GLOUCESTER, MA \u2013 Many of the principal people involved in the bluefin tuna and swordfish fisheries got their first detailed explanation of draft Amendment 7 to the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan during a Sept. 4 public hearing conducted here by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).<\/p>\n
Most were dismayed, mainly by the mind-boggling complexity of NMFS\u2019s proposed strategy for dramatically changing the way it allocates bluefin tuna among user groups and imposes a host of new restrictions on longliners.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything but the kitchen sink is in here, and there\u2019s something bad in it for everyone,\u201d said Rich Ruais, executive director of the American Bluefin Tuna Association (ABTA).\u00a0 \u201cIt needs a lot of trimming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terri Beideman, executive director of Blue Water Fishermen\u2019s Association, which represents longliners, also voiced frustration with the proposal, which was outlined in a 47-page Federal Register notice published on Aug. 21 and supported by a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) numbering nearly 600 pages…<\/p>\n
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Read the rest and much, much more in the October issue of Commercial Fisheries News. Read online<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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