Atlantic Highly 

 Migratory Pelagic Fisheries 



INTRODUCTION 



Oceanic pelagic fish are highly migratory spe- 

 cies that include swordfish, bluefin tuna, yellow- 

 fin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore, skipjack tuna, blue 

 and white marlin, sailfish, longbill spearfish, and 

 others. In the Atlantic Ocean, swordfish and blue- 

 fin tuna have long provided important fisheries, 

 while in recent years yellowfin tuna and bigeye 

 tuna have increased in significance to U.S. fisher- 

 men. Many recreational anglers target yellowfin 

 and bluefin tuna, blue marlin, white marlin, and 

 sailfish in U.S. waters and occasionally longbill 

 spearfish. All commercial retention of the latter 

 tout billfish species is now banned in U.S. waters; 

 however, they are still incidentally caught in tuna 

 and swordfish longline fisheries. 



Because these large pelagic fish migrate widely 

 and are harvested over broad ocean areas by U.S. 



and foreign fishermen, bt)th national and inter- 

 national management measures are necessary. In 

 all cases, stock assessments are conducted using 

 aggregate data and provide the basis for regula- 

 tions. U.S. fleets operate in the western Atlantic 

 Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gull ol Mexico. These 

 fleets are regulated under the M.ignuson-Stevens 

 Fishery Conservation and Management Act and 

 the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act, which pro- 

 vides authority to implement international agree- 

 ments reached by the International Commission 

 for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). 

 A draft Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for At- 

 lantic tunas, sharks, and swordfish, and Amend- 

 ment One to the Atlantic Billfish FMP (which 

 addresses blue niarlm, white marlin, sailfish, and 

 spearfish) were proposed in 1 998 and are slated to 

 be finalized in 1999. Management of Atlantic tu- 

 nas and swordfish has been based largely on rec- 



Unit 



5 



STEVE TURNER 



NMFS Southeast Fisheries 

 Science Center 



Miami 

 Florida 



Bluefin tuna. 



