53 



fish. Concerning the geographical distribution of this 

 recreational catch, the total represents 2,190,000 fish in 

 the North Atlantic, 5,846,000 in the Mid-Atlantic, 3,444,000 

 in the South Atlantic, and 483,000 in the Gulf of Mexico. 



The recreational fishery accounts for the vast majority of 

 bluefish landings (approximately 80 percent of the total 

 fishery) . The recreational fishery takes place primarily in 

 state waters. In 1994, 11.1 million bluefish were taken in 

 state waters versus only about 819,000 fish caught in the 

 EEZ. 



REGULATORY REFORM CONCERNING BLUEFISH 



NMFS is proposing to withdraw approval for the bluefish FMP, 

 remove its implementing regulations, and place responsibility for 

 managing bluefish under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 

 Commission (ASMFC) . The Committee has expressed concern about 

 this action. It is important to realize that this decision is 

 being made in the context of a regulatory reform effort NMFS is 

 carrying out agency-wide. 



The regulatory reform plan is part of the Clinton 

 Administration's reinventing government initiative to streamline 

 the federal bureaucracy. One initiative under the reinvention 

 activity is a page-by-page review of every agency's regulations, 

 and elimination, consolidation, and/or revision of those 

 regulations that are outdated or otherwise in need of reform. 

 The administration has committed to eliminating more than 16,000 

 pages of government regulations and more are to be deleted under 

 the reform plan. NMFS is currently conducting such a review with 

 the purpose of becoming more efficient and more responsive to the 

 country's fishing industry. Final action to consolidate, revise, 

 or eliminate almost all of the fisheries service's regulations 

 should be completed by June 1, 1996, meeting the President's 

 timetable under the National Performance Review's reinventing 

 government initiative. This includes considering the elimination 

 of six federal fishery management plans and their implementing 

 regulations. The consolidations and improvements in fishery 

 regulations will be accomplished without weakening the protection 

 for fishery resources. 



The six FMPs proposed for elimination are bluefish, American 

 lobster, spiny lobster, stone crab, northern anchovy and the high 

 seas salmon management plans. NMFS believes that there is now 

 authority within the framework of the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries 

 Cooperative Management Act (Atlantic Coastal Act) to manage the 

 bluefish fishery through the ASMFC, a multi-state body that 

 develops management plans for fisheries that range across waters 

 of more than one state on the Atlantic coast. 



