When Rick Mears catches swordfish, he abides by a complex set of regulations designed to preserve stocks and save other marine life.
That's the way swordfishing is done in the United States. It has led to stocks going from a low in 1999 — when a rebuilding plan was adopted — to being fully restored today.
But that is not the way it's done in other countries.
Smith's job is to preserve the U.S. quota by arguing it is not being caught because of conservation measures that rebuild the stocks. He also will try to convince other nations to adopt similar conservation measures.
“I think other countries recognize the U.S. sacrificed a lot to rebuild this fishery, and it's not fair to penalize our fleet for doing this,” Smith said.
The worldwide allocation was 15,345 metric tons in 2010. The U.S. got 3,907 metric tons but only caught 2,845 metric tons.
U.S. catches have risen by 40 percent since 2006 because stocks have been rebuilt, but U.S. fishermen still are not catching the full quota.
Read the complete story from Press of Atlantic City on SeafoodNews.com