{"id":4140,"date":"2016-12-17T19:30:48","date_gmt":"2016-12-17T18:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flyfishing-blog.com\/flyfishing-blog.com\/?p=4140"},"modified":"2016-12-14T12:30:19","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T11:30:19","slug":"recreational-fishing-organizations-respond-to-pacific-bluefin-tuna-petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flyfishing-blog.com\/flyfishing-blog.com\/2016\/12\/17\/recreational-fishing-organizations-respond-to-pacific-bluefin-tuna-petition\/","title":{"rendered":"Recreational Fishing Organizations Respond to Pacific Bluefin Tuna Petition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Groups argue against unwarranted proposed Endangered Species Act listing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several regional and national recreational fishing organizations submitted official comments<\/a> to NOAA Fisheries opposing listing Pacific bluefin tuna as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter was in response to a petition filed earlier this year to ban all fishing, including recreational fishing, for Pacific bluefin tuna in U.S. waters. In the letter, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA)<\/a>, the Coastal Conservation Association<\/a>, the Coastside Fishing Club<\/a> and the Congressional Sportsmen\u2019s Foundation<\/a> argue that an ESA listing is not applicable, would be ineffective management policy and would unfairly harm sportfishing and related industries on the West Coast, especially in Southern California.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly 1.5 percent of Pacific bluefin tuna are harvested by U.S. anglers,\u201d said ASA Government Affairs Vice President Scott Gudes. \u201cAlmost all bluefin tuna are, in fact, caught by foreign commercial fishermen overseas. The petition, if approved, would penalize recreational fishermen and the sportfishing industry, while providing no meaningful benefit to Pacific bluefin tuna stocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The United States Government, NOAA, and the international organizations responsible for management of tuna — Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) — took action several years ago to reduce fishing pressure and conserve tuna fisheries. The most recent scientific data demonstrates that these international conservation efforts have been successful in stabilizing the global population. Stocks have begun rebuilding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must rebuild the Pacific bluefin tuna stock and management measures now show progress\u201d said Marc Gorelnik, a member of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. \u201cThe reality is that the Pacific bluefin tuna is not in danger of extinction now or in the foreseeable future and a listing will not meaningfully accelerate stock rebuilding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bluefin tuna are an important species to offshore recreational fishing in California along with other types of tuna and open ocean migratory fish. The tuna sportfishing industry along the Southern California coast generates more than $100 million in annual spending. \u201cIf this ESA listing is successful, recreational fishermen, guides and companies along the West Coast face possible negative impacts, including losses of revenue,\u201d said Bill Shedd, President of the California Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association.<\/p>\n

NOAA solicited input on the ESA listing and the public comment period closed on December 12. About 700 anglers registered their concerns to NOAA through the Keep America Fishing<\/a> website. A decision is likely by next summer. \u201cAnglers and the recreational fishing industry are conservationists who strongly support sound fisheries management efforts,\u201d noted Gudes. \u201cWe recognize the need to sustainably manage tuna stocks for future generations, but in a manner that is fair and backed by science.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Groups argue against unwarranted proposed Endangered Species Act listing. Several regional and national recreational fishing organizations submitted official comments to NOAA Fisheries opposing listing Pacific bluefin tuna as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The letter was in response to a petition filed earlier this year to ban all fishing, including recreational fishing, for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[1234,1390,137,19,926,1391],"class_list":["post-4140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-asa","tag-bluefin","tag-catches","tag-fishing","tag-recreational","tag-tuna"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t