Conserving the Magnificent Billfish
Marlin, sailfish and spearfish, collectively called billfish, are some of the world’s most iconic marine fishes. In the United States, billfish are highly esteemed by recreational anglers who practice catch-and-release fishing while generating substantial income to the economy. Unfortunately, stocks of these magnificent big ocean fish have been greatly depleted in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as a result of commercial overfishing, primarily from foreign countries.
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Background
It is currently illegal to harvest or import Atlantic-caught billfish into the U.S., but Pacific-caught fish come into U.S. markets in substantial numbers. According to a study commissioned by the International Game Fish Association, the U.S. is the world's largest importer of billfish, buying approximately 3 million pounds of marlin in 2006 - or between 10,000 and 15,000 fish a year – for sale in restaurants and grocery stores.
On July 29, both chambers of Congress introduced the Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 (S. 1451 and H.R. 2706), which seeks to close U.S. commercial markets to Pacific billfish, thereby prohibiting the commercial harvest, sale and importation of billfish throughout the U.S. This legislation, if passed, will have a negligible impact on the commercial fishing industry in the U.S., as billfish represent only 0.1 percent of all seafood sales and many sustainable alternatives exist. The subsequent increase in billfish abundance will add value to the recreational fishery, which annually generates billions of dollars to the economy and has a minimal impact on billfish populations.
This legislation is currently under consideration by Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs and awaiting further action.
