Fisheries- Subcommittee -9- October 20, 1993 



promulgated under this section may have the effect of increasing or 

 decreasing any allocation or quota of fish to the United States 

 pursuant to a recommendation of the Commission, be more 

 restrictive than those measures agreed to internationally or 

 otherwise have the effect of disadvantaging United States fishermen 

 in relation to foreign competitors." 



We also support the proposal of Bluewater Fishermen's Association that 

 the terms "allocation or quota" in the above Section should include 

 international fishery agreements based on "fishing mortality levels". 



Atlantic Bluefin Permiting and Reporting Requirements 



Finally, we note that NMFS has expressed its intention to permit anglers 

 fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna and we fully support this long overdue 

 requirement. However, we believe that the agency will continue to resist 

 the implementation of catch and landing reporting requirements on all 

 sectors of the fishery including the angling community. We strongly urge 

 the Subcommittee on Fisheries Management to include in the 

 reauthorization of ATCA direction to the agency that reporting 

 requirements be applied fairly to all user of this valuable resource. 



We believe that fishing for Atlantic bluefin is a privilege extended to all 

 citizens of the United States and that the minimum obligations of 

 securing a fishery permit and appropriate reporting forms are reasonable 

 to allow proper management and conservation of the fishery. Continuation 

 of questionable, controversial and labor intensive surveys are no longer 

 justifiable to assure our national compliance with the international 

 bluefin quota conservation program. 



Attachments: 



1. October 14. 1993 East Coast Tuna Press Release 



2. October 11. 1993 Letter to Dr. James Baker, NOAA Administrator 



3. September 24, 1993 Letter to Doug Hall (see comments on tracking 

 Angling Category catches) 



4. October 7. 1993 New England Congressional Delegation Letter 



5. Figure 1. Total Atlantic Bluefin Catch 1970-92 (with Miami Plan for 

 Catches to the year 2,000) 



6. Coalition of United States Bluefin Tuna User groups 



