89 



fishing mortality by-catch in conunercial and recreational fisheries so steps can be taken to 

 reduce it. A realistic rd^uilding schedule should be developed and adhered to, all too often 

 fishery management plans have rebuilding schedules are changed whimsically when there is a 

 slight upturn in the fish population. Bringing fish stocks to recovery requires staying the course. 

 The target/quota method of setting harvest limits respectively for recreational and commercial 

 fisheries should be continued with the historic 85/15 split based on fishing mortality, not catch. 

 For clarification, a quota for commercial fisheries can be used because their landings are more 

 readily tracked. The recreational catch is a target mortality adjusted with size and bag limits as 

 well as seasons, overage and underage should be applied to the ensuing fishing season in both 

 cases. The target/quota method has been used effectively for such fisheries as summer flounder, 

 king mackerel and others. 



Mr. Chairman, you asked the question, "Will allocation issues cloud the amendment process, 

 or will protection of the fishery remain the overriding goal?" Allocation of scarce fishery 

 resources is a political process and it will be hammered out in the political arena, that is the way it 

 has been and that is not going to change. Protection of the fishery resource is political also but 

 that question has been ddiated in the best tradition of the democratic process and resulted in the 

 enactment of the Magnuson and ACFCM Acts. It is time that those laws be fiilly utilized to 

 give the protection to the fishery resource that they promise. To delay or avoid protection and 

 r^uilding offish stocks because that action will cause short-term economic hardships to some 

 segments of the fishing industry (both commercial and recreational) pales in comparison to the 

 economic hardship accomplished somewhat more insidiously by overfishing many fishstocks 

 and dampening the larger economic benefits that can be obtained fi-om higher sustainable yields. 



SUMMARY 



- Biuefish are traditionally one of the most important species to recreational anglers on the 

 East Coast. 



- The biuefish population has declined 77% between 1982 and 1993. 



- Catch levels are less than 25% of the levels of what they were in the eariy 1980's. 



- Annual recruitment to the spawning stock since 1989 has been lower than average and 

 continues to decline. 



- Since 1990, the intent of the fishery management plan (implemented in 1989) to cap 

 commercial fishing at 20% of recreational catch has been exceeded each year. 



- Since commercial landings are based on recreational catch (including those fish 

 released alive), recreational anglers are actually penalized for releasing their fish. 



- While stock size has declined, recreational catch (and harvest) have also declined, but 

 commercial harvest has increased as a percent of recreational harvest. 



