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HOME 2001 PETITION NOAA-NMFS ICCAT-SCRS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH COMMERCIAL FISHERIES RECREATIONAL FISHING SUPPORTERS |
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THE 2001 PETITION: A WAKE-UP CALL |
AFTER 15 YEARS, WHAT'S THE PROGRESS? |
INFORMATION OVERLOAD SCREENS CLEAR ANSWERS |
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In
2001, a Petition was
presented by the Biodiversity Legal Foundation to the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), to place the white marlin
on the ESA endangered species list. The Petition documented that decades
of commercial over-fishing had reduced the white marlin stocks to
near-unsustainable levels. The Petition was specific in its
conclusion that ICCAT sanctioned commercial longliners were the cause of
over 90% of the annual white
marlin mortalities and publicly exposed ICCAT's indifference and
mismanagement of Atlantic billfish as the biggest obstacle to reversing
declining stocks. In essence, the attempt by James R. Chambers
and the Biodiversity Legal Foundation wasn't to sell the obvious
problem, but to highlight its cause and to warn that if left to
ICCAT's management, extinction would follow.
Although the Petition was rejected as "Not warranted at this time," (pg 34), it started a series of actions by the US Congress, NOAA, conservation groups, marine scientists and recreational anglers to address the issues. We hope to accurately catalog the successes and failures of these efforts and use what we've learned to best protect the future of Atlantic billfish, its multi-billion dollar economy and preserve the opportunity to pass on the unique thrill of billfishing to future generations. |
Our
focus is on Atlantic billfish. The goal of this website is to find answers to the most basic
question: what is the net effect of the 15-year-dance between ICCAT and
NOAA on the health of Atlantic billfish stocks? ICCAT, SCRS and NOAA are very
transparent and most records, data, documents, etc. are accessible online, but the sheer
volume presents an information overload.
We have quick-links to pertinent ICCAT and NOAA publications on Atlantic billfish and to searchable databases offering impressive amounts of information. In addition we link to independent science and marine biology research on Atlantic billfish. In the coming weeks we'll feature Q & A interviews with individuals from various fields including Dr. John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Dr Graves' pioneering research on Atlantic billfish and his role as Chair of the US delegation to ICCAT makes him, arguably, the most knowledgeable voice on these issues. The White Marlin Open has been at the forefront of billfish conservation for 42 years and is proud to host an event formatted for anglers to win millions of dollars while keeping very high release rates. Last summer's event paid almost $4,000,000 yet 687 of the 695 billfish caught (99.8%) were released. |
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note: many of the links on this website open in a "new window" which can be keep open to re-reference or closed (X) when finished. | ||||||||||||||||