Highly Migratory Species Report

In previous HMS reports there were signs that the Atlantic Bluefin tuna population is in serious trouble. The Europeans and African countries have refused over the last 27 years to impose and enforce bluefin tuna restrictions on their countries’ fishermen in the Western Atlantic. In addition, they ignore the impact of their giant bluefin tuna fish farming. They file totally false landing reports that are as much as 50% below their actual landings so that no ICCAT restrictions are imposed on their fishermen.

The worst reporting farce is their reporting of “0” age class of bluefin tuna. Two years ago the European members reported that as a conservation measure they had stopped all landing of “0” age fish. A sample check of local fish markets in Europe found abundant supplies of these “0” age fish available. The reason this item is so important is because over 50% of previous years’ Eastern Atlantic landings were bluefin of this age class.

The reported 2005 European and African giant bluefin landings have clearly exceeded their quotas. Various conservation groups have gotten the European Union management to insist that their member states stop their 2007 bluefin landings because they were over their agreed quotas. This request from both ICCAT and the EU were mostly ignored.

As a result, the current head of ICCAT, Bill Hogarth has requested that ICCAT at this year’s (2007) November meeting impose a TOTAL Moratorium on bluefin tuna landings from their Eastern Atlantic members. Bill’s statement in part said; “Given continued blatant violations of catch limits, closed areas, and reporting requirements, a moratorium is the best hope if we want to avert disaster for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks. Our western stock of bluefin tuna intermixes with the much larger eastern stock and there is real concern about the impact of uncontrolled eastern bluefin catches on western Atlantic bluefin stocks caught by our fishermen.”

How Bad is the Bluefin Population Problem?

US total giant and medium in 2007 landings as of November 1 were reported at 146.4 Mt. The US 2007 bluefin quota is 1391.2 MT. In ALL years before 2000 the US fishery was closed before November 1 because the entire US giant quota had been landed.

US 2007 November 1 landings of 146.4 MT are only 10% of the US quota! It is now very evident that something disastrous has happened to US giant bluefin tuna landings!

Changing from full quota landings before 2000 and to 10% in seven years is just not a problem of tuna moving to find food. Such numbers represent a COLLAPSE of the US giant bluefin tuna fishery. What happens next? Does anyone expect ICCAT to change and impose bluefin saving regulations on the Europeans and Africans as requested? Who will enforce them, even if they do impose tough new regulations?

Is our fishing future in peril? The Artic Ocean’s ICE is shrinking so rapidly that scientists have determined that their future thirty year reduced ice estimates are occurring this year.

Scientists that study the island of Greenland are finding that this huge island that has ice over one mile deep is melting at an astronomical rate. Scientists have documented that the air temperature over Greenland has risen by 4.5 degrees C in the last 10 years. That is an increase of 4.5C X 2.2 (C conversion to F) = 9.0 F. The impact of 9 F temperature increase on Northern frozen latitudes is shocking even to the scientists. Not only is Greenland ice rapidly melting but the Artic Ocean’s ice cover is disappearing.

The Artic Ocean’s sea ice summer cover is now 50% of what is was just 10 years ago! As more of the ocean is exposed to summer sunlight the melt is increasing dramatically. In the 2006 summer it was documented than an ADDITIONAL ONE MILLION square miles of ARTIC sea ice had melted! Ice that had retreated from Alaska’s northern coast by ONLY 10 miles each summer is now 200 miles away. This much ocean without a protective ice cover will cause the Artic Ocean’s remaining ice cover to rapidly disappear.

When fresh water from melting ice mixes with the salty ocean there is an impact above the total amount of fresh water melt. This increase is called Thermal Expansion. Fresh ice water expands by an additional 10% above the actual amount when combined with ocean water. This raises world-wide sea levels much faster than scientists had estimated.

New Jersey has documented that the average high tide from the start of the century in 1900 to 2000 was 16 inches. Most of that occurred after 1950. The impact on our ocean coastline is dramatic. In addition to the sea level change there is a climate component. Scientists have informed us that the biggest impact of Global warming is not just the increases in temperature. The REAL difference is more weather extremes. It is now documented that the 10 warmest East Coast summers have occurred since 1990.

Will US land that was marginally dry revert to desert because there is less rain and too much heat? There is solid evidence for this in the southern part of our country. The city of Atlanta, Georgia rainfall so far in 2007 was 20 inches below normal. Its water reservoirs are lower than in any time over the last 100 years. On October 10, they reported that Atlanta had only 90 days of water left in their primary water reservoir.

California is another example of a drought’s impact. During 2007 southern California had only 20% of their normal rainfall. Recent horrible wildfires there became unstoppable. Vast areas of southern California have burned. Fire damage to California homes climbed above the billion dollar mark.

Hurricane force Santa Ana winds caused flames to jump fire barriers. These winds lifted the fire embers and blew them way beyond the actual fire front. This enabled fire to leap from one canyon to another only stopping when the fire reached the Pacific Ocean.

Northern Plain states in 2007 had flooding conditions several times during this summer. Locally we had a very dry late summer. A drought declaration for the eastern US was only days away when extended late October rains arrived.

Remember the terrible winter storm on March 15 of this year. I remember because one of my boat’s good winter tarps was shredded by that storm. The Saltwater Fishing Expo was greatly affected by the untimely Friday night March blizzard.

October 2007 was the warmest October on record. It was not just a degree or two above normal but averaged 7 degrees F above normal for the entire month! It is now early November and in many areas the trees still have their leaves. When can you remember the trees still having their leaves on November 1?

Our Political leaders can deny Global Warming all they want but it is clear to everyone else that our weather is changing rapidly. What is more distressing is the rate of change is increasing at a rate never before experienced in the US.

Now What Happens? Will we land weakfish and croakers during Christmas instead of stripers? Given the current fishery management nonsense will we be forced to eat spiny dogfish in place of fluke? Hey, fishermen, you better get involved because the entire fishery management process is out of control.

Have a healthy holiday as a great New Year.