Seeking private-boat bluefin tuna anglers for focus group: Feb 6, Toms River, NJ

[Willy G.]

Hi all,

I'm a PhD student in the Fisheries Science Department at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), where my dissertation focuses on both the biological impacts and human dimensions of the recreational bluefin tuna fishery. The former largely concerns a post-release mortality study using pop-up satellite archival tags (when bluefin are caught and released, do they survive?), while the latter involves socioeconomic surveys of both private and for-hire bluefin tuna fishermen to assess motivations, management preferences, and overall valuation of the fishery.

Through the surveys, we hope to gain an understanding of what components of the bluefin tuna fishing experience (including fish size, number of fish hooked, and number of fish kept) are considered most valuable from the perspective of anglers. This information will be useful for finding ways to maximize the socioeconomic benefits of the fishery while maintaining catches at acceptable levels. At the same time, better understanding angler behavior will improve the ability of managers to predict bluefin tuna harvest as regulations or fish availability changes. In time, this knowledge could lead to better management of the recreational sub-quota--for example, regulations that better align with angler preferences.

Prior to rolling out these surveys, I and my co-advisor, marine resource economist Dr. Andrew Scheld, are conducting a series of focus groups up and down the east coast to review survey materials with bluefin tuna anglers and to solicit their thoughts regarding the recreational bluefin fishery and management. We are looking for a few more attendees for our focus group to be held on Saturday, February 6 from 9 am-12 pm at the TR Hotel in Toms River, NJ. Participants will be compensated for their time. This focus group will be oriented toward folks who recreationally target bluefin tuna on private vessels (not on charters)—either the vessel owners themselves (HMS Angling permit-holders), or those who otherwise fish for bluefin on private boats.

Please let me know if you would be interested in attending by emailing me at wmgoldsmith@vims.edu. And feel free to send me an email if you have any additional questions about the study.

Thanks so much,

Willy Goldsmith

[Gerry Zagorski]

Are you concerned with school bluefin tuna, giants or both?

[Willy G.]

Hi Gerry,

Both! The focus group in question (Feb 6) will inform the development of a survey that will be distributed to HMS Angling category permit-holders, who, with the exception of the annual 73"+ trophy, are generally restricted to harvest of the smaller fish. But we're interested in hearing from all private-boaters who target bluefin recreationally. Hope that helps clarify it!

-Willy

[Gerry Zagorski]

Willy - not sure you are going to get many takers either way.... Our Bluefin fishery isn't what it used to be so not many people in NJ fishing for them much anymore, especially Giants.

The private boaters targeting school Bluefin has declined as well since the current regulations of one under and one over does not make it worthwhile for many boats to target them.

Good luck with your project.

[nmc02]

Hey Will. Hope all is well. Fished w you in CC w reel deal. - Nick

[AndyS]

ICCAT ?

https://www.iccat.int/en/

[JDTuna]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

The private boaters targeting school Bluefin has declined as well since the current regulations of one under and one over does not make it worthwhile for many boats to target them.

Good luck with your project.

With all due respect, I don't think this is an accurate representation at all. When bluefin do hold off NJ in the inshore/offshore areas (they really didn't this year), many boaters target them. In fact, even when the limit was just 1 per boat there were still lots of people targeting them on the inshore/offshore grounds. I have been out many times in recent years when there was a fleet of 50+ boats out there every weekend. This included both charters and private boats. The fish just passed us by as a whole last season so they weren't targeted as frequently in the past year.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Originally Posted by JDTuna

With all due respect, I don't think this is an accurate representation at all. When bluefin do hold off NJ in the inshore/offshore areas (they really didn't this year), many boaters target them. In fact, even when the limit was just 1 per boat there were still lots of people targeting them on the inshore/offshore grounds. I have been out many times in recent years when there was a fleet of 50+ boats out there every weekend. This included both charters and private boats. The fish just passed us by as a whole last season so they weren't targeted as frequently in the past year.

I hear you JD.... I too know several guys who still target them inshore of the Canyon but not as often as they used to. Doesn't take too many trips burning a hundred plus gallons of fuel combined with the restrictive regulations we have for people to think twice about making the trip... The lack of fish this past year didn't help either...

However, if fuel prices stay were they are and there are fish around next year, a lot more people will be targeting them.

[Willy G.]

Guys,

Glad to see the discussion here! In fact, your thoughts are exactly the kind of information we're looking to obtain at the focus groups. The survey will be using what is called a "stated-choice" approach--given regulations, anticipated/actual number of fish caught/kept, cost, and perhaps other factors (number of fish hooked but lost?), would you choose to target bluefin or not? What factors have the most weight in determining whether you would go bluefin fishing? How important is it, say, to keep a second bluefin after you've already got one on deck? We'll get at these questions by presenting anglers with simulated fishing trips (with varying levels of the factors mentioned above) and seeing which trip (if any) is preferred.

Of course, as you guys are mentioning, the "value" of going bluefin fishing, or the different weight that each factor holds in determining decision-making, varies across anglers--be it by port location, primary gear type used, primary target species, etc. By surveying anglers up and down the coast, we'll hopefully be able to gain insight into this variability.