Front cover images courtesy of Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (center: harpoon fishing) and Mike 

McCorkle (side panel, top to bottom: detachable harpoon heads, fisherman with catch, fisherman hoisting a swordfish)

Back cover image courtesy of Bill Boyce of Boyce Images

Reference as:

National Marine Fisheries Service. 2012. The Proceedings of the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Workshop: Working 

Towards Sustainability, May 11-12, 2011, San Diego, California. Prepared by Amber Rhodes, Jennifer Isé, and Mark 

Helvey for the National Marine Fisheries Service, Long Beach, CA. 65 pp.



ii

Acknowledgements

Each of the individuals involved in the planning and execution of the workshop contributed to the success of this 

productive and informative event. I’d like to thank each of the participants for coming to the workshop, taking 

time out of their busy schedules, and traveling to San Diego. Each participant contributed a valuable perspective 

to the discussion and our overall understanding of the issues and concerns in the fishery. Participants enabled 

fruitful discussion and enhanced our understanding of the U.S. North Pacific swordfish fishery by sharing their 

unique and valuable personal histories and experiences. I believe we all left the meeting with an increased 

awareness of the issues facing California swordfish fishermen and U.S. seafood consumers. 

I would also like to thank those involved in planning the workshop. A NMFS Executive Committee was established 

to provide the workshop vision. Members included myself, Kevin Chu, Kristen Koch, and Heidi Taylor. Using the 

vision established by the Executive Committee, a NMFS Steering Committee planned the themes, activities, and 

logistics of the workshop. Members included Christina Fahy, Craig Heberer, Heidi Hermsmeyer, Jennifer Isé, Dale 

Squires, and Yonat Swimmer. Amber Rhodes helped with workshop logistics. Amber and Jennifer also provided 

significant support in preparing these proceedings. 

Scott McCreary and Bennett Brooks from CONCUR, an environmental dispute resolution firm specializing in 

marine resource and water issues, served as workshop facilitators. Their expertise in working with stakeholders 

on complex fisheries issues was essential to the successful facilitation of this workshop. They also contributed to 

these proceedings by providing a key outcomes memo following the workshop.

 Mark Helvey

NMFS Assistant Regional Administrator 

for Sustainable Fisheries Southwest Region











10

Federal Management of the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery

Rod McInnis, NMFS, Southwest Regional Office

The U.S. swordfish fishery is managed to comply with 

numerous federal statutes. The Magnuson-Stevens 

Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MagnusonStevens Act or MSA) is the primary authority for 

managing federal fisheries. The Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) for the U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly 

Migratory Species (HMS) was developed in accordance 

with extensive requirements of the MSA to ensure the 

sustainability of the fishery. For example, management 

measures must prevent overfishing, protect essential 

fish habitat, minimize bycatch, be based on the best 

scientific information available, and account for the 

importance of the fisheries to fishing communities. 

Federal fisheries must also comply with other federal 

laws, such as the ESA, the Marine Mammal Protection 

Act (MMPA), and the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA). 

The MSA established a public and highly participatory 

fisheries management council process that includes 

federal and state fisheries managers, commercial and 

recreational fishermen, and other stakeholders in the 

management of federal fisheries. Through the PFMC, 

NMFS manages the west coast swordfish fishery in 

collaboration with the States of California, Oregon, 

Washington, and Idaho; west coast fishermen; 

and other stakeholders, such as conservation 

organizations. NMFS and the U.S. State Department 

represent west coast interests in international 

negotiations as party to international fishery 

conventions. The PFMC’s HMS Management Team 

consists of state and federal managers and scientists. 

The HMS Management Team works closely with the 

PFMC’s HMS Advisory Subpanel, whose members 

represent HMS fishermen, seafood processors and 

buyers, and the conservation community. These 

advisory bodies identify issues and help to analyze and 

recommend management measures to the PFMC. 

The MSA and NEPA, among other laws, have 

requirements for analyzing management options under 

consideration, standards for the information used in 

analyses, and processes for public comments. PFMC’s 

Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) includes state 

and federal scientists, academics, and independent 

experts, who review the scientific information used for 

management decisions to ensure it represents the best 

available science. NEPA requires that all federal actions 

consider and analyze a suite of alternatives. Impacts to 

both the human and environmental dimensions must 

be analyzed, including the cumulative impacts. 

To protect marine mammals, many changes have been 

made in the operations of the west coast swordfish 

fishery. The MMPA provides authority to NMFS for 

managing marine mammals and their take. “Take”, 

as defined under the MMPA, means to “harass, hunt, 

capture, kill or collect, or attempt to harass, hunt, 

capture, kill or collect.” NMFS manages take in fisheries 

through fishery categorization, reporting programs, 

and take reduction plans. As a result of the work of 

the U.S. Pacific Offshore Cetacean Take Reduction 

Team, the DGN fleet now uses acoustic pingers and 

net extenders to reduce interactions with marine 

mammals. The Team consists of fishermen, and fishery 

scientists and managers who collaborate to design and 

implement these innovative methods. U.S. fishermen 

are also required to participate in skipper workshops 

to learn safe handling and release practices for marine 

mammals and sea turtles.

Under the ESA, NMFS is required to minimize the 

impacts of federal actions, such as swordfish fishing, 

on threatened and endangered species to ensure the 

actions do not jeopardize their continued existence. 

Due to the history of interactions between drift gillnets 

and ESA-listed sea turtles, NMFS has implemented 

measures and conducted extensive research to reduce 

the fishery interactions and recover these populations. 

The fishery has undergone an ESA Section 7 consultation. 

Drift gillnet with pinger devices to deter marine mammals.









20

Session Speakers

Dr. Dale Squires is a senior scientist at the NMFS 

Southwest Fisheries Science Center and an adjunct 

professor of economics at the University of California, 

San Diego, and on the Scientific Committee of the 

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. Squires 

has worked on fisheries management for over 25 years, 

was co-chair of the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s 

Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) Development Team and HMS Management 

Team, has worked with the World Bank, Organization 

for Economic Development, Food and Agriculture 

Organization, WorldFish Center, Western Pacific Fishery 

Management Council, and other organizations. He is 

the author of about 80 peer-reviewed publications 

and co-author of six books, including the forthcoming 

Conservation of Pacific Sea Turtles (with Peter Dutton and 

Mahfuz Ahmad).

Dr. Steve Stohs is an industry economist at NMFS 

Southwest Fisheries Science Center who currently 

serves as Chair to the Pacific Fishery Management 

Council’s Highly Migratory Species Management 

Team. His research is currently focused on the 

economic impact of regulation on commercial HMS 

fisheries. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource 

Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Carrie Pomeroy, a marine advisor with 

the California Sea Grant Extension Program and a 

Research Associate with the University Of California 

Santa Cruz Institute of Marine Sciences, is an 

applied social scientist whose work focuses on the 

social, cultural, and economic aspects (the human 

dimensions) of fisheries and fishing communities. 

Through her work, she seeks to build information 

and understanding of the human systems associated 

with fisheries, and how these systems interface and 

interact with the ecological systems on which they 

depend. Carrie serves on local, state, and regional 

advisory committees, and holds a M.A. in Marine 

Policy from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in 

the Human Dimensions of Fisheries from Texas A&M 

University.

























 Innovative Approaches in Sustainable Seafood: Addressing Consumer Trends and Perceptions

Panel Session

46

This panel focused on consumer-related issues and 

included a diverse panel of restaurateurs, seafood 

processors, seafood marketers, and fisheriesrelated entities to comment on trends, perceptions, 

innovations, and current needs in the seafood 

market.

Discussion Questions

y What is most important to the seafood 

consumers you work with (either your 

specific consumers, or in general). Are your 

consumers asking about sustainable 

seafood?

y How have you provided or addressed what 

consumers are asking for? If they are not 

asking you about sustainable seafood, 

how are you informing them about or 

promoting sustainable seafood? How and 

why do you think your approach has been 

successful?

y What challenges did you face and how 

did you address them? What challenges 

remain and what obstacles do you see to 

addressing them?

y Based on your experience, what parallels 

do you see with the challenges facing the 

U.S. west coast swordfish fishery and what 

insights can you offer?

Panelists

Andrew Spurgin has 

designed and prepared 

menus and events 

honoring dignitaries and 

glitterati for over three 

decades, throughout the 

United States, in England, 

Canada, and Mexico. 

He grew up in London, 

working in his relative’s 

restaurant and butcher 

shop until his family moved to San Diego, California, 

in 1974. Andrew was formerly the executive chef 

and director of Waters Fine Catering & Event 

Design. His involvement in the sustainable seafood 

movement includes being the co-founder of 

Passionfish.org and Cooks Confab, a developer of 

the Blue Ocean Institute’s “Green Chefs Blue Ocean” 

program, an associate board member of the Slow 

Food Urban San Diego convivium, and past member 

of the Director’s Cabinet for the Scripps Institute 

of Oceanography. Andrew regularly lectures to the 

industry and public (including youth audiences) 

on sustainability, cooking, event design, culinary 

responsibility, and entertaining.

Joe Ciaramitero

is president of J & D 

Seafoods, Inc. in San Pedro. 

His father and grandfather 

were both commercial 

fishermen. He has been 

working in the industry in 

different facets for over 

30 years. He started at 

Galletti Brothers in 1981 

and worked in sales, 

purchasing, and management before starting 

J & D Seafoods with his partner, Dino Lauro, in 

1990. J & D Seafoods, Inc., grew from the ground 

up to one of the largest swordfish distributors 

nationwide. Joe also served on the PFMC’s Highly 







54

Discussion Summary 

The cross-cutting themes are summarized below. See Appendix D for more detail.

 All groups agreed that the U.S. west coast swordfish fishery is not economically sustainable. The PLCA time 

and area DGN closure was cited as being particularly damaging because it reduces access to some of the 

most productive swordfish fishing grounds during times when swordfish are most abundant off the 

California coast. Other reasons include: increased fuel costs; safety at sea issues associated with fishing 

farther offshore; compounding regulatory burdens; and no succession plan for the next generation of 

fishermen.

 Those involved in the fishery agreed that the U.S. west coast swordfish fishery is environmentally 

sustainable as it relates to the target swordfish stock with minimal impact to non-target species, such as sea 

turtles and marine mammals. However, some workshop participants voiced ongoing concerns over discard 

mortality rates for blue sharks and ocean sunfish (Mola mola).

 Participants identified a range of possible gear and operational changes to improve the viability of the 

fishery. All groups put forward variations on the following three recommendations: 

1. Re-examine dimensions of the PLCA based on current information. 

2. Pursue exempted fishing permits in the PLCA to test DGN, longline, and buoy gear using updated 

conservation measures successfully applied in other U.S. fisheries. 

3. Conduct more research to better understand the temporal-spatial overlap between sea turtles and 

swordfish and the possible implications for new practices and management approaches (e.g., dynamic 

area management). 

Other suggestions included revamping the fisheries permit system and exploring other incentives to facilitate 

the recruitment of new fishermen. At least one group noted that nearly all the concepts identified have the 

potential for downsides, from increased cost and political battles to possible target and non-target catch per 

unit effort changes.

 All groups suggested strategies for increasing demand for locally caught swordfish and decreasing U.S. 

reliance on imports. Two common strategies centered on forming partnerships between industry, NMFS, 

NGOs, restaurateurs: 

1. Better educate consumers about the benefits of buying U.S. west coast-caught swordfish (versus other 

less sustainably harvested swordfish) and about the story of the swordfish fishery. 

2. Press to implement federal MMPA provisions to identify and restrict the import of non-sustainably 

harvested seafood. 

Other ideas included: involving fishermen in marketing campaigns; partnering with the California 

Sustainable Seafood Initiative; developing a turtle-safe brand or label for west coast-caught swordfish; 

imposing a industry self-tax to fund restoration of sea turtle nesting beaches; supporting NOAA FishWatch as 

a reliable data source for sustainability information; and revitalizing the California Seafood Council.



58

Appendix A: Workshop Agenda

U.S. West Coast Swordfish Workshop: Working Towards Sustainability

May 10 & 11, 2011 at the Westin Hotel in San Diego, California

Day 1, May 10

8:30 am Purpose and Origin of this Workshop, Desired Outcomes - Mark Helvey (NMFS)

 Welcome, Agenda Review, and Ground Rules - Scott McCreary and Bennett Brooks (CONCUR)

Overview of Swordfish Fisheries 

9:00 – 9:45 History, Evolution, and Current Status of Swordfish Fisheries: U.S. and International Fisheries 

 1) David Itano - Life History, Habitat and Fisheries Overview (University of Hawaii)

 2) Jon Brodziak - North Pacific Swordfish: Stock Status and Trends (NMFS)

9:45 – 10:10 A film by John Dutton Media, “Forming Partnerships: Spotlight on U.S. West Coast Fisheries”

10:30 – 11:30 Overview of the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery

 1) Marija Vojkovich - Swordfish in California: A Brief History of the Fishery (CA Dept. Fish and Game)

 2) Rod McInnis - Federal Management of U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery (NMFS)

Panel 1 and Group Discussion 

12:45 – 2:00 Stakeholder Perspectives on Issues and Challenges in the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery

 Bill Sutton, Marija Vojkovich, Chuck Cook, Dave Rudie, Todd Steiner, Tina Fahy, Taryn Kiekow

Social and Economic Factors: Influences on the Fishery and Coastal Communities 

2:15 – 3:15 Domestic and International Swordfish Supply and Demand and Pacific-wide Ecosystem Consequences 

 1) Dale Squires - Transfer Effects and Economic Welfare (NMFS)

 2) Steve Stohs - Overview of the Drift Gillnet Fishery and Regulations (NMFS)

 3) Carrie Pomeroy - Socio-economic Factors Influencing West Coast Swordfish and Fishing 

 Communities (CA Sea Grant)

Ecological Factors: Fishery Interactions and Minimizing Ecosystem Impacts 

3:30 – 4:00 Protected Species: Pacific Sea Turtles, Strategic Marine Mammals, and Seabirds 

 1) Jessica Redfern - Synthesizing Protected Species Data (NMFS)

4:00 – 4:45 Non-Target Finfish: Billfish and Sharks 

 1) Chugey Sepulveda - Selectivity of the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fishery (Pfleger Institute)

 2) Suzy Kohin - Shark Bycatch in the U.S. West Coast Swordfish Fisheries (NMFS)

4:45 – 5:15 The 2008 Swordfish and Leatherback Use of Temperate Habitat (SLUTH) Workshop 

 1) Heidi Dewar - Overview of the 2008 SLUTH Workshop (NMFS)

60

Appendix B: Workshop Participants

U.S. West Coast Swordfish Workshop: Working Towards Sustainability

May 10 & 11, 2011 at the Westin in San Diego, CA

Participant Name Affiliation 

1. Scott Aalbers Pfleger Institute of Environmental Science

2. Rick Algert City of Morro Bay

3. Dave Anderson Aquarium of the Pacific (formerly)

4. Buzz Brizendine F/V Prowler and Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC)

5. Jon Brodziak NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)

6. Bennett Brooks CONCUR, Inc.

7. Gary Burke Burke and Sons

8. Kevin Chu NMFS Southwest Regional Office (SWRO)

9. Joe Ciaramitaro J & D Seafoods

10. Chuck Cook The Nature Conservancy

11. Kit Dahl PFMC

12. Roger Dang Pacific Fishing, Inc.

13. Heidi Dewar NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC)

14. Pete Dupuy Ocean Pacific Seafood

15. Peter Dutton NMFS SWFSC

16. John Dutton John Dutton Media

17. Lyle Enriquez NMFS SWRO

18. Christina Fahy NMFS SWRO

19. Judson Feder NOAA General Counsel

20. Steve Foltz Chesapeake Fish Co.

21. Steven Fosmark Seeadler Enterprises LLC

22. Kathy Fosmark Seeadler Enterprises LLC

23. Svein Fougner Hawaii Longline Association

24. Zeke Grader Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association

25. Mario Guardado H & N Foods International

26. Greg Haas Aid to U.S. Congresswoman Lois Capps

27. Jonathon Hardy LJ Hardy Consulting

28. Bob Harman NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO)

29. Craig Heberer NMFS SWRO

30. Mark Helvey NMFS SWRO

31. Jennifer Ise NMFS SWRO

32. Dave Itano University of Hawaii, Pelagic Fisheries Research Program 

33. Rex Ito Prime Time Seafoods

34. John Kaneko Hawaii Seafood Council

35. Taryn Kiekow Natural Resources Defense Council

36. Sam King King’s Seafood Company

62

Appendix C: List of Links

California’s Sustainable Seafood Program protocol can be viewed on the Ocean Protection Council’s website: 

opc.ca.gov/2010/03/california-sustainable-seafood-initiative/ 

California Ocean Protection Council’s five-year strategic plan is available at:

opc.ca.gov/strategic-plan/

Fish4Health is a website developed by Dr. Charles Santerre and partners that provides specific information about 

seafood health risks and benefits particularly for women of childbearing age, pregnant and nursing mothers, and for 

parents feeding young children.

fish4health.net 

FishWatch is a NOAA website that provides easy-to-understand science-based facts to help consumers make 

smart sustainable seafood choices. U.S. seafood profiled on the website is responsibly harvested under strict 

regulations to keep marine ecosystems and fish populations healthy and to support our seafood industry and coastal 

communities. 

FishWatch.gov

Keeping Hawaii Seafood Sustainable explains how Hawaii seafood is sustainable based on science-based fisheries 

management and a strong track record of managing healthy fish stocks while controlling ecosystem impacts. 

hawaii-seafood.org

Monterey Bay Seafood Watch distributes the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood recommendations with pocket 

guides, a website, mobile applications, and outreach to seafood consumers, restaurants, distributors, and purveyors.

seafoodwatch.org

Strategic Environmental Reasearch and Development Program (SERDP)’s Marine Animal Model Mapper includes 

Cetacean density estimate tools for the eastern Pacific Ocean.

seamap.env.duke.edu/prod/serdp/serdp_map.php

TurtleWatch is an online tool that displays sea surface temperature, ocean current conditions, and the predicted 

location of waters preferred by loggerhead sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean north of the Hawaiian Islands.

pifsc.noaa.gov/eod/turtlewatch.php

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the FAO Code) 

sets out principles and international standards of behavior for responsible fishing practices to ensure the effective 

conservation, management, and development of living aquatic resources with due respect for the ecosystem and 

biodiversity.

fao.org/docrep/005/v9878e/v9878e00.HTM

The 2007 report, Using questionnaires based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries as 

diagnostic tools in support of fisheries management, by Caddy et al, provides a series of questionnaires to 

evaluate compliance of national or local fisheries with the FAO Code. Although the 1995 FAO Code is not 

a legally binding instrument, it represents a consensus between countries as to the features that should 

characterize systems designed to ensure sustainable use of fishery resources. The general questionnaire 

approach parallels the procedures used by the International Organization for Standardization and provides 

a way of converting statements of principle in a global instrument, including a legal framework, into a semiquantitative form that can be used in a multidisciplinary fisheries evaluation of management performance. 

fao.org/docrep/010/a1449e/a1449e00.htm



For report information and copies please contact:

Sustainable Fisheries Division

Southwest Regional Office

National Marine Fisheries Service 

501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200

Long Beach, CA 90802

(562) 980-4030

This report and more information on the workshop are available online at:

NMFS SWRO Sustainable Fisheries Division Website

or at:

http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfws/index.html
U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

Southwest Region