Among the favorite prey species of Atlantic swordfish are illex squid, commonly known as short finned squid. In the canyons offshore of the mid-Atlantic swordfish are occasionally found in close association with schools of these squid. Consequently, some of these swordfish are inadvertently caught in the trawls of the commercial squid fleet. According to records of the National Marine Fisheries Service, an average of from 1.2 to 3.3 swordfish is caught per illex squid trip.
In 2007, Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) requested the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to increase to 15 the swordfish possession limit of vessels fishing with valid squid permits. The Highly Migratory Species Division in NMFS approved this increase, but it only applied to vessels with ilex squid permits that also possessed a valid Highly Migratory Species permit. This left out a number of permitted illex squid vessels, which were forced to continue to discard incidentally caught swordfish. In 2009 GSSA requested that the HMS Management Division considers rulemaking that would allow any illex moratorium permitted vessel the ability to apply for and obtain an incidental swordfish permit.
This was an unnecessary waste of a valuable food resource involving two robust fisheries with a long history of successful coexistence. Clearly a solution was needed that did not negatively impact the swordfish resource.
On August 10, 2011 a final rule was published in the Federal Register (50 CFR Part 635, Docket No. 110112022-1262-02, RIN 0648-BA45) creating a new swordfish permit, limited to those vessels possessing a illex squid permit, that will allow a vessel holding a illex moratorium permit actively engaged in the illex fishery, to retain up to 15 swordfish per ilex trip. This will eliminate regulatory discarding of swordfish in the illex squid fishery, it will eliminate a source of imprecision in swordfish catch data, and it will allow for the full utlization of incidentally taken swordfish in the squid fishery.
This would not have been possible without the cooperation of the people in the Highly Migratory Species Division at NMFS, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the support of the HMS AP and Committee, numerous fishermen and the Blue Water Fishermen's Association, who all recognized a problem and committed to finding a workable solution that is conservation neutral and has allowed the full utilization of what had bee a wasted resource. We extend our thanks to them all, not only for this solution, but for demonstrating that our fisheries management system can work fairly and effectively.
For more information contact Greg DiDomenico at 609 675 0202 (email gregdi@voicenet.com)