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I am James H. Gilford, Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. I am 

 honored to be invited to present testimony on the Federal role in the management of 

 bluefish. Please note that the remarks represent my views and have not been approved 

 by the Council. 



BLUEFISH RESOURCE 



There seems to be a decline in the bluefish stocks. Why is this happening? 



The Council depends on the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Stock 

 Assessment Workshop process for information on the status of the bluefish stock. In 

 addition, assessment updates and analyses of management measures are conducted by 

 Council staff and the ASMFC technical committee. 



Based on the report of a 1994 Stock Assessment Workshop, bluefish are overfished. 

 The 1993 estimate of fishing mortality exceeded the biological reference point used in 

 the Plan to define overfishing. In addition, the assessment indicated that spawning stock 

 biomass had declined by 74% from 1982 to 1993 and that recruitment had been poor in 

 recent years with the 1993 year class the smallest in the time series. 



There has been some questions about the role of overfishing in the decline of the bluefish 

 stock from 1982 to 1993. Fishing mortality rates have only recently exceeded biological 

 reference points and the consistent decline in recruitment may largely account for the 

 decline in stock biomass. However, some scientists believe that increases in fishing 

 mortality in recent years should be reduced to stabilize the stock and prevent further 

 declines. 



Is there new predation pressure on the stocks? Has there been a shift in water 

 temperature or current which has caused the bluefish to stav offshore after soawnino? 



Additional analyses are being conducted by NEFSC staff and state personnel to further 

 investigate the status of the bluefish stock. The results of these investigations will be 

 made available to the Council and Commission during the development of Amendment 1 

 to the Bluefish FMP. To my knowledge, no one is currently evaluating the effects of 

 increased predation or changes in currents or water temperature on the distribution and 

 abundance of bluefish. However, one investigation is looking into the effect of increased 

 striped bass abundance on the decline of recreational bluefish landings. Specifically, the 

 question being addressed is whether or not it is possible that the recent resurgence of 

 striped bass could have displaced bluefish offshore. Since most bluefish recreational 

 landings are attributed to fishermen fishing close to shore, this displacement may partially 

 account for the drop in recreational landings in recent years. 



WITHDRAWAL OF BLUEFISH PLAN 



How would this affect bluefish management? 



Withdrawal of Secretarial approval of the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), 



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