# Presentation: 697551

## Recent Trends in theAtlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery

**Kathy Goldsmith, Brad McHale, Sarah McLaughlin, **
**Mark Murray-Brown, and Dianne Stephan**
**Highly Migratory Species Management Division**
**Gloucester, MA**
**April 2008**

## BFT Adjusted Quota and Landings (mt)

- BFT Adjusted Quota and Landings (mt)

**metric tons**

## BFT Lengths and Weights at Age

## BFT Maturity Curve

- Source: Diaz and Turner 2006 (SCRS 2006/090)

- ).

## Landings by Category

## Commercial Landings by Area

## Ex-vessel Revenues by Category

## Fishery Participation – Permits by Category

## Fishery Participation –  Permits by Area for 2000 and 2007

## Recreational Landings by Area

- Data source: LPS (for ME-VA only)

## Slide 11

## July

**July**

## August

**August**

## Annual

**Annual**

## Annual

**Annual**

## 2007 Recreational and Commercial  Quota and Landings(in mt)

**Size Class****	****	****2007 Avg Wt (*2004-2006 Mean)**
**School ****	****	****     16 kg***
**Large School****	****     38 kg***
**Small Medium****	****     68 kg***
**Large Medium/Giant****	****   130 kg**

- *[Total mt landed=362: 256 mt (71%) LS and 106 mt SM (29%)]

## 2007 Recreational and Commercial  Quota and Landings(in mt and number of fish)

- *[Total mt landed=362: 256 mt (71%) LS and 106 mt SM (29%)]

- **[Total number landed=8,274: 6,710 LS (81%) and  1,564 SM (19%)]

**Size Class****	****	****2007 Avg Wt (*2004-2006 Mean)**
**School ****	****	****     16 kg***
**Large School****	****     38 kg***
**Small Medium****	****     68 kg***
**Large Medium/Giant****	****   130 kg**

## BFT Import/Export Trends

***2007 import data incomplete***

## Average Round Weights of Domestic Landings vs. Imports, 1983-2007Rod and Reel

## Average Round Weights of Domestic Landings vs. Imports, 1983-2007Harpoon

## Average Round Weights of Domestic Landings vs. Imports, 1983-2007Longline

## Average Round Weights of Domestic Landings vs. Imports, 1983-2007Purse Seine

## Atlantic BFT TradeImports and Exports (mt)

**2007          import data incomplete**

## Atlantic BFT Adjusted Quotas, Landings, and Trade

## International ReportingA Complex Journey with the United States as a Runway

- International ReportingA Complex Journey with the United States as a Runway

- May stay in Japanese storage for 1 year+

## Management Tools

- Quota distribution
- 	Per ATCA, the domestic quota equals the ICCAT-recommended U.S. TAC
- % allocations by permit category (FMP)
- Area (North/South) subquotas (General, Longline, Angling categories)
- Time period subquotas (General category)
- % limits on certain sizes (school and trophy BFT by recreational anglers)
- Effort controls
- Retention limits (various size classes)
- Restricted Fishing Days (General category)
- Time/area closures (Longline)
- Target catch requirements for incidental retention (Longline)
- Inseason actions (General, Charter/Headboat, Angling categories)
- Increase/decrease retention limits
- Close/reopen fishery

## What people are saying about decline in BFT landings

- We’ve heard from fishermen and researchers that decline may be due to...
- distribution changes due to water temperature & ocean conditions
- change in availability of forage fish, such as herring
- due to fishing, e.g., herring fishery
- due to predation, e.g., by dogfish
- overfishing of BFT throughout the Atlantic, especially eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
- recruitment overfishing
- growth overfishing
- added impact of stock mixing

## Atlantic BFT Catches per Decade

- Fromentin & Powers, 2005: Atlantic bluefin tuna: population dynamics, ecology, fisheries and management.  Fish and Fisheries 2005, 6, 281-306.