Salem NH – March 22, 2012 – Great concern is being expressed among fishermen and other interest groups regarding a proposal tendered last week by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that purports to allow the continuation of the present unacceptably high level of bycatch and dead discards of Atlantic bluefin tuna occurring in U.S. longline fisheries.
NMFS's Swordfish Revitalization Program, an initiative largely aimed at increasing catch of swordfish by U.S. longline vessels, is a policy that directly conflicts with numerous U.S. and United Nations edicts mandating the reduction of bycatch. The U.S. swordfish and yellowfin tuna longline fisheries are plagued with high levels of Atlantic bluefin bycatch and dead discards. Great concern has been expressed that NMFS will choose to allow the continuation of these present unacceptable levels of bycatch, favoring its Swordfish Revitalization Program, rather than mounting an initiative to dramatically reduce bluefin bycatch.
Atlantic bluefin is caught as bycatch in the U.S. Atlantic swordfish longline fishery as well as in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico yellowfin tuna longline fishery. This is because bluefin, swordfish and yellowfin are found in the same waters and longline vessels are incapable of avoiding the catching of bluefin at the same time as they are catching swordfish or yellowfin tuna. Longline vessels have traditionally been allowed a very small quantity of bluefin bycatch but in recent years have consistently and greatly exceed this quantity. Bluefin caught as bycatch in excess of the small allowed amount are discarded dead by longliners and sink to the bottom of the ocean.
A tumultuous 3-day meeting was concluded in Silver Springs MD last week of the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel, a prestigious committee that advises NMFS on issues related to Atlantic bluefin tuna. Just prior to the meeting, NMFS presented this proposal as a "white paper", referred to as "Draft Amendment 7", specifically addressing the issue of Atlantic bluefin tuna bycatch and dead discards by presenting wide-ranging alternatives to existing regulations. The thrust of the most significant proposals contained within this document fail to address, head-on, the mandate for the reduction of bycatch. In the main, this proposal, coming at a time when the sustainability of US fish stocks has become a highest national priority, runs counter to the basic tenets of conservation.
The Highly Migratory Species Advisory Committee meets twice yearly in Silver Springs MD and is hosted by NMFS. The committee is comprised of marine scientists, representatives of the recreational and commercial fishing communities, representatives of environmental organizations, and NMFS personnel.
Options under consideration by NMFS under Draft Amendment 7 most significantly include taking bluefin quota allocation from traditional bluefin Artisanal and other bluefin fisheries that are widely known to fish sustainably and giving this quota to the longline fisheries to "cover" present bycatch and dead discards of bluefin. Under a directive from the International Committee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), all member-countries must account for all catch, bycatch and dead discards and the sum total of these three elements, expressed in metric tons, must not exceed the allowed quota.
"It is regrettable that NMFS have taken the position that they prefer to propose changing existing regulations to accommodate the bycatch and the dead discarding of excessive bycatch of Atlantic bluefin tuna instead of first attempting to eliminate or dramatically reduce the problem of bycatch," said Rich Ruais, Executive Director of the American Bluefin Tuna Association.
Mr. Ruais continued, "The Magnuson-Stevens Act, no less than 4 United Nations Resolutions and the policy of the International Committee for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) all mandate the dramatic reduction of bycatch and dead discards and it appears that NMFS prefer to seek ways to maintain the present unacceptable level (i.e. grossly exceeding the longline fishery's historical 8.1% share of the U.S.'s Atlantic bluefin quota) of bycatch and dead discards of bluefin rather than to attempt to reduce this abject waste of an important marine resource."
It is equally alarming to note that NMFS is planning an unusually rapid schedule for implementation of Amendment 7, with scoping meetings on a revised "white paper" to take place on a prioritized, accelerated basis during the Spring of 2012, a "predraft" of the Amendment by the fall of 2012 and with a proposed rule in place by early 2013. This accelerated schedule gives rise to the view that NMFS intend to force through an amendment that will protect swordfish revitalization over protecting bluefin tuna.
This proposal by NMFS is being contemplated in the face of tremendous opposition by the fishing and environmental communities.