In response to a 2000 lawsuit by the National Coalition
for Marine Conservation, the government closed 133,000
square miles of fishing grounds off South Carolina and both
coasts of Florida to pelagic longlining the following year.
The conservation benefits have been huge, saving tens of
thousands of threatened blue and white marlin, sailfi sh,
pelagic and large coastal sharks and hundreds of thousands
of juvenile swordfish.

Although the closures helped rebuild Atlantic swordfish,
U.S. landings last year were less than two-thirds our ICCAT
quota. The industry blames the closed areas, but in fact, the
U.S. hasn’t landed its quota since 1994. In the 5-year period
before the area closures were implemented, the number of
active longline vessels decreased by 45%. Effort continued
to drop off after 2000, but has been rising in recent years.

In 2009, U.S. fishermen caught nearly the same tonnage of
swordfish they took the year before the closures.

WE’D LOVE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Even so, the industry wants the U.S. to re-open closed
areas to catch more swordfish, lest a portion of “our”
fish be given to countries that don’t longline in an
“ecosystem-friendly” manner. But surely the answer’s not
to increase our own bycatch and discards of threatened
species in order to keep that from happening?

Filling the U.S. quota will not end attempts by other
nations to get a piece of the pie. ICCAT membership has
doubled in the last two decades. Pressure to redistribute
swordfish was not created by the U.S. underage, and it won’t
go away by laying claim to “our” fi sh. As highly migratory
species they belong to the world. The world is changing.
ICCAT is changing. It’s in our interests to make change
work to our advantage.

We are much better off arguing that re-allocation of
a once-overfished stock, if it occurs, should be based on a
nation’s ability to fish “ecosystem-friendly,” with a minimal
bycatch of non-target species, including turtles, seabirds,
billfish and sharks. To this end, the U.S. must keep its
coservation measures in place – mandatory use of circle
hooks and closure of bycatch hot-spots – measures we ‘d like
to spread throughout the Atlantic.

As for the future U.S. quota, we should accept a modest
reduction, provided the beneficiaries of our sacrifice
are developing coastal states that practice selective and
sustainable fishing. In that way, we recognize the new
realities at home and abroad.

Ken Hinman
President, National Coalition for Marine Conservation
4 Royal Street, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175
(703) 777-0037
www.savethefish.org

We will be posting a link on where to post your comments to the NMFS about the influx of the buoy boat fleet ASAP. 

Also if any of you have any suggestions for speakers in the future, please email me us with your suggestion.

A great big Thanks to Hi-Liner for their donation of the raffle items and to Tom Greene with Custom Rod for his contributions too.

Skip Smith: President

Capt. Bouncer Smith: Vice President

Ron Coddington: Secretary

Jeff Anderson: Treasurer

We will be discussing day & night time bait rigging and how the buoy fishing is effecting the recreational fishermen.

We will be accepting new members at this meeting.  Also all members from 2009 will be able to renew their memberships.

Guest fee for this meeting is $15.00.  If you would like to attend, but cannot afford it, please email Skip.  Skip@billfishexpo.com

It was supposed to be just another Swordfish Club meeting (but they are all special) and the IGFA offered us the use of their magnificent facility. As we thought about a speaker for this special meeting, we thought this was an opportunity to have a few speakers. One thing led to another and we ended up with this unique event. 

When it came time to have a few raffle items, Bouncer Smith donated a Swordfish Trip ($1200 value??)

Custom Rod & Reel, LMR Tackle and RJ Boyle Studios went to their distributors and asked for some donations.

What a fabulous response!
Hi-Liner donated mono and braided line, wind-on Leaders and more…….
Lindgren-Pittman, donated way too many of their famous electralume lights, hooks, mono, shirts and more…

Global fish mounts donated an 80” Swordfish Mount,

Shimano donated rods and tackle,

we received Charts, Marlin Magazine subscriptions,

Photophix donated some photo art, there were tournament shirts and even a Guy Harvey Golf Bag.

There were numerous other items donated and we are very thankful for everyone’s donation and generosity.

Sponsors started calling asking how they can help support this event.

Colin O’Neil with Pompanette was awesome as he brought in their rocket launchers and even a fighting chair and made us look even more professional.

All of the speakers and other experts were honored to be there and to be able to share their fishing knowledge with everyone.

And of course, Thanks to the volunteers that helped with the set-up, registration and the break down.

A special Thanks to Mark Sosin for his leadership and to Steve Waters for getting the word out to everyone!

Over four hundred people attended this event last night.  Unbelievable……..who would have thought. 

Even the NMFS & FWC had to be impressed.

To everyone that attended and to all of our sponsors, from the directors at the Swordfish club, on my behalf, it was an honor and a pleasure to be part of this memorial event.

See you all May 13th.

Thanks again,

Captain Skip Smith