The Situation
Marlin, sailfish and
spearfish, collectively called billfish, are some of the world’s most
majestic marine fishes. In the U.S., 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.
On July 21, 2010, Representative John Shadegg (R-AZ) introduced the
Billfish Conservation Act of 2010 (H.R. 5804), which will prohibit the
commercial harvest, sale and importation of billfish throughout the
United States.
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 about 3 million pounds of marlin in 2006 -
or between 10,000 and 15,000 fish a year – for sale in restaurants and
grocery stores.
The Billfish Conservation Act would close U.S. commercial markets to
billfish, preventing their harvest and importation. It would have a
negligible impact on the commercial industry in the U.S. while increasing
billfish abundance and thus the value of the recreational fishery, which
brings in billions of dollars but has a minimal impact on billfish
populations.
