Figure 34. Areas of the AUanlic Ocean (Wise and 

 Davis 1973). 



vember, peaking in August and September In 

 1 976, howe\'er, Santos reported that catches were 

 frequent in the first four months, but dechned 

 during the summer. The estimated catch through 

 September was 641 mt. L. F de Gamboa (per- 

 sonal communication, November, 1976) m- 

 formed us that the sport fishing off Tenenffe 

 followed the same trend, and that the excellent 

 fishing which had occurred in the fall of 1975 

 had not materialized in 1976 



5. Eastern Atlantic 



Bluefin tuna fisheries in the eastern Atlantic 

 (Figure 36) have been distributed in a manner 

 somewhat similar to those in the western Atlan- 

 tic. Large and medium-sized individuals have 

 been taken during summer and early fall in Nor- 

 wegian waters and the North Sea 'Ihc largest 

 fishery for small bluefin, with some mediums, 

 has been in the Bay of Biscay, mainly in sum- 

 mer Less important fisheries for small bluefin 

 occur off Portugal in the fall, and off Morocco 

 during much of the year. 'I'rap fisheries in the 

 Ibero-Moroccan Bay have taken important 

 catches of large bluefin, along with usually lesser 

 amounts of medium and small indniduals, in 

 late spring and earh' summer 



The fisheries in Norwegian waters and the 

 North Sea are of comparatively recent origin, as 

 IS the one for small bluefin off Morocco. The 

 Bay of Biscay fisheiy is over a centun' old, but 

 was modemized about 1950 The trap fisheries 

 in the Ibero-Moroccan Bay, on the other hand, 

 arc of extremely ancient origin. 



The Japanese longline fisheiy has become 

 active in the Bay of Biscay and the waters olY 

 Gibraltar and northwestern Africa since 1 970 



•- EFFORT WITH CATCH 

 X - EFFORT WITHOUT CATCH 



GM 





X 



/ 



NOW 



-i4 



3 

 2 

 1 



x-x — • -' 



X --Xi ^^~*~ « ' 



NOE 



j: 



g 



X X x - x — X - 



CAR 



X — — •-S ( X 



]; 



/ 



■■-—->-• 



/ 



\ 



GUI 



*-.•—•- 



-|4 

 -3 

 -2 

 -1 



O 



9-mm—»—^~»' 



-X-M 



GG 



^; 



X X 



/ •\.-.-- 



\ 



BAH 



I 



cv 1 ' 



— •-•— •-— ■— •—x^-Jq 



X-IQ 



/ 



\ 



TOTAL - 



_l L 



_l 1 1 — i- 



-|3 

 -2 

 - 1 

 O 



2 



1 

 O 



1956 



60 65 



70 



Figure 35 Japanese longline catch rates of hiuefin tuna in areas of 

 the Atkmtic Ocean (Note: Bluefin ui aieas RK) and BEN aie assumed 

 to have been southern bluefin, Thunnus maccoyii. while those in 

 oilier areas are assumed to have been Atlantic bluefin, Thunnus 

 ihynnus ihynnus.) 



36 



