Bluefin tuna rules from NMFS-HMS division have been a thorn in a recreational angler’s side since NMFS began to manage this fishery in 1976. The 2006 rules were no better. Anglers could keep 2 large bluefin over 47" and had a short three week school fishery 27” to 47” along the Atlantic Coast. The southern zone got one fish per trip during the first 3 weeks of July, the northern zone Atlantic City to Mass. got one school fish per trip from August 25th until the 14th of September.

The NMFS rules for US fishermen are not the cause of this species’ failure to recover from over fishing.  The problem is that ICCAT has NEVER been able to get the cooperation and enforcement of ICCAT rules and regulations on the European side of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.  This problem has existed since the US joined ICCAT in 1976.

After 30 years of total avoidance of rules by the European and African nations, why does ICCAT continue to exist? They are currently at least 100% above the ICCAT published sustainable limit for the European side of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. They have been over harvesting and over quota for the last 15 years. Nothing more than a major political effort supported by the US State Department will have any affect on changing their acceptance of ICCAT’s rules.

RFA several years ago filed a trade petition with the US Department of Commerce to restrict the imports from the nations that were avoiding ICCAT regulations. At the last minute this petition was pulled to avoid Political embarrassment with our European ICCAT members? The net result is no ICCAT regulations are being observed by the European and African nations.

Other Tuna species

ICCAT manages all tuna species, Swordfish, Marlins and sharks. The effect on US fishermen is absurd. We are the only nation to observe any rules or regulations on ocean crossing HMS species. Every species we save by USD conservations is obliterated once that species leaves the US 200 mile Federal conservation zone.  

Most normal people would get the idea that the other ICCAT countries have no intention of observing any conservation after 30 years of deliberate avoidance and breaking of the rules. Let’s solve the problem by getting our Congressmen to eliminate the HMS division budget and stop having any US rules from a rogue organization whose existence has been avoiding any and all rules. Understand that ICCAT rules are self-imposed. ICCAT has no legal international power to force countries to follow the rules. So no other countries other than the US and Canada follow the Bluefin tuna rules. Why has the taxpayer supported NMFS HMS division that accomplishes absolutely nothing after 30 years? Thirty years of failure is enough. Abolish the NMFS HMS division and use the money saved for other domestic fishery management programs where both anglers and commercial fishermen would get some benefit from NFMS previously wasted salary and benefits spending.

SWORDFISH

Here is another ICCAT mismanagement adventure. The South Atlantic Fishery management council 18 years ago was going to impose rules that would have sharply reduced the longline over fishing of the swordfish in US EEZ wasters.

The US longliners got ICCAT to begin management of swordfish in the North Atlantic Ocean preventing the South Atlantic Council from imposing much tougher domestic US rules. Surprising, but International management has had a positive impact on swordfish stocks and were over a long time able to rebuild the swordfish stocks.

In fact, it is expected ICCAT scientists will ask the annual meeting to declare Swordfish stocks in the North Atlantic Ocean as rebuilt. The result of this expected move is NMFS wants to relax the US domestic management rules for swordfish.

There are two reasons for this proposed change in NMFS domestic management limits. First, US commercial landings of swordfish have sharply declined as Asia imports of frozen swordfish have collapsed the premium US swordfish price. The result was swordfish longliners only fished when they could expect a good landing of swordfish. Their trips landings of mostly small swordfish declined and the commercial longliners could no longer land enough swordfish to cover the US annual quota.

NMFS is holding five September meetings to get suggestions to relax the current US swordfish rules. Relaxing the rules will not solve the problem because the problem is not swordfish abundance but NMFS rules to save turtles from longline bycatch using very large 16/0 and 18/0 circle hooks only. The larger circle hooks cause a major reduction in turtle bycatch but reduce swordfish landings by 30%. More important to the longliners is the fact that very large circle hooks reduce their tuna landings by over 50%. This combination of fewer swordfish per trip and less tuna per trip makes longline fishing unprofitable most of the year. 

Anglers should make an effort to attend NMFS’s September meetings or send their comments to NMFS and ask for a relaxed swordfish on recreational. The current 3 fish limit for anglers must be increased to 6 fish so that anglers can benefit from a rebuilt fishery that will only be caught by other ICCAT nations if ALL US fishermen do not get an opportunity to land the US quota.

The address is NMFS, Office of Sustainable fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910 or call 1-301-713-2347 or fax to 1-301-713-1917. Please mail a letter so you and other anglers can have a tiny part of a rebuilt swordfish fishery.

ICCAT Appointments

There is a need for interested anglers to get involved by being appointed to a position on the US Tuna ICCAT Advisory Board. You can send your request for appointment to the ICCAT advisory board or the technical committee to:

Dr. William Hogarth,

Assistant Administrator,

NMFS

1315 East-West Highway

Silver Spring, MD, 20910

See if you can make a difference. The US committee to ICCAT works very hard to make the ICCAT RULES WORK. But after 30 years of failure to get any cooperation, a totally different approach is mandated to solve the over fishing and eventual total destruction of the Bluefin Tuna and other HMS in the Atlantic Ocean.