Bluefin Quota
Discards Cause Contention
by Laurie Schreiber
GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Federal managers are in the process of reconfiguring a system of quotas for the western Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery.
The goal is to more accurately account for “dead discards” – incidental bycatch of bluefin caught by the pelagic longline fleet, which doesn’t directly target this species. The longline fleet has a bluefin quota to account for discards, but managers expect the fleet to exceed the quota, based on past performance.