NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, bycatch is defined as fish that are harvested in a fishery, but are not sold or kept for personal use, and includes economic discards and regulatory discards. Bycatch does not include fish released alive under a recreational catch and release fishery management plan. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires NMFS to minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality, to the extent practicable.

In HMS fisheries bycatch of billfish on commercial gear, undersized swordfish, sharks on commercial gear after a seasonal closure; bluefin tuna on pelagic longline gear, and protected species such as sea turtles and whales have been of particular concern because of the impact on the stocks of these species. The rules below are designed to reduce bycatch in HMS fisheries.

Reports and Notices

Highly Migratory Species Current Bycatch Priorities and Implementation Plan

Black and White Map of Areas Closed to HMS Fishermen with Pelagic or Bottom Longline on board their vessel and Color Map of Closed Areas with Bathymetry

Final Rules

Final Rule to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch and Bycatch Mortality in the Pelagic Longline Fishery, July 6, 2004 2004 Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch and Bycatch Mortality in the Pelagic Longline Fishery

NMFS issues final regulations to prohibit pelagic longline fishing in DeSoto Canyon, FL East Coast, Charleston Bump. Also prohibit use of live bait in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Compliance Guide for Time/Area Closures
• Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on measures to reduce bycatch in Atlantic pelagic longline fishery, June 14, 2000.  
      Note:  These are very large files and will take several minutes for some to load.
  • FSEIS final Chapters 1-5 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final Chapters 6-7 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final Chapters 8-11 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 1, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 2, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 3 and 4, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 5, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 6 , pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 7, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 8, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 9, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 10 and 11, pdf format
  • FSEIS final Appendices (Figures are not available in this html version.), pdf format (loads very slowly)
  • FSEIS final, Appendix D- in pdf format only.

 

For images of longline see NOAA Photo Libraray