“As a member of ICCAT, the United States has a responsibility to work with other countries to end illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and implement strong management measures that will end overfishing and help rebuild the stocks.

“The status quo with respect to eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin is neither sustainable nor acceptable. Conservation of this species depends on science-based management and effective compliance with the rules on both sides of the ocean.

“I believe that to be most effective, the long-term management of the species must be led by ICCAT. I urge ICCAT to do the right thing – follow the science and implement strong new measures to protect the bluefin. I look to ICCAT for strong and definitive action at this week’s meeting.”

Background:

ICCAT, an international body of 47 nations and the European Community, is responsible for the management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The United States has repeatedly urged ICCAT to heed the scientific advice and adopt measures that will end overfishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and put bluefin tuna on the path to recovery. This includes measures setting responsible, science-based quotas, stronger enforcement of those quotas, and closures during spawning periods.

The United States delegation to ICCAT travels to Brazil this week for the body’s annual meeting. This year, as in years past, the United States is seeking the strongest possible management for the conservation of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

On October 14, the United States announced its support of Monaco’s proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to prohibit international trade of the species. The final U.S. decision on whether to vote for Monaco’s proposal at the 2010 CITES Conference of Parties will take into account whether or not ICCAT adopts strong management and compliance measures at this week’s meeting.

For further background, please see October 14 release: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091014_bluefintuna.html

The recreational harvest and possession of vermilion snapper is prohibited beginning Nov. 1 in all Atlantic waters off Florida.  Recreational harvest of Atlantic vermilion snapper will reopen on April 1, 2010.

For spotted seatrout, all harvest and possession is prohibited from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 in all waters south of the Flagler-Volusia county line in the Atlantic and south of a line running due west from the westernmost point of Fred Howard Park Causeway, which is 1.17 miles south of the Pinellas-Pasco county line in the Gulf of Mexico.

The recreational harvest of spotted seatrout will remain open until February in northeast and northwest Florida waters.

More information regarding Florida recreational saltwater fishing regulations are available at MyFWC.com/Rules.

The National Marine Fisheries Service closed recreational amberjack fishing on Oct. 24 after announcing the recreational quota of 1.368 million pounds had been reached. The

losure will remain in effect through the end of the year.

Although amberjack fishing remains open in state waters, anglers holding federal permits for amberjack are required to adhere to the federal closure, according to TPWD officials.

The lionfish (Pdf file) is a native of Pacific coral reefs and now inhabits much of the Bahamas, Caribbean and the Southeast coast including South Carolina. It’s thought to have escaped from the aquarium trade in Florida in the early 1990’s. Lionfish have 18 venomous spines that contain a neurotoxin capable of causing extreme pain and possibly nausea, paralysis and convulsions although they weigh only about a pound as adults.  Anyone stung by a lionfish should seek immediate medical treatment.

Lionfish have invaded many of South Carolina’s offshore artificial reefs, but S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) divers report only small numbers on most reefs built in more than 70 feet of water.  No lionfish have been observed near beaches or in inshore waters. Natural live bottoms farther offshore provide more stable water temperature and support somewhat larger populations of lionfish.

Lionfish are voracious predators and can greatly reduce native fish, which may hinder efforts to rebuild depleted stocks of valuable bottom fishes such as snapper and grouper.  Lionfish probably have few natural predators, especially in local waters.

Although divers and anglers have called for efforts to eradicate or at least control lionfish in offshore waters, Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management for the Marine Resources Division, considers any such measures expensive and probably not effective. “Unfortunately, like other invasive species, lionfish are here to stay, and while we could reduce their population in specific areas, we could never completely eradicate them,” Bell said. “At the moment they do not present a major problem but it may take years before we know the full-scale environmental impact of lionfish in offshore waters.”

Bell knows of only two people in the state who have been stung by lionfish and while they reported the experience as “very painful and unpleasant” both fully recovered.

DNR will be working with the National Marine Fisheries Service and other agencies to collect more information on lionfish and to study ways to better control this invasive species.

South Carolina’s natural resources are essential for economic development and contribute nearly $30 billion and 230,000 jobs to the state’s economy. Find out why Life’s Better Outdoors.

After receiving multiple complaints about allegedly illegal charter boat trips undercutting legal businesses, undercover agents with NOAA OLE’s southeast enforcement division and state special operations divisions from Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas chartered trips on vessels across the Gulf of Mexico and documented numerous violations for operating without federal charter boat moratorium permits.

NOAA’s Office of General Counsel has sent notices of violation and assessment to owners and operators of 15 charter boats, detailing alleged violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

“The goal of this type of investigation is not only to document illegal activity for prosecution, but also to protect law-abiding charter operations from unfair competition,” said Hal Robbins, special agent in charge of the NOAA division in St. Petersburg, Fla.

On June 16, 2003, NOAA’s Fisheries Service placed a moratorium on charter boat permits for both the Gulf reef fish and coastal migratory pelagics fisheries in an effort to maintain sustainability of the species there, including red snapper, one of the most over-fished resources in the Gulf of Mexico. Since this moratorium, the only way to obtain a permit is to purchase one from an existing holder, which has raised the value of the permits to between $8,000 and $10,000.

“Business is being taken away from legal charter boat companies because the illegal companies, who do not obtain permits, can charge much less for trips,” explained OLE special agent Charles Tyer of the Galveston, Texas, field office.

Also documented during the one-year operation were several other federal fisheries violations, including undersize fish, harvesting fish during a closed season, filleting fish at sea, concealing fish from enforcement, and failure to use venting tools, dehookers and circle hooks to fish for reef fish.

Multiple state and U.S. Coast Guard violations were detected as well.

“With the current status of the red snapper fishery, law enforcement plays an essential part ensuring that all participants play by the same rules,” said Robby Byers, executive director of Coastal Conservation Association of Texas. “It is unfortunate that there are always a few that feel the laws do not apply to them. Violating regulations only hurts the ones that are trying to do the right thing. CCA commends the special agents of NOAA that are tasked with catching those who jeopardize our public resources.”

The mission of NOAA OLE is to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations enacted to conserve and protect our nation’s marine resources. Anyone with information regarding illegal charter fishing should contact the national hotline at 1-800-853-1964.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

“In order for this task force to fulfill its mission, we must have the appropriate input from industry folks who are being affected by the decisions these state agencies are making,” said chairman of the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force and LDWF Secretary Barham.  “With the guidance of these two advisory panels, it is my hope that this task force will create a series of long-term successes for the industry, the state and all future generations of Louisianians.”

The following members have been selected to serve based on advice from legislators, local officials, public input and LDWF biologists:

Louisiana Shrimp Processor Advisory Panel:

Lance Authement, Daniel Babin, Kristen Baumer, Andrew Blanchard, Dean Blanchard, Jeff Floyd, Andy Gibson, Randy Pearce, Jeff Scott and Gerard Thomassie.

Three additional members will be appointed.

Governor Bobby Jindal issued Executive Order BJ 09-13 on Aug. 31, 2009 creating the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force.  LDWF was delegated to house and staff the task force.  The membership, consisting of state agencies, was charged to examine the Louisiana shrimp industry as a whole, identify problems prevalent in the industry and develop plans or propose policies which can improve the economic sustainability of the industry. 

An FMP for lobster also provides an opportunity to integrate any new marine protected areas on the south coast, implemented under the Marine Life Protection Act, with the management of the species. The plan would eventually be considered by the California Fish and Game Commission.

The state’s current budget crisis presents both a challenge and an opportunity in moving forward with the preparation of an FMP. DFG does not have the resources to prepare an FMP and carry out the necessary meetings for constituents to contribute to the plan. Because it is uncertain if and when the budget situation will improve, DFG will be trying a new partnership-based approach. DFG is seeking outside funding as well as qualified partners to provide physical help and logistical support. This concept of an exploratory phase has not been used by the department for previous FMPs. If sufficient outside help is not obtained, DFG will not proceed with developing the FMP.

If you or your organization can assist DFG, or you have any suggestions or concerns regarding this approach, please contact the department’s lobster FMP lead for this exploratory phase:

Kristine Barsky, Senior Biologist
2419 Harbor Blvd., #149, Ventura, CA 93001
kbarsky [at] dfg [dot] ca [dot] gov or (805) 985-3114

At the conclusion of the exploratory phase early next year, DFG will announce its decision on whether or not to proceed with developing a spiny lobster FMP.

“Our latest stock assessment found that the blacknose shark is depleted and the rate of fishing, both directed and incidental, is unsustainable,” said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “Blacknose sharks are vulnerable because they bear few young. The proposed measures would help rebuild the species, an important part of the ecosystem in the south Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.”

The stock assessment determined that reducing the annual mortality of blacknose sharks by approximately 78 percent across all fisheries could result in rebuilding by 2027. To rebuild the blacknose shark population—named for the dusky blotch on the tip of their noses—NOAA proposes creating a separate blacknose shark quota. Until now, landings of blacknose sharks have been counted against the small coastal shark complex quota. The proposed annual quota would be 6,065 blacknose sharks, or 14.9 metric tons dressed weight (shark weight without head, guts and fins). An average of 27,484 blacknose sharks, or 62 metric tons dressed weight, were landed each year from 1999-2005. The separate quota is needed because this species is the only small coastal shark that has been determined to be fished at an unsustainable rate and have a depleted population.

In addition, the agency proposes that only commercial fishermen with a directed permit would be allowed to land blacknose sharks until the quota is reached. Commercial fishermen with an incidental shark permit and recreational fishermen would not be allowed to land blacknose sharks.

An average blacknose shark grows to about 4 ½ feet. They are currently fished as a game fish by recreational anglers and are fished commercially for their meat, which is sold fresh or dried and salted. These sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem, helping control various fish populations.

To help rebuild the blacknose population, NOAA’s Fisheries Service is also proposing to prohibit the landing of all Atlantic sharks with gillnet gear—the primary way blacknose sharks are caught—from South Carolina south, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This gillnet fishery targets small coastal sharks, including blacknose.

Blacknose sharks are the only small coastal shark that needs management updates to be rebuilt. However, because they are frequently caught with other small coastal sharks there is also a proposed annual quota for the non-blacknose small coastal sharks, including finetooth, Atlantic sharpnose, and bonnethead sharks. The proposed quota would be significantly reduced from the current 454 metric tons dressed weight quota to 56.9 metric tons dressed weight. The proposed quotas for blacknose and the non-blacknose small coastal sharks represent an overall 76 percent reduction in landings by weight of small coastal sharks.

The proposal also would add smooth dogfish to the species managed by NOAA’s Fisheries Service that require a federal fishing permit. Smooth dogfish would have an annual commercial quota of 645.8 metric tons dressed weight. Average reported landings of smooth dogfish are 431.3 metric tons dressed weight per year as reported through the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program from 1998 through 2007.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service will also identify essential habitat for smooth dogfish, a species that lives in coastal waters and ranges from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. It is also caught for its meat and fins.

In addition, the proposal promotes the live release of shortfin mako sharks by commercial and recreational fishermen to help rebuild the species population in the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. contributes less than 10 percent to the overall catch in the Atlantic. NOAA’s Fisheries Service has proposed to take action at the international level to develop measures to end overfishing of the species.

For more information on the proposed action, the federal register notice and the list of public hearings, see http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

The special two-day sport season occurs on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July each year to let recreational fishermen collect spiny lobsters before commercial lobster traps are placed in the water.  Commercial fishermen may begin putting their traps in the water Aug. 1, and recreational and commercial fishermen may harvest spiny lobsters starting Aug. 6.

Spiny lobsters must have a carapace length greater than 3 inches to be taken during the open seasons, and divers must possess a measuring device and measure all lobsters in the water.

During the two-day spiny lobster sport season, divers and snorkelers are allowed to take up to 6 lobsters per person daily in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park waters and 12 lobsters per person daily in other Florida waters.  Lobster fishermen may possess no more than the daily bag limit of lobsters when on the water.

When lobster fishermen are off the water, they may possess the daily bag limit on the first day and double the daily bag limit on the second day.  Possession limits are enforced on and off the water during the two-day sport season.

Night diving for spiny lobsters during the two-day sport season is not allowed in Monroe County, and all harvest of lobsters is prohibited in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park during the two-day season.

Lobster harvest is also prohibited at all times in Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary, certain areas in Pennekamp Park, and the no-take areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

During the Aug. 6 – March 31 regular season, the daily recreational bag and on-the-water possession limit is 6 spiny lobsters per person.

Recreational harvesters must have a saltwater fishing license or – beginning Aug. 1 – a resident shoreline fishing license if they are wading from shore, and a spiny lobster permit to harvest spiny lobsters unless they are exempt from the recreational license requirements. 

Divers and snorkelers are required to display a “divers-down” flag (red with a white diagonal stripe) while in the water. Divers-down flags displayed on vessels must be at least 20 inches by 24 inches, and a stiffener is required to keep the flag unfurled.  Dive flags carried on floats must be at least 12 inches by 12 inches. 

Other Links of Interest Are:

Dive flag requirements – MyFWC.com/Boating
Licenses and permit requirements – MyFWC.com/License
Rules and regulations – MyFWC.com/RulesAndRegs/Saltwater_Regulations_lobster.htm
Monroe County lobster fishing brochure – MyFWC.com/docs/RulesRegulations/Lobster_Brochure.pdf 
Commercial lobster fishing – MyFWC.com/RulesAndRegs/SaltwaterRules_CommercialRegs.htm.

“It’s a very happy surprise that we got this money. The project will return long-term benefits both to Galveston Bay and to the people of Galveston Island,” said Mike Ray, interim Coastal Fisheries Division director for TPWD.

The project, officially called “Recovery Act: Restoring Estuarine Habitats in West Galveston Bay,” is one of 50 nationwide funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. NOAA received more than 800 proposals, with the Texas project among the 10 largest.

With another $647,597 from the Texas General Land Office, a $250,000 in-kind donation from NRG Texas Power LLC and $10,000 in staff time from TPWD, the more than $6 million project will restore 328 acres of intertidal marsh complex at two locations: Galveston Island State Park and Jumbile Cove.

“Coastal wetlands perform both chemical and physical functions, including temporarily retaining pollutants such as excess nutrients, toxic chemicals and disease-causing microorganisms,” said Cherie O’Brien, TPWD coastal ecologist and project leader. “They also provide critical habitat for juvenile finfish and shellfish and reduce damage from storms by acting as a buffer between shoreline and inland areas.”

The Galveston Island State Park shoreline component will reduce erosion at the state park, which is visited by approximately 500,000 people a year. It also will protect infrastructure within the City of Jamaica Beach by protecting its eastern shoreline from erosion.

The Jumbile Cove component of the project will protect private property directly behind it from erosion. O’Brien said property owners in the area have been supportive of previous restoration projects.

The concept for the project was developed in coordination with the Natural Resource Uses Subcommittee of the Galveston Bay Council.

“This is really a team effort between the state and federal governments, private partners such as NRG Texas Power and the Galveston Bay Council, which is charged with implementing the living resources elements of The Galveston Bay Plan,” said O’Brien.

The project will employ approximately 50 people at the Galveston Island State Park site and 52 people at the Jumbile Cove site. It is scheduled to be complete in October 2010.

In making its determination, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division used the best available scientific information including samples collected by using trawls and bag seines in TPWD routine data collection.

“There are good stocks of brown shrimp out there and they are widely distributed,” said Robin Riechers., TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division science and policy director.

The purpose of the closed Gulf season is to protect brown shrimp during their major period of emigration from the bays to the Gulf of Mexico until they reach a larger, more valuable size before harvest and to prevent waste caused by the discarding of smaller individuals.

Federal waters (from 9 to 200 nautical miles offshore) will open at the same time that state waters will open. The National Marine Fisheries Service chose to adopt rules compatible with those adopted by Texas.

“New regulations implemented by the various bay jurisdictions in 2008 seem to be working,” said Peyton Robertson, director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. “The continued improvements in science and their application to management appear to be resulting in a positive direction for the blue crab in the Chesapeake.”

The 2009 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report, developed by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, is based primarily on data collected in the 2008-09 bay-wide winter dredge survey, the most comprehensive and statistically robust annual blue crab survey conducted in the bay. The data show:

Abundance of blue crabs over the age of one was 223 million, a 70 percent increase from the 2007-08 survey numbers. This was primarily due to an increase in abundance of spawning-age females. Since the winter dredge survey began in 1990, the average blue crab population in the bay has been 186 million.

Bay-wide, numbers of juvenile crabs entering the population did not increase appreciably. There were an estimated 179 million juvenile crabs in the bay—well below the survey’s long-term average of 258 million.

The estimated 2008 harvest of blue crabs from the bay and tributaries was 48.6 million pounds—11 percent higher than the record-low 43.5 million pounds in 2007, but well below the long-term average of 74 million pounds.

Based on these statistics, an estimated 48 percent of crabs were harvested from the bay by commercial and recreational fishers in 2008. That is below the overfishing threshold of 53 percent, but slightly above the target of 46 percent.

“While it is heartening to see numbers rebound, resource managers need to maintain conservation measures until their full effects are known,” Robertson said. “We won’t know the full effectiveness of the new regulations implemented in 2008 until we study results from the next two winter dredge surveys.”

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee includes fisheries scientists from the University of Maryland, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the states of Maryland and Virginia. The Fisheries Steering Committee works with the various bay management jurisdictions and is a forum where fisheries management agencies communicate and coordinate decisions across management boundaries.

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office focuses NOAA’s capabilities in science, service, and stewardship to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.

On the Web:
Blue Crab Advisory Report: http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov

The decision is part of the ongoing effort to recover the imperiled fish, which once returned by the hundreds of thousands to most major rivers along the Northeastern U.S. and now returns in small numbers only to rivers in Maine.
 
“Legend has it you could once walk across these rivers on the backs of salmon,” said FWS Acting Director Rowan Gould. “Unfortunately, in most years we are able to count barely 1,000 fish returning to the Penobscot and fewer than a hundred in the other two rivers. If we are ever going to recover this iconic species so that future generations can witness the teeming runs that awed past generations, we need to protect it now throughout the Gulf of Maine.”
 
Endangered status under the ESA will now apply to all anadromous (sea-run) Atlantic salmon whose freshwater range covers the watersheds from the Androscoggin River northward along the Maine coast to the Dennys River, an area which includes the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers. It also applies wherever these fish occur in these rivers’ estuaries and marine environment. Hatchery fish used to supplement these natural populations are also included under this rule.
 
Landlocked salmon and salmon raised in hatcheries for aquaculture are not included in the listed population.
 
Listed species receive the full protection of the Endangered Species Act, including a prohibition against take. Take is defined to include harass, harm, pursue, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect.
 
The listing means that before federal support or authorization is provided for any activity that may affect the fish, it would need to be reviewed by federal authorities to ensure that it doesn’t jeopardize the continued existence of the species or adversely modify its critical habitat.   For instance, operators of hydro-electric dam facilities on the rivers or tributaries will need to consult with the agencies to ensure they are not in violation of the law. Others who would need to consult are those seeking federal permits for discharges into these waterways and those seeking permits for dredging or in-water work related to bridge construction.
 
“We will work closely with the state and industries to see that economic activities on rivers are affected as little as possible while we help ensure the salmon have the quality and quantity of habitat that allows them to recover and become a healthy and viable population,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
 
In 2000, NOAA and FWS listed as endangered all naturally reproducing wild Atlantic salmon as well as river-specific hatchery populations returning to small coastal Maine rivers and their tributaries. As a group, these were called the Gulf of Maine population. A biological review team composed of federal and state agency biologists and a biologist from the Penobscot Indian Nation has since showed that salmon in the Androscoggin, Penobscot, and Kennebec rivers are also part of the same Gulf of Maine population. Today’s action adds them to the population originally listed in 2000.
 
The state of Maine unsuccessfully challenged the 2000 listing claiming that there was no “species” eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act due to the long history of stocking in Maine waters. The district court held that the services were correct in their determination.
 
In addition, the National Research Council was charged with examining available scientific information on the status of Atlantic salmon populations in Maine. Factors evaluated included the nature and discreteness of salmon populations in Maine rivers. The council published an interim report in 2002 on the genetic status of Atlantic Salmon in Maine, concluding that North American Atlantic salmon are clearly distinct genetically from European salmon. They also stated that despite the extensive additions of nonnative hatchery and aquaculture genotypes to Maine’s rivers, the evidence is “surprisingly strong” that the wild salmon in Maine are genetically distinct from Canadian salmon. This supported the scientific foundation of the services’ 2000 listing.
 
The fish’s critical habitat—the area needed to support the fish population’s survival and recovery–is contained in about 12,000 miles of river, stream and estuary habitat and about 300 square miles of lake habitat in Maine. This is the first time critical habitat has been determined for endangered Atlantic salmon.
 
In 2008, approximately 2,300 adult fish from the newly listed endangered population returned to spawn. This is an increase over recent years, but less than 10 percent of the number required before spawning stocks are thought to be in good condition.
 
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov

In the case of both fish stocks, U.S. fishermen have not been able to catch the U.S. quotas designed to ensure that the stocks are fished sustainably. While these species are managed internationally, the United States manages the domestic part of these fisheries by taking into account the ecosystem and working to reduce bycatch of turtles and other species. This approach increases expenses for U.S. fishermen and makes it more difficult for them to compete in the marketplace with cheaper imports from fishing nations that subsidize their fleets and do not use an ecosystem approach.

“Swordfish are nearly rebuilt, yet our fishermen are only catching 54 percent of the U.S. quota,” said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “Bluefin tuna are a more complicated story. U.S. fishermen have followed quotas based on scientific recommendations designed to end overfishing. There may be ways to fish more of the U.S. quotas for both stocks in a sustainable manner.”

The public process will also be a chance to examine using “catch shares,” which would allocate a portion of the total catch to a person, company, community or sector, to better manage these fisheries. NOAA will also examine novel ways to limit the bycatch of sea turtles, marine mammals, or undersized, prohibited and spawning fish in the bluefin and swordfish fisheries.

“We’ve heard a number of ideas from constituents and we want to broaden the conversation to include recreational fishermen, environmental organizations and the general public on how best to manage these valuable highly migratory fish species,” said Balsiger.

This effort to involve the public comes as NOAA’s Fisheries Service announces this season’s bluefin tuna quota for U.S. commercial and recreational fishermen. The rule puts in place reductions in overall quota that were adopted at the November 2008 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body that manages tuna, swordfish and other species that cross international boundaries.

The rule, which published on June 1, raises the daily catch limit from one to two bluefin tunas for recreational fishermen. NOAA had originally proposed a daily limit of one but raised the limit to two per day after reviewing comments from the fishing industry and analyzing the change for consistency with the bluefin tuna rebuilding program. The new rule maintains the three-fish per day limit for commercial fishermen.

NOAA received many comments and suggestions during the recent bluefin tuna rulemaking on ways to improve long-term management of bluefin and swordfish. These proposals will now be part of this summer’s public process.

In addition to considering catch shares and bycatch reduction, some of the proposals that will be discussed include:

• an industry request to allow more bluefin tuna to be landed that have been incidentally caught in longline fishing gear
• a proposal to allow approximately 5,000 commercial tuna fishermen who use rod and reel to land swordfish at low catch levels
• an industry request to lower the commercial minimum size for bluefin tuna from 73 to 65 inches

Public comments on bluefin tuna fishery issues will close June 30, while comments on all other issues, including swordfish, will remain open until Aug. 31.

Public meetings to obtain additional comments will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. at the following locations. All meetings will begin with an opportunity for people to view information on the issues raised in the public process and ask questions at 5 p.m., followed by a presentation and opportunity for public comment beginning at 6 p.m.

June 23
Holiday Inn
151 Route 72 East
Manahawkin, N.J. 08050

June 25
Roanoke Island Festival Park
1 Festival Park
Manteo, N.C. 27954

June 29
Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor
180 Water Street
Plymouth, Mass. 02360

July 21
Belle Chasse Auditorium
8398 Hwy. 23
Belle Chasse, La. 70037

July 28
Broward County Main Library
100 S. Andrews Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301

To learn more about the public comment process or the bluefin tuna quota go to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.