2013 USA Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Landings

NOAA Fisheries recently released its final landings numbers for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna As of December 31, 2013.

U.S. fishermen landed a total of 5518 Atlantic bluefin tuna, weighing 518.3 metric tons (mt).

The following is a summary by category:

General        1801
Harpoon        121
Longline    299
Trap        0
Purse Seine    192
Angling        3105
Reserve        0

Dead discards totaled 205.8 mt. The United States accounts for dead discards annually in the quota specifications and reports them to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

According to NOAA Fisheries, the final 2012 dead discards estimate (205.8 mt) was used because 2013 dead discard estimates are not yet available.

The final 2013 Atlantic bluefin tuna specifications (78 FR 36685, June 19, 2013) adjusted the 2013 base quota and subquotas to account for 2012 underharvest and accounted for half of the estimated dead discards at the beginning of the year, with the remainder to be accounted for at year-end.

For more information, visit:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/hmsdocument_files/Tuna.htm

source: NOAA Fisheries

ICCAT North Atlantic Swordfish Assessment

A new stock assessment conducted in September 2013 by the scientific committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concluded that the stock of North Atlantic swordfish remains rebuilt at a sustainable population level.

The assessment predicts that current levels of catch are likely to maintain the North Atlantic swordfish in a rebuilt condition into the future.

After decades of poor catches, U.S. landings of North Atlantic swordfish have improved greatly in recent years.

NOAA Fisheries lists the current status of North Atlantic swordfish in the United States as having a sustainable fishing rate, not overfished, and is above its target population level.

source: NOAA Fisheries

USA ICCAT Advisory Committee Meeting

The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) announces its annual spring meeting on May 1-2, 2012.

The Committee will meet with its Technical Advisors to discuss matters relating to ICCAT, including the 2011 Commission meeting results; research and management activities; global and domestic initiatives related to ICCAT; the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act-required report on any identification of countries that are diminishing the effectiveness of ICCAT; the results of meetings of the Committee's Species Working Groups; and other matters relating to the international management of ICCAT species.

The meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 8727 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Open sessions of the Committee meeting will be held on May 1, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and May 2, 2012, 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Closed sessions will be held on May 1, 2012, 3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on May 2, 2012, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

source: NOAA FishNews

United States Continues Support for International Proposal to Protect Bluefin Tuna

Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland has announced that The United States will continue its support for a proposal to ban all international commercial trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna at this month’s meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Doha, Qatar.

For more information, see this article in commercial fishing news