Seeking private-boat bluefin tuna anglers for focus group: Feb 6, Toms River, NJ

[Willy G.]

Gerry,

Thanks so much for sharing this message on the Facebook group page! Really appreciate your help. We're certainly aware that bluefin effort these days appears to largely be concentrated in MA and NC, with comparatively little targeting off NJ (we're holding focus groups in MA and NC as well). That being said, we're interested in learning about the values, preferences, and motivations of both current and potential bluefin tuna anglers up and down the coast (i.e., HMS permit-holders)--that includes folks who may have stopped targeting bluefin because either a) the fish aren't available off the NJ coast (if they reappeared, would they start targeting them again?) and b) regulations don't make targeting them worthwhile (if regulations were different, how would fishing effort change?). Learning what NJ anglers have to say will help us to paint a more complete picture of the recreational bluefin tuna fishery up and down the coast.

Nick, good to see you on here! Ramping up for field season off the Outer Banks in a month or so--hoping to deploy some more tags!

Andy, ICCAT is responsible for establishing country-specific quotas for bluefin in the Atlantic--for 2016, the U.S.'s quota is about 1059 metric tons, 195 metric tons of which is allocated to the recreational bluefin fishery. One goal of my study is figuring out how we can maximize the socioeconomic value of the recreational fishery while keeping catch within that 195 metric ton limit.