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http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/2014/07/30/noaa

Fishing News

NOAA Considers Ban on Bluefin Tuna Fishing
OutdoorHub Reporters Daniel Xu +
| July 30, 2014 |

NOAA will be opening a public comment period on the future of bluefin tuna fishing.

Last week the National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced that it will be considering whether there should be a ban on commercial and recreational fishing for bluefin tuna. If the service decides to move forward with the ban, anglers will be required to immediately release any bluefin tuna caught. According to KCET, the move came after a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to halt bluefin fishing earlier this year.

�This initiation of this important process provides a glimmer of hope in a sea of bleak news for Pacific bluefin tuna,� said CBD attorney Catherine Kilduff in a press release. �Saving Pacific bluefin tuna from the world�s insatiable appetite for sushi requires action at all levels, starting with protection in US waters.�

The announcement came mere days after Mexico declared bluefin tuna in its waters off-limits to both commercial and sport fishermen. The news�which came at the height of the summer season�caught many American anglers by surprise.

�I�m trying to get the word out to as many of our members as possible to let them know about this,� Ken Franke, the president of the Sportfishing Association of California, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Saltwater anglers who had planned trips to Mexico now find themselves returning to the United States, or making do with other species of game fish. Many have called the decision by Mexico to close its tuna season abrupt.

Bluefin tuna have long been a favorite of anglers due to their size and fighting ability, but the demand for their meat in sushi now poses a serious threat to the species. Some groups have lobbied for years to set stricter limits on fishing, but NOAA decided against listing the bluefin as an endangered species in 2011. Anglers also support limits on overfishing, especially by commercial companies, but many reject a total ban. Some, like Franke, want to see a broader effort to gauge the tuna population before closing the season altogether.

�We need to see more science-based studies to show what the current biomass is for bluefin tuna,� Franke said. �The stock assessment is based on how many fish are caught. But we see tons and tons of bluefin that don�t bite. We hope to see more science.�

NOAA plans on opening a public comment period, which will last though until September 22.

Image from Penteado on the Wikimedia Commons

I can't imagine bringing in one of them big sumbitches...a few 20 lb. albacore leave me wore out. BTW, I keep going back to your boat to look at it...nice.

They already killed the Salmon Trolling industry back in the late 70's with closures. I'm surprised it's taken them this long get on with the destruction of the Tuna industry as well.

Thanks for this post, Kamo Gari. Most of those big tuna are immediately sold to brokers for big bucks, then resold to the Japan trade.

As much as I love to eat tuna, something has to be done to preserve the species for the future. Look what happened to North Atlantic cod. It has taken years for the cod to come back and numbers are still low.

Japan has been absolutely irresponsible about this. Too late, they are realizing that the China market is putting even more pressure on fishery stocks.

See my recent posts on Facebook about how eel have been similarly depleted. With all respect to my neighbors here, they have no sense about ecology or conservation.

Japan is a country very rich in natural resources, contrary to claims, and much of that is abundant seafood, especially in the Seto Naigai inland sea near my home. Unfortunately, they are dissipating it quickly via bad, selfish policies.

You bet, Anjin-san. I'm quite familiar with the bluefin fishery locally, and the process as far as them getting to international and domestic markets.

And you're dead on right; something must be done if the mighty and majestic pelagic tuna fishery is something to be around for future generations. It's a renewable resource, but ONLY if managed properly, and with the species' best interests the primary focus. If not, it will not end well, no question.

The salmon trolling industry is alive and well in CA, OR, WA, and AK.

Abundance has it's ups and downs, but the AK fleet this year was given 325k chinook, and that included a 15% reduction to rebuild stocks. They've been knocking the piss out of them down south too.

They mean business


https://www.muckrock.com/news/archi...ast-includes-invoices-hollow-point-bull/

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P.S. A friend from adolescence spent about every spare hour of his summers back in the mid to late 80s hand lining for giants. Three fishing partners started but soon gave up after no tuna brought to market. Greg stuck it out, and hit paydirt as the season neared the end. He got but one fish for all those hours at sea, but the one he got was a big money fish. I seem to recall it being in the 8-900 lb range. He got $17K for it--yeah, for that ONE fish. Bought a brandy new truck with the proceeds. With the kind of change that high quality BFT brings, it's no wonder why every nation that can kill them, does...

Given the big bucks involved, I can't see how outlawing BFT fishing would be any more successful than stopping elephant and rhino poaching is.

Exactly. Wayyyyyy too much money exchanging hands.

Yep. Do think strict limits or a 3-5 moratorium is the answer?