I think WE won this current battle?

[Uncle Buck]

So, I just got this e-mail from the Billfish Foundation at 11:30 Thursday night... and I see nothing about opening closed zones!
------------------------
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released its Final Rule today, June 7, 2007, for the U.S. swordfish fishery in an effort to provide additional opportunities for U.S. vessels to more fully harvest the domestic swordfish quota.

The rule includes:

Effective July 9, 2007
(1) An increase in retention limits for incidental swordfish permit holders to 30 fish, except for vessels participating in the squid trawl fishery, which would be limited to 15 swordfish.

(2) An increase in the bag limit per vessel to 4 in the HMS Angling category, but retains the 1 swordfish per person bag limit.

(3) An increase in retention for the HMS charter/headboat category from one swordfish per paying passenger up to a maximum of six per charter vessel and 15 per headboat. (Catch My Drift ... yeah! )

Effective August 6, 2007
(4) Modifying vessel upgrading restrictions only for vessels that currently possess, or are eligible to renew, on August 6, 2007, Incidental or Directed Swordfish and Shark permits, as well as Atlantic Tunas Longline category permits. These vessels can be upgraded, or permits transferred, so long as the upgrade or permit transfer does not result in an increase in vessel size (LOA, GRT, and NT) of more than 35 percent, relative to the vessel first issued an HMS Limited Access Permit (baseline vessel). All horsepower upgrading restrictions for these vessels are removed.

Effective July 9, 2007
In addition, restrictions specifying that a vessel may be upgraded only once will be removed for all HMS Limited Access Permits. The agency will provide additional information to Limited Access Permit holders regarding eligibility for the modified vessel upgrading restriction in the future.

[tabasco]

Yeah,
got the same email. To me the first 3 make sense to increase quota as the LL have asked for. What does the increase size/hp permit part mean? Just don't know enough to know if thats good/bad. thanks for the post. tom

[miamiangler1]

well good news for Catch my drift ! Might start going more often ...hope the PLL will be shut out of the closed zones ... keep writting letters ...

[Gaitor]

The comment period runs through June 20th so the SAFMC can get their fingers/hands/elbows in the pie and see how badly they can obfuscate the issue of allowing the PLL's back into an area that was supposed to be permantly closed to longlining.
So I guess we just have to be dilligent and make sure Geiger's Googans and Hogarth's Hooligans don't try to slip an addendum in on us.

[Uncle Buck]

Originally Posted by tabasco

What does the increase size/hp permit part mean? Just don't know enough to know if thats good/bad. thanks for the post. tom

That has to do with the commercial boats, not the recs. A larger boat/more horsepower means they can travel further and can catch more fish. There has been a HP/size increase limitation for a while.

[Ron.38 Special]

Don't read this as having anything to do with the proposal by Blue Water to open up the closed zones.

Hogarth is waiting for SAFMC to weigh in on the issue and then he will announce his decision. At this time, we understand there is pressure from the Department of Commerce to allow the "experiment".

Of course, if Hogarth does allow the BS experiment, he will be in for a hard time from Florida Politicians, and maybe Bill Nelson will hurt him in his budget for the next year. Hogarth is caught between a rock and a hard place and he doesn't really want to be running the boat when we get our first quota hit at ICCAT. But, that said, it doesn't make any sense to open any zones while the PLL's are catching as many fish as they are right now.

Fact is, that we have something like 20% of the boats catching 50% of the quota that we haven't caught since 1997. If 20% of the boats are left, and they are still catching 50% of the quota, the individual boats are catching more fish per trip than they ever have in recent history.

We'll know what's going to happen by early July.

[mneptune]

Originally Posted by Ron.38 Special

Don't read this as having anything to do with the proposal by Blue Water to open up the closed zones.

Hogarth is waiting for SAFMC to weigh in on the issue and then he will announce his decision. At this time, we understand there is pressure from the Department of Commerce to allow the "experiment".

Of course, if Hogarth does allow the BS experiment, he will be in for a hard time from Florida Politicians, and maybe Bill Nelson will hurt him in his budget for the next year. Hogarth is caught between a rock and a hard place and he doesn't really want to be running the boat when we get our first quota hit at ICCAT. But, that said, it doesn't make any sense to open any zones while the PLL's are catching as many fish as they are right now.

Fact is, that we have something like 20% of the boats catching 50% of the quota that we haven't caught since 1997. If 20% of the boats are left, and they are still catching 50% of the quota, the individual boats are catching more fish per trip than they ever have in recent history.

We'll know what's going to happen by early July.

I think the KEY word in this post is the DEPT. OF COMMERCE That's what it comes down to right there...commerce, not the health of our fisheries or marine enviornment but commerce!! There is nothing I would like to see better than having marine resources come under the jurisdiction of the Dept of Interior. The Dept of the Interior has a decent track record of managing the inland resources for the benefit of the resource not special interest groups. Maybe it is time for a change of venue and let the Dept of Interior manage our marine resources as well.

Any thoughts?.....

[pelagic predator]

Here is the announcement from nmfs,

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/new...ice_6-7-07.pdf

[Gaitor]

Originally Posted by mneptune

I think the KEY word in this post is the DEPT. OF COMMERCE That's what it comes down to right there...commerce, not the health of our fisheries or marine enviornment but commerce!! There is nothing I would like to see better than having marine resources come under the jurisdiction of the Dept of Interior. The Dept of the Interior has a decent track record of managing the inland resources for the benefit of the resource not special interest groups. Maybe it is time for a change of venue and let the Dept of Interior manage our marine resources as well.

Any thoughts?.....

I think you are "Spot On" with that observation and suggestion. The DOI proposal is being discussed on the FS Conservation forum as well as petitions calling for Dr Hogarth to step down.

[tabasco]

Ron.
thanks for clarifying that. Seemed too good to be true. TBF needs to know that this is NOT saying the zones are safe as in reading my email from then i took it to mean it was a done deal. thanks again for your work. tom

[DIRTYFOOT2]

Save The Swords....harpoon Hogarth