Submitted by guest blogger Debbie Salamone of the Pew Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast.
One
of the fastest fish in the sea may not be quick enough to escape a proposal
that could hasten its demise.
Although there are less than 50,000 mature bluefin tuna left in the western Atlantic Ocean, U.S. federal fishery managers have proposed increasing the numbers of tuna that commercial fishermen can catch and lengthening the fishing season.
The National Marine Fisheries Service proposal could deliver a setback to a species already in serious trouble unless international measures provide additional protections this spring.
At a global meeting in March, countries will consider adding bluefin tuna to a list of species banned from international trade – called “Appendix I” of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES. This step is crucial to help decrease demand for the fish, much of which comes from the Japanese sushi market. The fish are so valuable that just one tuna, which can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, can net fishermen and fish markets thousands of dollars. A CITES listing will not impact sports fishing here in the United States.
The fisheries service did agree to extend a public comment period on its proposal to allow U.S. fishermen to kill more bluefin until after the CITES meeting. If bluefin are granted the needed international protection, there may be good reason to adjust the U.S. proposal as well.
No matter what happens at CITES, however, the fisheries service should recognize the plight of this species and take steps to conserve bluefin – a fish that can swim faster than 40 mph in spurts, live for 40 years, grow to 14 feet long, dive to 3,000 feet and migrate thousands of miles each year across the Atlantic.
The Western Atlantic Ocean population, which spawns in the Gulf of Mexico, has plummeted 82 percent since 1970, from about 222,600 mature fish down to about 41,000. Many of the fish are caught on the U.S. Atlantic coast, from the New England area south to the Carolinas. Fishermen aren’t allowed to directly target bluefin tuna in the Gulf, but they are allowed to keep some that are caught accidentally when fishing for other species.
Bluefin tuna are often snagged on long lines – up to 40 miles of fishing lines with hundreds of baited hooks – which are used by fishermen targeting yellowfin tuna and swordfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Banning this gear would cut down on the accidental catch and help protect bluefin tuna as well as other marine life. Let’s help bluefin escape all of these threats.
Image: NOAA
For more on Pew’s work, visit www.pewtrusts.org/tuna
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