A Little More Opportunity for Bluefin Anglers

A Little More Opportunity for Bluefin Anglers

The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) reports that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has agreed to adjust the daily retention limit for bluefin tuna (BFT) giving anglers a little more opportunity to participate in this fishery.

August 20th through September 20th, HMS Angling category permit holders can retain 2 BFT between 27 and 73 inches and HMS Charter/Headboat category permit holders can retain 3 BFT between 27 and 73 inches. On September 21st the limit for both categories reverts to 1 BFT between 27 and 73 inches.

“We’re pleased NMFS has worked with us to allow a little more opportunity for anglers to target bluefin over the next month,” said Jim Donofrio, RFA Executive Director. “One bluefin between 27 and 73 inches is not a recreational fishery, it’s a bycatch fishery.”

RFA members sent thousands of postcards urging U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans to take immediate steps to ensure that the recreational fishing sector has a fair and reasonable opportunity to fish for bluefin tuna this season. The recreational bluefin tuna fishery along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. helps generate hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity each year and supports thousands of jobs in the marine manufacturing and service sector.

“We are the most conservation minded bluefin tuna fishermen in the entire Atlantic; we are also the most highly regulated,” said Mr. Donofrio. “Recreational fishermen must not be regulated out of this fishery.”

In 2003 the entire U.S. recreational fishing sector was allocated less than 500 metric tons of bluefin tuna. In 2002, commercial fishermen in Spain, France and Italy alone caught over 17,000 metric tons of bluefin tuna.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation’s saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 1-888-JOIN-RFA.
A Little More Opportunity for Bluefin Anglers

The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) reports that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has agreed to adjust the daily retention limit for bluefin tuna (BFT) giving anglers a little more opportunity to participate in this fishery.

August 20th through September 20th, HMS Angling category permit holders can retain 2 BFT between 27 and 73 inches and HMS Charter/Headboat category permit holders can retain 3 BFT between 27 and 73 inches. On September 21st the limit for both categories reverts to 1 BFT between 27 and 73 inches.

“We’re pleased NMFS has worked with us to allow a little more opportunity for anglers to target bluefin over the next month,” said Jim Donofrio, RFA Executive Director. “One bluefin between 27 and 73 inches is not a recreational fishery, it’s a bycatch fishery.”

RFA members sent thousands of postcards urging U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans to take immediate steps to ensure that the recreational fishing sector has a fair and reasonable opportunity to fish for bluefin tuna this season. The recreational bluefin tuna fishery along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. helps generate hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity each year and supports thousands of jobs in the marine manufacturing and service sector.

“We are the most conservation minded bluefin tuna fishermen in the entire Atlantic; we are also the most highly regulated,” said Mr. Donofrio. “Recreational fishermen must not be regulated out of this fishery.”

In 2003 the entire U.S. recreational fishing sector was allocated less than 500 metric tons of bluefin tuna. In 2002, commercial fishermen in Spain, France and Italy alone caught over 17,000 metric tons of bluefin tuna.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance is a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues. The RFA Mission is to safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers, protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our Nation’s saltwater fisheries. For more information, call 1-888-JOIN-RFA.