51 



Bluefish support an important recreational fishery along the 

 entire Atlantic coast, with the major component of the fishery 

 taking place in the Mid-Atlantic area. Bluefish also support a 

 small but significant commercial fishery that provides fish to 

 the fresh fish market. 



Bluefish management planning started in 1979 when the Mid- 

 Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (Council) began development 

 of a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the species. The Council 

 completed a draft FMP in 1984 to address perceived potential 

 problems of a large commercial offshore fishery developing on the 

 species. The major reason NMFS rejected the plan was that it 

 could not prevent overfishing because states could not guarantee 

 restricted harvest. Also, there was a question of fairness 

 between the different user groups and there was not adequate 

 information to address regulatory impacts. 



Following rejection of the plan, the Council and the Atlantic 

 States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) began joint management 

 planning on bluefish, and identical FMPs were completed. The 

 ASMFC completed an Interstate Fishery Management Plan (IFMP) in 

 1989, and the Council completed an FMP in 1990. The FMPs 

 included measures to control fishing mortality by the different 

 user groups, and covered both state and Federal waters. Since 

 that time both the ASMFC, and the Council have been cooperatively 

 operating under these FMPs. 



The IFMP and FMP are similar documents as far as content. The 

 IFMP, however, was adopted by the ASMFC and recommends to the 

 Atlantic coastal states measures necessary for conservation and 

 management of bluefish in state waters. The FMP was developed by 

 the Mid-Atlantic Council and forwarded to the Department of 

 Commerce for implementation in Federal waters under the Magnuson 

 Fishery Conservation Act. 



Commercial catch of bluefish has remained somewhat stable since 

 the implementation of the FMPs. The FMPs call for implementation 

 of a commercial quota once the commercial landings are projected 

 to reach 20 percent of the total bluefish catch (catch is 

 measured as commercial landings plus all fish caught by 

 recreational fishing including fish returned to the water) . The 

 20 percent level was reached a few years ago, and the ASMFC and 

 states have implemented the commercial quota system. However, in 

 recent years, the major factor effecting the determination of the 

 quota system has been the reduction in recreational catch, not an 

 increase in commercial landings. 



Commercial regulations are primarily imposed through an overall 

 commercial quota that is individually divided among Atlantic 

 coastal states. The overall commercial quota is designed to be 

 maintained as 20 percent of the recreational catch. It is 

 monitored by the ASMFC and the Council, and maintained through 



