NOAA 97-R125

Contact:  Scott Smullen            FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                   4/16/97

1997 ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA QUOTAS PROPOSED, COMMENTS SOUGHT

The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing and seeking comment on new Atlantic bluefin tuna category allocations for 1997. The allocations are based on a quota of 1,344 metric tons a slight increase over last year -- assigned to the United States at the November 1996 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.

Based on a revised stock assessment, ICCAT member countries recommended an increase in the annual quota of bluefin tuna in the western Atlantic Ocean from 2,200 metric tons (mt) to 2,354 mt to be shared by the United States, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom (Bermuda). The U.S. portion of the overall quota increased slightly from 1,311 mt to 1,344 mt.

Under the fisheries service's proposed plan, the 1997 allocation would be modified to distribute the fish resource in a way that reflects both scientific monitoring requirements and recent trends in the fishing fleet.

The proposal would cut the Reserve quota from 145 mt to 33 mt, maintain the Purse Seine quota at 250 mt, leave the Incidental longline quota unchanged at 110 mt, increase the General category quota from 531 mt to 633 mt, maintain the Harpoon category quota at 53 mt, and increase the Angling category quota from 222 mt to 265 mt.

According to fisheries service officials, the 145 mt quota increase among the General and Angling categories is needed to address the drastic increase in the number of vessels fishing under these categories and to prevent the early closures that have occurred in recent years. The fisheries service believes it is important to improve bluefin science by keeping the General and Angling category fisheries open as long as possible to achieve high survey sampling rates over the widest possible geographic area and longest possible fishing season. These categories provide data on large fish and small fish catch rates, which are important indices for stock assessments. The fisheries service feels a 33 mt Reserve for 1997 is adequate due to improved measures for monitoring quotas of all categories that will soon be implemented.

In addition, the fisheries service proposes to respond to recommendations from the National Research Council by increasing its scientific data gathering and tagging studies for 1997. The proposed increase to the Angling category will be used partially to cover harvest that has occurred during the collection of additional scientific information on the winter fishery off North Carolina. About 150 archival tags were surgically implanted in bluefin to gather additional data on their movement and thereby study stock mixing between the east and west Atlantic bluefin populations. ICCAT stated in the 1996 session that large numbers of archival tagged fish would be necessary to resolve the mixing question. The concentration of bluefin tuna off North Carolina and high catch rates made this an ideal location for these additional needed scientific programs. Angling category quota also will be used in the collection of additional data on the use of circle hooks and maturation rates for bluefin of all sizes throughout their geographic range.

The proposed amendments are necessary to implement the 1996 ICCAT recommendations regarding bluefin tuna fishing quotas, as required by the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, and to achieve domestic scientific and management objectives.

The fisheries service will hold a series of public hearings to receive comments from fishery participants and other members of the public regarding this proposed amendment.

A table depicting the proposed ABT quotas and a listing of the public hearings are available by fax from the public affairs office by calling (301) 713-2370.

Copies of the proposal and supporting documents, including a Draft Environmental Assessment-Regulatory Impact Review (EA/RIR), are available from Rebecca Lent, Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282. Comments on the proposed rule may be sent to the same address.