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by John T. Koegler
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association April 2002 Newsletter)
One of the best written NMFS technical publications is the Large Pelagic Logbook Newsletter. This report covers the US longliner landings and discards of major tuna species, swordfish, marlins and sailfish. The newsletter documents fishing effort in terms of the number of hooks set and the area fished. This NMFS report is mandated for every trip that longline fishermen take.
These NMFS reports were first required for the 1987 fishing year. There were 297 longline boat permits issued that first season. By 1994 the number of permitted boats had reached an all time high of 501 permits. The number of boats had decreased to 199 permits by 2000.
The effort of these boats is measured by the number of hooks set. In 1987, 6,557,776 hooks were set. By 1994 the hooks set grew to 11,270,632. The year 2000 report shows 7,876,642 hooks were set. An indication of the increased efficiency and effort of these boats is the small reduction in number of hooks set while the number of boats with a permit sharply decreased from 501 to 199. The number reporting HMS fish landed was even lower at 174.
NMFS figures document while the number of boats sharply decreased, the number of hooks set per boat greatly increased. In fact, it increased by an additional 17,085 hooks set per boat per season between 1994 and 2000(39,581-22,496=17,085). If compared to the number of boats reporting fish as compared to permits issued, the hooks set per boat are even higher at 43,503 per season. 43,503 hooks set per year is nearly 100% higher than in 1994 and represents a doubling of the fishing effort by the boats remaining in the fishery. (22,496 X double = 44,992).
NMFS report to ICCAT states that commercials usually land the same amount of yellowfin tuna as anglers, despite having issued anglers over 14,000 HMS boat permits. NMFS current rules indicate these few commercial boats are not affecting the yellowfin tuna stocks and require no limits despite the fact these few commercial boats are landing the same number of yellowfin as anglers. NMFS then decides that strict limits on anglers and no limits on commercials are required despite the Magnuson Act guidelines and rules that appear to make such one-sided rules illegal. Is this a fishery management system that anglers can or should continue to support?
Fishing effort is supposed to be the key issue in all managed fisheries. However, the actual capability issue is being ignored. NMFS makes the pretext required by law to reduce fishing effort. NMFS goes further with federal dollar commercial boat and permit buyouts. Despite NMFS stated intent, they actually remove only that part of the fishing fleet that cannot make a living under the rules. The fishing success of the remaining boats greatly increases even though their “effort on paper" is restricted.
NMFS seems unable to comprehend that space-age electronics, plus improved fishing gear, plus poorly written or unenforceable rules makes the remaining commercial fishermen more efficient than the planned reduction in fishing effort. As a result, the lower planned commercial fish landings never comes to pass. This makes any fish species recovery and rebuilding take too long, if not impossible.
Meanwhile, anglers in the recreational fishery are eliminated. Anglers get shorter seasons, larger minimum sizes and smaller bag limits, each and every year. This problem becomes worse in those fisheries where recovery has begun. The total number of fish permitted to be landed by anglers keeps dropping with each and every passing year. Meanwhile, the number of fish landed per commercial boat keeps increasing.
Anglers are disillusioned. Yearly, they are informed that this year’s rules will allow them to keep fewer fish than last year’s rule, despite a larger quota. This is due to management rules that base the quota on the pounds of fish landed rather than on number of fish landed. Therefore, to comply with the rules fewer fish are available, a shorter season and smaller bag limits becomes the law. Some anglers who have worked hard for fair and equitable fishery management regulations have become so upset that they believe the current management system must be abolished through an act of Congress. What has become all too clear is that the current fishery management system has failed the angling public. Which brings up the issue of angler statistics. The ASMFC is changing the statistical program used to manage recreational fisheries called the ACCSP. Their intent makes the point of good data equals good management, which seems like a good idea. In fact, this attempt to provide accurate data will likely destroy recreational fishing. This is because the statistics, while perhaps somewhat accurate, are totally different from the system that was used to determine angler management quota splits with the commercial fishermen. As a result, to get fair fish management under this new statistical program, a revision of the commercial/recreational quota split in all fisheries is necessary to allow anglers to have viable seasons, size limits and bag limits. Without requiring NMFS and the councils to follow the laws, anglers will endure a slow and painful process of elimination from their own fisheries. Remember that old adage there are only lies, damn lies and statistics.