Outdated fishing practices in the Gulf of Mexico have massacred spawning Atlantic bluefin tuna populations for decades. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is considering implementing new regulatory policies concerning fishing methods. Before its upcoming deadline, the NOAA will hear public comments on the issue and it must be emphatically urged to put an end to surface longline fishing which is destroying Atlantic bluefin tuna.
The Gulf of Mexico provides the only spawning ground for the Atlantic bluefin tuna. As a result of surface longline fishing practices, this bluefin population has been reduced to a minuscule percentage of its historical norm. As bycatch, trapped and hauled in species which are not the target of fishing outfits, the Atlantic bluefin tuna has been, and continues to be, the unfortunate victim of inefficient and overzealous fishing methods. Other struggling populations of marlin, sea turtles and sharks are also frequently bycatch victims.
http://forcechange.com/26122/stop-decimation-of-atlantic-bluefin-tuna-populations/
