With only minor modifications, H.R. 2706, which was introduced by Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), received overwhelming bi-partisan support in the Committee.
"Congressman Miller has been a huge champion for recreational anglers in Florida – and across the country,” International Game Fish Association President Rob Kramer said. “He is making things happen, finding a way to get the Billfish Conservation Act through Congress. Next up we need a floor vote in the House of Representatives and action in the Senate Commerce Committee."
By eliminating a sizeable component of the international billfish market, this legislation will boost the billfish recovery efforts under way in the U.S. and abroad.
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“Billfish are harvested by other nations and sold to the U.S. even though the U.S. has strong conservation measures in place for its waters; this has caused a serious decline in populations,” Kramer said. “We applaud Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) as well as Fisheries Subcommittee Chairman John Fleming (R-La.) for making this important legislation a priority.
“This bill is a perfect example of how conservation legislation can result in enormous benefits to the economy while sustaining imperiled species at no cost to American taxpayers. This important step is great news for recreational anglers and for people working in tourism, sportfishing and marine businesses.”
According to Ken Hinman, President of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, “It is great to see momentum for the Billfish Conservation Act of 2011. Now is the time to make it clear that the future of billfish is not for sale.”
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Background
The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Miller and his colleagues Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Michael Michaud (D-Maine), Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), and Dan Boren (D-Okla.).
In the Senate, the legislation was introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), and co-sponsored by senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). It would prohibit the sale of all billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) in the United States, while still allowing for traditional fisheries within the State of Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area. Swordfish are not included in the prohibition.
Marlin, sailfish and spearfish, collectively called billfish, are some of the world’s most majestic marine fish. They are apex predators that play a critical role in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems. Billfish are also highly esteemed by recreational anglers the world over, and catch-and-release fisheries for these species support many marine jobs and generate billions of dollars to the U.S. economy.
Unfortunately, the world’s billfish stocks are seriously imperiled from non-U.S. commercial fishing. Recently, as a result of these population declines, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature listed blue and white marlin as threatened species and striped marlin as nearly threatened.
Billfish are primarily caught as by-catch in non-U.S. commercial tuna and swordfish fisheries, but the by-catch is harvested and sold internationally, with the United States serving as the world’s largest importer of billfish. For nearly two decades, the U.S. has had a ban on the sale of Atlantic-caught billfish, yet no such ban exists for Pacific-caught billfish.
This Pacific Ocean loophole also creates a black market for Atlantic-caught billfish because there is no way to effectively enforce the distinction. Other countries continue to sell billfish in the U.S. through this loophole. The Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 closes that loophole.
There are many sustainable alternatives for restaurants and retailers to offer in place of billfish; thus most restaurants have taken marlin and other billfish off the menu.
About the International Game Fish Association:
IGFA is a 73 year-old nonprofit conservation and record-keeping organization with representatives and members in nearly 120 countries and territories. The association's headquarters are in the 60,000 sq ft IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Florida. Learn more at www.igfa.org.
About the National Coalition for Marine Conservation:
The National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC), founded by conservation-minded anglers in 1973, is dedicated to keeping the ocean wild to preserve fishing opportunities for the future. The NCMC is based in Leesburg, Va. Learn more at www.savethefish.org.
