December 12, 2013 — Maine's congressional delegation is urging federal regulators to revise proposed rule changes for the management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The concern – which is shared by lawmakers from other coastal New England states – is that the region's traditional, near-shore tuna fleet is being unfairly targeted for a problem over which they have no control. But federal regulators say that's not the case. Tom Porter has more.
Stephen Wiener of Ogunquit has been fishing for tuna for more than 40 years. During that time, stocks have declined dramatically, and regulators from several countries – including the U.S. – have imposed quotas to try and conserve the species.
"We would like to see this problem solved, but not on our backs – not taking fish from us to solve it," Wiener says.
The problem, as he sees it, is how to fish within quota without unjustly impacting those who harvest tuna for a living.
Wiener is one of about 700 commercial fishermen in Maine who fish for tuna. Most tuna fishermen in New England use what he calls selective fishing gear – such as rod and reel or handlines, as well as harpoons, to catch tuna.
But Atlantic bluefin is a highly migratory species, and much of the stock is caught further south, in mid-Atlantic waters or the Gulf of Mexico, where fishermen rely on longlines, some of them up to 40 miles long, with baited hooks attached, to catch fish.
And here's the rub, says Wiener: Most of the bluefin tuna caught this way are caught unintentionally. This pelagic long-line fleet, as it's called, is actually targeting swordfish or yellowfin tuna – but, as the data show, it's responsible for a lot of Atlantic bluefin mortality.
"The pelagic longline fleet is catching and discarding more bluefin tuna that their quotas allow them to," Wiener says.
Wiener says the fleet has exceeded the quota by more than 100 percent in each of the last five years. Last year, these fishermen discarded or landed about 240 metric tons. That's nearly a quarter of the entire U.S. quota.
Listen to the audio and read the full story at the Maine Public Broadcasting Network