FishWatch

Harvesting Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye tuna is a highly migratory species – they travel throughout large areas of the ocean and are harvested by many nations using different types of fishing gear. U.S. commercial fishermen mainly harvest bigeye tuna using pelagic longlines. They also sometimes use rod and reel gear.

Although neither gear type has an impact on habitat, pelagic longlines can incidentally catch protected species such as marine mammals and sea turtles. U.S. commercial fishermen using pelagic longline gear follow a number of strict regulations to prevent bycatch:

• They must use large circle hooks and certain types of bait that limit gear interactions with sea turtles. Circle hooks are specifically designed to minimize the damage caused by hooking, giving animals that are captured and released a better chance at survival.
• They’re trained to use special techniques to safely dehook and disentangle any unintentionally caught turtles.
• They’re also required to stop fishing and move 1 nautical mile if they encounter a protected species.
  
• To protect pilot whales and Risso’s dolphins, pelagic longline vessels fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Bight must limit the length of their lines to 20 nautical miles and post marine mammal handling/release guidelines on their vessels. In addition, if fishing in the Cape Hatteras Special Research Area, pelagic longliners must contact NOAA Fisheries at least 48 hours prior to a trip and carry observers if requested.
• In the Gulf of Mexico, longline fishermen must use weak hooks to reduce accidental catch of bluefin tuna and may not use live bait in order to reduce bycatch of billfish.
• Areas in the Gulf of Mexico and seasonal areas in the Atlantic are closed to longline fishing to reduce bycatch.
• Longline fishermen must carry vessel monitoring systems (satellite technology) onboard their boats to enforce these closures.
• NOAA Fisheries monitors the pelagic longline fishery for interactions with protected species through at-sea fisheries observers on a quarterly basis and reviews data for appropriate action, if any, as necessary.
  
  

Management

Who’s in charge? NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division; also, because Atlantic bigeye tuna move throughout large areas of the Atlantic Ocean and are fished by many nations using various gear types, management by the United States alone is not enough to ensure that harvests are sustainable in the long term. The United States negotiates with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations, including the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), to enhance tuna management worldwide. We set regulations for the bigeye tuna fishery based on science and conservation and management recommendations from ICCAT.

Current management: Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
Domestic management measures for this fishery include permits, gear restrictions, time/area closures, and quotas. To provide additional protection to the bigeye tuna stock, particularly juveniles, bigeye tuna must be a minimum of 27 inches to be harvested in both commercial and recreational fisheries. This regulation is stricter than ICCAT requirements. Federal management for Atlantic tunas apply to state waters as well, except in Maine, Connecticut, and Mississippi; NOAA Fisheries periodically reviews these states’ regulations to make sure they’re consistent with federal regulations.

ICCAT conservation and management recommendations include an annual total allowable catch allocated among members, sharing arrangements for member countries, minimum size limits, effort controls, time/area closures, trade restrictions, compliance measures, and monitoring and inspection programs. ICCAT recommends adherence to an international cap on bigeye landings of 85,000 metric tons to allow the stock to continue to grow. ICCAT remains concerned about unreported catches and encourages tuna Regional Fishery Management Organizations to examine the possibility of “fish laundering” (reporting landings as another species) for bigeye and other species.

Annual Harvest

U.S. harvest of Atlantic bigeye tuna is usually only a small fraction (1 percent or less) of the global Atlantic bigeye harvest. U.S. commercial fishermen brought about 673 metric tons of bigeye tuna to port in 2010.

Economy

From 2003 to 2010, the average ex-vessel price (the price fishermen receive for their catch) of bigeye tuna increased about 40 percent. The ex-vessel price depends on a number of factors, including the quality of the fish (e.g., freshness, fat content, method of storage), the weight of the fish, the supply of fish, and consumer demand. In 2010, annual ex-vessel revenues for the fishery totaled over $5 million.

In addition, recreational fishing for highly migratory species such as bigeye tuna also provides significant economic benefits to coastal communities through individual angler expenditures, recreational charters, tournaments, and the shoreside businesses that support those activities.

Recreational

Recreational fishermen also fish for bigeye tuna. They must have a permit to fish for bigeye and may only catch and keep bigeye tuna larger than 27 inches.