-sa- 



il. NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF U.S. AND FOREIGN 

 PARTICIPATION IN THE FISHERY 



The U.S. does not actively participate in the south Atlantic albacore 

 commercial fisheries, but is interested in the south Atlantic albacore 

 stock. The U.S. is a signatory to the ICCAT convention and as such has 

 indicated its willingness to conserve the Atlantic tuna stocks. 



About 45% of the total Atlantic albacore catch, mostly caught by 

 longline, is imported into the U.S. for domestic consumption. This 

 imported Atlantic albacore accounts for about 40% of the total annual U.S. 

 albacore consumption. The remaining 60% comes from imports from other 

 oceans and domestic catches. For comparison, the U.S. domestic fishery 

 provides about 15 to 20% of the albacore consumed in the U.S. The U.S. 

 currently consumes about 45% of the world's total albacore catch. 



III. STATUS OF THE STOCKS 



III. A. Stock Structure 



This analysis assumes that the Atlantic albacore population is 

 composed of north and south stocks separated at the equator. The assumed 

 stock separation is based primarily on longline catch rates which decline 

 near the equator. Secondary support is given by the different reactions of 

 the longline CPUE, both north and south, to increased fishing pressure in 

 the north. 



III.B. Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation 



III.B.l. Trends in Catch-per-Un it-Effort 



The south stock is fished only by longline. The catch- 

 per-unit-effort for the stock shows an expected gradual decline following a 

 peak value in 1960 (Figure 4), indicating a reduction in adult abundance. 

 Longline effort has increased from near zero in 1956 to a peak of 100 plus 

 million effective hooks in 1972 and 1973. Since 1973 effective effort has 

 remained high, near 100 million hooks. 



III.B. 2. Results of Production Model Analysis 



Results of production model analysis for the south stock 

 (Figure 5) indicate an estimated MSY in the 28,000 to 32,000 mt range. The 

 catch in recent years has been below this level although catches in the 



