NOAA Fisheries Service is asking for suggestions from fishermen all along the Atlantic coast as it searches for ways to harvest the full U.S. quota of swordfish and bluefin tuna. On Tuesday, NOAA officials held a public workshop in Fort Lauderdale and got an earful and a tongue-lashing from the audience of recreational anglers, charterboat captains, conservationists, commercial longliners and buoy-gear fishermen.

Prompting the request for public input is the possibility that the United States could lose a significant share of its catch of swordfish and bluefin tuna to other nations. Commercial quotas for these valuable fisheries are set each year by ICCAT -- the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas -- a United Nations-like governing body for international fisheries with more than 40 members.

Because of strong conservation rules and economic forces, the United States for years has been harvesting less than half its quota of bluefin tuna and swordfish. Some U.S. officials fear that ICCAT will award the unused share to developing nations with fishing practices that fail to protect juvenile fish, as well as marine mammals and sea turtles.

Margo Schulze-Haugen, chief of NOAA Fisheries' Highly Migratory Species division, told the Fort Lauderdale audience of about 75 that her agency is looking for ways to alter federal regulations to increase opportunities for catching bluefin and swordfish, while ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks.

``This is the very beginning process of some of these ideas,'' Schulze-Haugen said. ``Positive and negative comments are both very useful for us. This is potential rule-making down the road.''

BLUEFIN OVERFISHED

According to ICCAT scientists, North Atlantic swordfish stocks are almost fully rebuilt, but Western Atlantic bluefins are seriously overfished -- so much that several nations are calling for a halt to international trade in the species.

Despite the dismal outlook for bluefin, one option is to allow U.S. longliners to take more. For swordfish, the agency is looking at opening a general commercial handgear permit that would allow more rod-and-reel and buoy-gear fishermen to sell swordfish.

Rich Ruais of the Blue Water Fishermen's Association, representing commercial longliners, said the United States must catch more fish to fulfill its quotas.

``There's a whole lot at risk,'' Ruais said. ``If you care about the resource, you want to have the U.S. with the major share of the quota because they protect it better. It's not just for participants, but it's for future generations. They deserve to have access to that as well.''

Jim Williams, who serves on an NOAA advisory panel, said expanding the U.S. bluefin fishery doesn't make sense.

``The notion of taking a collapsed fishery and finding a way to catch more seems ridiculous to us,'' Williams said.

As for swordfish, ``our primary concern is that the juvenile fishery not be impacted and that the closed areas not be reopened,'' Williams said. ``The main way these fish are coming back is because of the closed areas.''

The Florida Straits and several other nursery grounds for juvenile swordfish were closed to longline fishing in 2001.

Miami Beach charterboat captain Bouncer Smith was adamant that the southeast Florida buoy-gear fishery not be expanded. Smith accused NOAA Fisheries of mismanagement by allowing buoy fishermen to use j-hooks, while all others must use circle hooks.

J-HOOK ISSUE

``By allowing them to use j-hooks, they gut-hook and accidentally kill juvenile swordfish,'' Smith said. ``Why did we kick out the longliners and then open the area to destroyers of juvenile swordfish?''

Several of the buoy-gear fishermen at the meeting said they don't want their fishery opened up. Some have paid tens of thousands of dollars on the open market for limited-access handgear permits, and don't want competition from newcomers paying lower fees.

Sue Royal of the Commercial Swordfishermen's Alliance warned that out-of-towners would flock to South Florida waters, crowding the ocean and causing safety problems.

``We can't imagine NOAA Fisheries would want to be responsible for turning recreational fishermen into commercial fishermen and sending them out in 18-foot boats just to increase the quota,'' Royal said.

NOAA Fisheries will accept public comment on the issues through Aug. 31. Comments may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov, identified by 0648-AX85, or by fax to 301-713-1917, attn: Margo Schulze-Haugen.

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