The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) for three commercial swordfish longline boats to fish for research purposes in the Florida East Coast and Charleston Bump closed areas.
“NMFS issued the permits despite overwhelming public objection, opposition from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida’s Governor Charlie Crist, and the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council,” said Bill Bird, CCA Florida President and Government Relations Committee Chairman. “The feds have disregarded the comments and recommendations of Florida’s citizens and governmental leaders. Unfortunately, it appears that NMFS is just laying the ground work for allowing the longline fleet back into the Protected Areas.”
“Putting even one swordfish longline boat into these areas under the guise of research and fisheries data collection is unwarranted, unnecessary, and bad public policy,” said Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida Executive Director.
In 2000, as a result of a lawsuit filed by conservation groups, NMFS was forced to set up the Protected Areas in which the use of pelagic longlines was prohibited. The EFP permit issued by NMFS is the third such proposal to put the longline boats back into the Protected Areas. As new proposals appeared over the last seven years, the stated need for the research has been changing. One of the new reasons, as outlined in the permit approval, is to determine whether the Protected Areas are working to restore pelagic fisheries.
“You do not need a bogus research program to make the determination that the removal of the swordfish longline fleet triggered a dramatic rebound of the pelagic fisheries,” said Forsgren. “There is substantial information available from the on-going commercial and recreational landings data collection to demonstrate the increase in abundance and availability of pelagic species in the areas where the longlines have been prohibited.”
For instance, the recovery of many pelagic fisheries off of Florida’s east coast within a few years after the removal of the longline fleet has been nothing short of miraculous. In addition to swordfish, the abundance of sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, and other species has dramatically increased.
One of the best examples regarding sailfish can be seen from the records of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. In 2004, the Club held its 67th Silver Sailfish Derby, which is recognized as the oldest sailfish tournament in the world. Forty-nine boats, all using circle hooks, caught and released a phenomenal 636 sailfish over a three day period. In 2006, sailfish releases went up to 958.
“These research permits are just part of the NMFS plan to put the longline fleet back into the Protected Areas,” said Forsgren. There are elements within the agency that favor large-scale take by limited numbers of commercial boats. In addition to the overfishing and other damage caused by the swordfish longliners, the allocation of large quantities of take to small numbers of commercial interests is in conflict with federal fishery law. The Magnuson-Stevens Federal Fishery Act states that allocation of fisheries must be “fair and equitable” and carried out “in such a manner that no particular individual, corporation or other entity acquires excessive share of such privileges.”
CCA Florida noted there are other examples of inequitable allocations of fisheries to small numbers of commercial longline boats. In the Gulf of Mexico, the federal process has determined that as much as 81% of red grouper harvest should be taken by commercial interests. Recreational fishers have been continuously reduced to the point where the recreational bag limit is only one fish, with the addition of another one-month closure. CCA filed a lawsuit in 2005 against NMFS when it attempted to enact Interim Rules to close the entire Gulf of Mexico to all recreational take, for all groupers, for three months. CCA won the lawsuit and only red grouper was limited. During the battle, it was shown that commercial longline boats take the majority of the commercial allocation of red grouper. It was also shown that just 25 commercial longline boats took more red grouper than what was allocated to all the recreational fishers in the entire Gulf of Mexico.
“It is difficult to believe how such an allocation could possibly be considered fair and equitable,” said Forsgren.
CCA Florida is urging continued opposition to federal plans to put commercial longline boats back into the Protected Areas that were overfished and damaged by the longline boats less than ten years ago.
