Tuna hearing update.....

[keeperreaper]

If they want to absorb the quota in the USA more specifically the east coast then let recs take 3 fish and the General category unlimited fish 73" or greater. This would use up the quota, inject a lot of $$$$$$ into the local and regional economy, and keep the price of fish where it is rather than drive it down. Instead of calling in and then getting numerous call backs just email them of the catch and the vital statistics. Easier for everyone involved. To curb the so called black tuna market place huge fines that are actually imposed on both the buyer and seller. One huge fine seizure of assets or business closure and all the selling if it is going on will stop.

As a caveat to this above statement, I dont think there is any reason for recs to keep 3 fish a day other than to fill up the quota. I also believe that this is counterproductive in terms of species growth/population regeneration. Keep only what you will use and dont kill these fish for the sake of killing them. And here lies the conundrum; boost up the limits and make the quota but hurt the future stocks of the tuna or leave the limits where they are and lose the quota. Pick your poison.

Now for the larger picture, as long as commercial and recreational anglers are at odds and 2 separate entities the ICCAT folks have us where they want us; 2 factions that war with each other rather than aligned and focused on one goal. When everything is all said and done we will all be scratching our heads going/saying what happened to the fishery and how did this happen.

When all angling parties grow up and unify for the betterment of the species and fishery then we as a whole will make headway. Until then we will just keep pissing in the wind. We aren't the problem the structure and ICCAT leaders are. If ICCAT was truly concerned about the fish and the fishery rather than their coffers they would impose stricter limits and eliminate pound nets, tuna pens, et al., and the horrific Mediterranean slaughter that goes on year after year over there. They kill/harvest way more than we do and until that is realized what we do in terms of conservation measures really won't add up to much.

And then there is the foundation for propegation of these and the rest of the fish BAIT. But that is for another time.

[keeperreaper]

TUNA FISHERMEN JAM NMFS MARCH 04 HEARING



Gloucester, MA: Bluefin tuna fishermen packed the new NMFS Gloucester headquarters yesterday afternoon for a public hearing on the 2009 bluefin tuna specifications. The standing room only auditorium was jammed with over 100 fishermen angry and frustrated by the upcoming fishing season reduced tuna quotas but more importantly, the lack of NMFS proposals for any changes to restrictions to allow the U.S. to catch more than 24% of the commercial tuna quotas as was the case in 2008.

The 2009 and 2010 western Atlantic quota has been reduced by ICCAT to 1,900 metric tons (mt) and then 1,800 mt in 2008. Under the new 2009 U.S. quota the General category baseline quota will drop to 475 mt this year. The eastern quotas were also reduced from 28,500 mt in 2008 to 22,000 mt in 2009 but few expect compliance and most expect that eastern and Mediterranean catches will remain in the 40,000 to 61,000 mt range identified in recent years by ICCAT scientists and World Wildlife Fund investigators.

Fishermen after fishermen took to the microphone to complain that the current NMFS regulations require U.S. fishermen to conserve more than fishermen from any other country in the world. They also protested that all the extra unilateral restrictions such as daily bag limits, seasonal restrictions, size limits, charter boat restrictions and restrictions on landings of longline incidental catches were leading towards more loss of U.S. quota.

It was pointed out at the meeting that already 175 metric tons (mt) of bluefin quota has been lost to Mexico and 100 additional mt to Canada with nothing in return to U.S. fishermen. The loss of 2,690 mt of swordfish quota of the last several years to countries with no history of swordfish fishing also sets a dangerous precedent for the bluefin situation.

Several specific alternatives were presented by fishermen urging NMFS to take emergency action to change the catch stifling U.S. bluefin tuna rules. Proposals for multiple daily catch limits for offshore giant tuna fishermen, reduction in the size limit for commercial sale to 65” from the current 73” limit, proposals to allow charter/headboats to conduct both recreational and commercial fisheries on the same day and increase longline incidental landings of bluefin tuna were made. NMFS representatives did their best to explain the bureaucratic hurdles of FMP amendments, regulatory amendments and other laws preventing timely relief to U.S. fishermen by NMFS.

Several in the crowd of fishermen supported a new more powerful tuna lobbying organization be formed to demand legislative action to change the unilateral catch restrictions and prevent the loss of U.S quota share for future generations of American fishermen. For further information on the new developing organization you can contact ralph.pratt@verizon.net .