50 



TESTIMONY OF 



GARY MATLOCK, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OFFICER 



NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE 



NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 



FIELD HEARING BEFORE THE 



SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE AND OCEANS 



COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES 



UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY 



OCEAN COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING 



April 1, 1996 



Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am Gary Matlock, 

 Program Management Officer of the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service (NMFS) . I am pleased to be here today to discuss the 

 status of the bluefish stock and its future management. With me 

 today is Mr. Mark Millikin, of NMFS' Office of Fisheries 

 Conservation and Management. 



Today I will review major milestones in bluefish fishery 

 management and answer the Subcommittee's concerns. My testimony 

 will address 1) the apparent decline in bluefish stocks, 2) 

 regulatory reform concerning bluefish, 3) the shift of bluefish 

 management to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, 

 and 4) amendment of the bluefish fishery management plan, with 

 particular attention to allocation issues. 



BACKGROUND 



Bluefish is a northeast pelagic fish that is migratory. Bluefish 

 migrate along the Atlantic coast spending winter around Florida, 

 move northward along the entire Atlantic Coast during the spring 

 and summer, and return south in the fall. Bluefish are most 

 abundant in water temperatures of 68°F, but have been found in 

 waters ranging from 8°F to 86°F. Bluefish also occur in the Gulf 

 of Mexico (Gulf) , however, there is thought to be little 

 interchange between the Gulf and Atlantic Coast stocks. 



Landings of bluefish have fluctuated widely during the past 

 century. NMFS has only been able to measure the bluefish 

 population adequately since the early 1980s. This is due to the 

 fact that bluefish primarily supports a recreational fishery, and 

 improved data collection on the marine recreational fisheries was 

 instituted at that time. The highest landings of bluefish that 

 NMFS has on record occurred in the early 1980s, and bluefish 

 ab'jndance has continued to decline since then. 



