The 1982 Fishing Season 



The National Marine Fisheries Service issued final 

 regulations on 31 October 1980 establishing an annual quota 

 of 20,500 animals for each of the years 1981 through 1985, 

 and a general permit to take porpoise incidentally in 

 compliance with the final regulations and quotas was 

 issued to the American Tunaboat Association on 1 December 

 1980. Although analyses have not yet been completed and 

 a final figure is not yet available, the data available at 

 the end of 1982 indicate that the total estimated porpoise 

 mortality and serious injury for the year was 22,736. Of 

 these, 19,956 were taken from species or stocks for which 

 quotas were specifically allocated, while 110 were from 

 other species or stocks for which individual quotas had not 

 been set, 558 were unidentified animals which have yet to 

 be assigned to species or stock categories, and 2,112 were 

 eastern spinners which have been determined to be depleted 

 and of which only limited accidental taking is permitted. 

 For reference, figures for the estimated porpoise mortality 

 and serious injury associated with U.S. commercial yellowfin 

 tuna fishing vessels since passage of the Act are set forth 

 below. 



Estimated Kill and 

 Year Serious Injury 



1972 368,600 



1973 206,697 



1974 147,437 



1975 166,645 



1976 108,740 



1977 25,452 



1978 19,366 



1979 17,938 



1980 15,305 



1981 18,780 



1982 22,736 



The causes of the increased mortality and serious injury 

 level and rate during 1982 (4.83 animals per porpoise set 

 and 0.40 animals per ton of yellowfin caught on porpoise in 

 1982 compared to 3.28 and 0.34, respectively, in 1981) have 

 not yet been determined. It appears that the unanticipated 

 increased mortality may have resulted from several high 

 mortality sets toward the end of the year, a shift in fishing 

 effort to areas where porpoise stocks are unaccustomed to 

 encirclement and suffer proportionately higher mortality 

 during attempted release procedures, and an increased 

 dependence by the fishing fleet upon setting on porpoise 

 due to the relative scarcity of school fish which can be 



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