Is a Federal Permit needed for Bones and Albies?

[Mr. Sandman]

IMO the rules are screwy... if you catch one from the shore you need to let it go.

May I fish for Atlantic tunas without a vessel (e.g., from an oil rig or from shore)?
A: No, only permitted vessels may fish for Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, and skipjack tunas in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. If one of these species is caught incidentally during fishing activities from shore or from an oil rig, it must be released immediately


What do I get when I pay for my permit?
A: Unlike many state permit programs, the permit fees go directly to the General Treasury and not to the managing agency (NMFS). The fee is set, in accordance with the procedures of the NOAA Finance Handbook, to recover the cost of administering the permit program, including maintenance of the public website and the toll-free phone system.


What a waste of $. This will never work IMO. The fee covers the cost of admin of the permit program and website? Why not drop the entire thing and save everybody the hassle?


How many of you are reporting each fish caught?

What are the reporting requirements for recreationally landed bluefin, yellowfin, bigeye, albacore, and skipjack tuna?
A: Recreational landings of Atlantic bluefin tuna must be reported within 24 hours of landing to the NMFS Landings Reporting system (call 1-888-872-8862 or report via this website under "Landings Reports"), or, if landed in the states of North Carolina or Maryland, to a reporting station prior to removing fish from the vessel. Information about the state harvest tagging programs, including reporting station locations, can be obtained in North Carolina by calling (800) 338-7804, and in Maryland by calling (410) 213-1531. Other states may implement tagging programs in the future, in which case NMFS will work with those states to notify anglers. Information on bluefin and other Atlantic highly migratory species is also collected through angler surveys. If contacted on the dock or by phone, you are required to participate in the Large Pelagic Survey (LPS), a specialized survey for Atlantic tunas, sharks and billfish anglers. Information on catch of Atlantic highly migratory species may also be collected through the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS), a coastwide survey about general saltwater fishing.



Q: If I want to fish for Atlantic tunas, do I need a permit? Which species and what areas are covered?
A: Yes, all boat owners/operators fishing for Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, or skipjack tuna in the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, must obtain a permit. Only one category may be assigned to a vessel per year. The permit categories (and allowable gear types) are as follows: General category allowable gear: rod and reel (including downriggers), handline, harpoon, and bandit gear; Charter/Headboat category allowable gear: rod and reel (including downriggers), handline and bandit gear; Angling (recreational) category allowable gear: rod and reel (including downriggers), handline; Harpoon category allowable gear: harpoon; Trap category allowable gear: pound net, fish weir; Purse Seine (limited access) category allowable gear: purse seine; Longline (limited access) category allowable gear: longline.