Saturday, July 29, 2000

United States Department Of Commerce
National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Penelope D. Dalton
Assistant Administrator For Fisheries
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910


Dear Ms. Dalton:

    I am writing this letter not only for the Jersey Coast Anglers Association but also for the New Jersey Federation of Sports' Clubs. I am Legislative Chairman for both organizations. Together these two organizations represent 150,000 concerned sportsmen in New Jersey. Both organizations are extremely disappointed with the votes of the representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

    After having caught practically nothing up to this point, recreational anglers and all those financially dependent on school bluefin tuna fishing are going to be shut out of that fishery after July 30. If the past is any indicator, NMFS will spend a month or more determining that very little of the quota has been used and will then reopen the season sometime in September for a few weeks before shutting it down again without ever updating the catch until winter.

     That was what happened last year as the quota was greatly under fished while both sportsmen and charter boat owners swung in the breeze due to the total lack of concern exhibited by the agency. This is in direct contrast to the commercial side of the bluefin fishery where the agency keeps track day-by-day and adds fishing days or extends seasons to ensure that every last possible giant is killed. Angling Category participants are required by law to report their catches of school tuna, but NMFS refuses to similarly update catch statistics in order to keep the fishery open.

   There's little enough left of what was traditionally the most important fishery for charter and private boats along the Jersey Shore, but NMFS seems intent on eliminating opportunity whenever it may occur in an unpredictable oceanic fishery. Though great sympathy is expressed about any losses incurred by commercial fishermen and the agency rushes to distribute taxpayer funds to those who have done the greatest damage to resources, both anglers and the charter and party boat owners serving them are totally ignored. The once vibrant fall party boat bluefin fishery has been totally eliminated since those boats can't fish with a limit of two school bluefins per boat, and not a penny of compensation has been offered to make up for those financial losses. Charter boat skippers who used to make a living from June to October fishing for school tuna have either had to switch to running 80 miles offshore to the canyons for other tunas or get out of the business-without a NMFS buyout!

    Is it any wonder that recreational anglers are convinced of NMFS commercial bias when angling seasons are closed without any justification and no attempt is made to re-open them on a timely basis while exactly the opposite is the case with commercial tuna fishing? The NMFS service uses the excuses of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna rules to do whatever they want. They forget to tell everyone that we are one of the few countries who actually obeys the rules. ICCAT member nations are harvesting thousands of times more small bluefin tuna than we are. ICCAT member nations have no regard for recreational anglers. All they care about is commercial fishing. For the US delegation to allow this miscarriage of justice to the American angler to continue is criminal. For NMFS to be a party to this miscarriage of justice is typical NMFS mismanagement of the recreational sector.

     NMFS mismanagement has reduced school bluefin fishing to less than a tenth of what it used to be before the agency was established, but even the hope of being able to catch one or two is enough to keep some anglers who can't afford $2,000 canyon trips interested if NMFS would permit them the opportunity in the middle of the season. We urge you to look into this situation and ensure that the Angling Category is given the same opportunity that the commercial harvesters are given in the harvest of bluefin. We are tired of being treated as Second Class Citizens of United States by the NMFS. 

Sincerely,

Thomas P. Fote
Legislative Chairman JCAA & NJSFSC
22 Cruiser Court, Toms River NJ, 08753
732-270-9102 Fax 732-506-6409
Email tfote@jcaa.org

Cc: President Bill Clinton, Secretary of Commerce William Daley, Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Torricelli, Congressman Andrews, Congressman LoBiondo, Congressman Saxton, Congressman Smith, Roukema, Congressman Pallone, Congressman Franks, Congressman Rothman, Congressman Payne, Congressman Frelinghuysen, Congressman Pappas, Congressman Menendez, NJ Senate President Donald DiFrancesco, NJ Speaker Jack Collins and NJ Legislature

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