Direct From The Activist Angler Robert Montgomery: Your help is needed to help end the waste of bluefin tuna in U.S. waters and ensure that longliners — not recreational anglers — are the ones held responsible for the incidental bycatch. “Recreational anglers are leaders when it comes to conserving fish and their habitat,” said Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). “And we’re hoping having recreational anglers sign on this petition will help NOAA Fisheries realize better protection is needed for this species.”
Go here to sign an IGFA-sponsored online petition to urge NOAA Fisheries to strengthen its current proposed rule for bluefin tuna by reducing longline bycatch and protecting bluefin spawning rounds.
Surface longlines kill thousands of game fish, including blue and white marlin, sailfish, sharks and bluefin tuna. In 2012, longliners threw back dead nearly 25 percent of the U.S. bluefin quota. The IGFA is calling on NOAA Fisheries to help reverse this trend by implementing strong measures that will protect spawning bluefin in the Gulf of Mexico and hold surface longliners accountable for bluefin bycatch, both of which mean increased fishing opportunities for recreational anglers.
“Thanks to email and social media it is easier than ever for an angler to spread the word and support this measure,” Schratwieser continued. “It only takes 30 seconds to sign the petition and share it on Facebook or email. Showing fisheries managers that sportsmen are engaged and concerned about our resources is critical to enacting change.”
You can read the proposed full rule here.