Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, bycatch is defined as fish that are harvested in a fishery, but are not sold or kept for personal use, and includes economic discards and regulatory discards. Bycatch does not include fish released alive under a recreational catch and release fishery management plan. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires NMFS to minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality, to the extent practicable.

Picture of man separating shrimp from bycatch (NOAA Photo Library)

In HMS fisheries bycatch of billfish on commercial gear, undersized swordfish, sharks on commercial gear after a seasonal closure; bluefin tuna on pelagic longline gear, and protected species such as sea turtles and whales have been of particular concern because of the impact on the stocks of these species. The rules below are designed to reduce bycatch in HMS fisheries.

Reports and Notices

Highly Migratory Species Current Bycatch Priorities and Implementation Plan

Information on the Northeast Distant Experimental Fishery - Proposed 2003 Experimental Design for the Grand Banks.

Map of Areas Closed to HMS Fishermen with Pelagic Longline on board their vessel

Pelagic Longline Technical Gear Workshop Report 

Sea Turtle Handling and Release Guidelines for Pelagic Longline Gear. For Color Printers; For B&W Printers

June 2001 HMS Biological Opinion (BiOp) Regarding Interactions with Endangered Species

Proposed Rules

Proposed Rule to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch and Bycatch Mortality in the Pelagic Longline Fishery

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to Reduce Sea Turtle Bycatch and Bycatch Mortality in the Pelagic Longline Fishery

Final and Emergency Rules

Final Rule to implement measures in the June 2001 Biological Opinion

NMFS publishes an Interim Final Rule that has New Gear Requirements for Pelagic Longline Vessels (line clippers and dipnets, revised definition of PLL gear, decrease in observer coverage for shark gillnet gear). Effective April 10, 2001.

• Compliance Guide on these gear requirements (questions and answers)
• Environmental Assessment and Regulatory Impact Review (pdf version) for Gear Requirements
  

NMFS issues final regulations to prohibit pelagic longline fishing in DeSoto Canyon, FL East Coast, Charleston Bump. Also prohibit use of live bait in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Compliance Guide for Time/Area Closures
• Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on measures to reduce bycatch in Atlantic pelagic longline fishery, June 14, 2000.  
      Note:  These are very large files and will take several minutes for some to load.
  • FSEIS final Chapters 1-5 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final Chapters 6-7 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final Chapters 8-11 (Figures are not available in this html version.)
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 1, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 2, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 3 and 4, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 5, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 6 , pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 7, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 8, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 9, pdf format
  • FSEIS final, Chapter 10 and 11, pdf format
  • FSEIS final Appendices (Figures are not available in this html version.), pdf format (loads very slowly)
  • FSEIS final, Appendix D- in pdf format only.

• Draft Biological Analyses Related to Time/Area Closures

For images of longline see NOAA Photo Libraray

NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, SSMC3, Silver Spring, MD  20910