The National Marine Fisheries Service ( NMFS ) recently shared its options in Amendment 15 to reopen the Zones to pelagic longline fishing after 23 years of defending them off the U.S. East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Closed Zones were brought about by aquatic longline fishing because at the time, American ships were killing the greatest number of juvenile fish among all hunting grounds.
the types from the Atlantic. Share declines will likely occur if the daycare areas for swordfish are in open areas, as well as anglers’ hook-up rates for billfish, tunas, sword fish, and near-shore species.
To increase our work, we need your assistance. We must maintain as much of the Closed Zones closed to oceanic longlining as we can. The administrative approach for the agency will go on until September 2023; we’ll keep you updated and ask for your assistance as we go.
The Billfish Initiative
