Bluefin tuna closure 8/12/25

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

Not that it’s right but this happens every year so no big surprise.

The shame here is more fish are being landed because there are more fish around, so just like Seabass shouldn't we be given more fish?

They don’t close the entire fishery every year .
They only close the trophy size fishery for giants

This is the second recreational closure this season , now for every size category of bluefins

And they are claiming the quota was reached , yet the best 2 months of the Northern season around Massachusetts hasn’t even started yet .

This closure has nothing to do with actual landings .
It’s being pushed because the commercial buyers don’t want us catching fish at all above 47”
.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

They don’t close the entire fishery every year .
They only close the trophy size fishery for giants

This is the second recreational closure this season , now for every size category of bluefins

And they are claiming the quota was reached , yet the best 2 months of the Northern season around Massachusetts hasn’t even started yet .

This closure has nothing to do with actual landings .
It’s being pushed because the commercial buyers don’t want us catching fish at all above 47”
.

Sounds like we have another fight on our hands here Dan but I'm not familiar with how Bluefin are managed. I do know it's much different than other fisheries I've dabbled in and I have no contacts within those national management circles.. I'm certainly willing to learn and get involved where I can, once the Seabass is squared away.

[hammer4reel]

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376701751112

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376701751112

Wow... Where do you even start?

[Broad Bill]

Lawsuit against the federal government, only thing that will change this insanity. And as mentioned before, it should be funded by all the fishing tackle retailers / manufacturers, gas spend and boat manufacturers that the recreational sector spends hundreds of millions of dollars on every year.

We're way past petitions and public comments. The question we should be asking is how do you change the behavior of the Department of Commerce? Therein lies the answer to how you change the inequity in regulations between the commercial and recreational sectors as well as the overall mismanagement of various fisheries. Come up with an answer to that question and the recreational angling community and various stocks stand a fighting chance.

[bulletbob]

Yeah I believe the Lord mentioned "kicking against the goads" [Look it up].. we all know the reason they don't want anyone catching bluefins...

Smithsonian Magazine

"Large bluefin tuna can fetch extremely high prices at auction, with a recent example being a 608-pound tuna that sold for $1.3 million in Japan. Prices can vary significantly based on size and market
demand, with record sales reaching as high as $3.1 million".


People with a lot of money around the world will pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a couple ounces of raw Bluefin sliced paper thin... I don't get that at all, but they are worth their weight in gold- figuratively speaking of course.... bob

[togzilla]

Originally Posted by Broad Bill

Lawsuit against the federal government, only thing that will change this insanity. And as mentioned before, it should be funded by all the fishing tackle retailers / manufacturers, gas spend and boat manufacturers that the recreational sector spends hundreds of millions of dollars on every year.

We're way past petitions and public comments. The question we should be asking is how do you change the behavior of the Department of Commerce? Therein lies the answer to how you change the inequity in regulations between the commercial and recreational sectors as well as the overall mismanagement of various fisheries. Come up with an answer to that question and the recreational angling community and various stocks stand a fighting chance.

EXACTLY!!!!! Money is the only thing these agencies understand

[Broad Bill]

Saw they had two approximate 180lb. bluefins weighed in at the White Marlin Open today capturing 1st and 2nd place for total combined money of ~$850k. Wonder if the timing of the closure had anything to do with the timing of the tournament.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Did a bit more reading on this and it seems like the ICCAT organization manages the Bluefin Tuna fishery internationally. Kind scares me a bit just like the Word Health organization.

Maybe I'm not understanding it correctly, but it seems to me ICCAT decides what our and other countries Bluefin quota is and all we get to do is carve that up at a federal level with regulations. And, just like just like other fisheries, if we are deemed to have overfished in current years we're penalized in future years with reduced quotas.

Thinking the root of the problem and the main pressure point here is ICCAT and for the US to fight the science and or for a better allocations for us at ICCAT?

While that does not solve the inequities we currently have at a federal level with Commercial and Recreational regulations, it gets us more fish to argue over.

I'd be interested in other's take on this...

[reelfitter]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

They don’t close the entire fishery every year .
They only close the trophy size fishery for giants

This is the second recreational closure this season , now for every size category of bluefins

And they are claiming the quota was reached , yet the best 2 months of the Northern season around Massachusetts hasn’t even started yet .

This closure has nothing to do with actual landings .
It’s being pushed because the commercial buyers don’t want us catching fish at all above 47”
.

That is correct!
Thats the reason why its only closed to the recreational angler.
The commercial season remains open.