U.S. moves to slash take of swordfish, shark

April 26, 1999
Web posted at: 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government on Monday announced steps to reduce the growing threat to some of the largest, fastest, and fiercest fish in the world's oceans.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) said it will seek an international 27 percent cut in the take for swordfish -- whose popularity as a menu item has prompted a 70 percent population decline in the Atlantic Ocean over the past two decades.

Conservation treaties forbid the U.S. from setting its own limits on swordfish, marlin, and bluefin tuna -- all highly migratory species whose range brings them into the territorial waters of many nations.

The U.S. proposal will be considered at a November meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

Conservationists said the proposed cuts may be too little, too late.

"The Clinton administration is only halfway to the finish line," said Lisa Speer of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Time is running out."

Bluefin tuna, which can reach over 1,000 pounds and swim at speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour, are a prized delicacy, with individual fish selling for as much as $30,000. A downturn in the prospects of longline fishermen in recent years has reflected the decline in these large species; sportfishing for marlin, swordfish, and bluefin tuna has almost disappeared completely in some areas.

The U.S. take in bluefin tuna is estimated at $32 million annually. The estimate for swordfish, marlin, and other billfish is $36 million in U.S. waters.

Last year, environmentalists recruited an all-star roster of prominent chefs who pledged to remove swordfish from their menus for at least one year.

The NMFS also announced action to sharply reduce fishing for large sharks in coastal waters. Shark fishing is not covered by international treaties, which allowes the United States to take its own restrictive measures.

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