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Making Waves Summer 2017
NMFS Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel Meeting Update By Capt. Mike Pierdinock Mike Pierdinock runs the charter boat Perseverance out of New Bedford and is the chairman of the RFA Massachusetts chapter. He is heavily involved in fisheries issues, including as a member of the NMFS HMS Advisory Panel. He works tirelessly to provide representation to his fellow recreational fishermen .
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s a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel member, I attended the recent three-day meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, that had a wide array of issues to deal with. I served as an outspoken advocate on your behalf, and several items of discussion that could ultimately impact recreational anglers and the for-hire fleet that target pelagics are summarized below.
stitute of Marine Science to assess bluefin tuna mortality utilizing light tackle with treble hooks. No mortality was observed based upon the results of the study. As a result we recommended not to implement a mandatory prohibition of treble hooks or lure size limits, minimum line sizes, minimum size reel and rod combinations, use of single barbless hooks, or limitations on the maximum number of releases and fight times. Lack of experience may lead tomethods There were claims by some that recreational that might increase mortality, therefore, we recfisherman utilizing light tackle with treble ommended public outreach to promote the use hooks result in increased bluefin tuna mortality. of J hooks on plugs and jigs utilized to target I was somewhat surprised to hear of this, since small bluefin tuna to minimize foul hooking as most responsible and experienced recreational well as other methods to reduce mortality. anglers in our waters will remove the treble hooks and replaced them with J hooks on light Trophy Bluefins Each year the bluefin tutackle when targeting bluefin tuna or other na recreational fishing trophy fish (1 permitted species. We typically do this to aid in a quick per angler per season) is typically closed early and clean release no matter what species we in the season for New England anglers. Last are targeting. year the closure occurred in August when the bluefin tuna bite had yet to heat up in New We were able to refer to a recent study conducted by William Goldsmith of the Virginia In- England waters. The trophy category quota is