Number: 1978-19
WHEREAS, the stocks of blue, black, and striped marlin as well as swordfish, sailfish, and spearfish are migratory and widely dispersed throughout Western and Tropical Atlantic waters, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa; and
WHEREAS, the high aesthetic and recreational appeal of billfish to sport fishermen causes the value of the recreational fishery to exceed the value of commercial fishery by a ratio of at least 10 to 1; and
WHEREAS, catches in waters near the U.S. by commercial fishermen from many countries (with the exception of Japan) are increasing to the point where intensified fishing for the billfishes themselves, or the incidental catch while fishing for tuna, seems to cause local depletions of billfish stocks; and
WHEREAS, there is insufficient knowledge about the numbers of billfish caught both by commercial fishermen using long lines and by recreational anglers to allow prompt and intelligent regulation of the catches; and
WHEREAS, five Regional Fishery Management Councils have jurisdiction over the billfish species and can recommend closed areas, catch restrictions, limits of amount of gear, and closed seasons by means of fishery management plans and precautionary regulations;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1978, in Phoenix, Ariz., hereby deplores the commercialization and apparent depletion of stocks of fish having high economic value and great potential for future marine recreational activities, and urges the collection and dissemination of research findings on the abundance and population characteristics of billfishes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly recommends that the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce) adopt and activate all portions of the National Plan for Marine Fisheries that apply to billfishes, thereby insuring adequate research on these species and all necessary protection of these important resources.