Highly Migratory Species Report

NMFS HMS rules for this season are one school bluefin tuna 27”to 47” and two large school / small medium bluefin 47” to 73” . The good news is there is no closed season this year. The fishery will remain open the entire summer enabling anglers to keep a small bluefin, if they find one.

It was reported two weeks back several boats fished on a warm core eddy at the Wilmington Canyon east side. They caught both yellowfin and bluefin tuna along the edge of the eddy. The yellowfin and several bluefin tuna were over 47” long.

Effective July 7, 2007 NMFS has changed angler swordfish retention limits for swordfish. The swordfish retention limit remains at one swordfish per person but the vessel limit was increased to four swordfish per trip. Charter/headboat permit holders retention limits increased to one per paying customer up to a maximum of six per charter vessel. Head boats retention limit is one per paying custom but up to 15 per vessel.

Last fall, the North Atlantic Ocean swordfish population was declared at the ICCAT meeting to be rebuilt. A major reason is believed to be the Florida straits total closure to long line fishermen. This total closure has protected large numbers of small swordfish from being discarded dead by longline fishermen.

This closure has provided a major population increase in the white marlin population as well as the swordfish population. NMFS has revised their limits on swordfish landings to acknowledge this swordfish stock rebuilding and has increased 2007 angler and charter/headboat landing limits for 2007.

Although the availability of these species varies greatly from year to year, it is expected the decline in their populations will cause future reductions in current angler limits. The South Atlantic council is Atlantic east coast manager for this species. They will hold hearings and announce new rules. It is not expected the process will be completed this year.

Those who seek larger sharks should note that those boats fishing over 20 miles out have been smothered with huge bluefish. These fish are too large to swim in the chum line. When filleted they are engulfed by big bluefish as fast as you can set the line.

Last summer, the two biggest local marlin tournaments, the South Jersey $500,000 tournament run out of Cape May and Ocean City, MD, had major increases in white marlin releases. The Ocean City, MD White Marlin Open had record white releases for their tournament. There is a direct connection with the closure of The Florida Straits to longline fishing.

NMFS under the Exempted Fishing Permits category proposed to reopen the closed Florida areas to long line fishing to document circle hook performance, target and bycatch species composition and allow comparative analysis with historic pelagic longline logbooks and observer program data. Longline applicants state the goals of their EFP request is to determine if implementation of new pelagic longline fishing practices justify the resumption of PLL fishing in the closed areas.