The Billfish Foundation recently submitted comments again to The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council regarding the future management of a dolphin (mahi mahi) and wahoo fishery. The Amendment looks to modify the management strategy for mahi-mahi that would better ensure healthy population levels into the future. Central to protecting mahi-mahi is a restriction of pelagic longline gear by not authorizing the fishery an allocation. While these fish are known to reproduce and grow quickly, it takes only a few pelagic longline vessels to fish down a species. Whereas far less of an impact is made by individual

SAFMC Takes Action On Longline Research

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) considered over 600 written comments and heard public testimony last week, before voting to send a letter to NOAA Fisheries expressing their concerns on an Exempted Fishery Permit (EFP) request to conduct research and evaluate pelagic longline catch rates in a portion of an area off the east coast of Florida currently closed to longline fishing. The majority of the comments received, including those from recreational fishing organizations, were in opposition to the permit, citing concerns about discards of recreational and commercially important species, impacts to protected resources, increased landings of dolphin fish

Tell Policymakers to Keep Longlines Out of Conservation Zone

Note: the SAFMC public comment period ended on the day of the meeting, March 7, 2018. More comment periods will be coming, stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is accepting public comments on the possibility of the federal government issuing a second Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to allow pelagic longline research inside the closed zone of Florida’s east coast. The first federally issued permit for the research was invalidated in December 2017 when Nova Southeastern University (NSU) withdrew as a research partner. The NSU scientist remains as the principal

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