Regulations prohibit directed fishing for bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico due to the area’s value as an important spawning ground, but regulations allow for a limited number of incidentally caught bluefin tuna to be retained by the Gulf of Mexico pelagic longline fleet.
Pelagic longliners fishing for yellowfin tuna and swordfish have a strict limit on the number of bluefin tuna they can keep each year and must report their catches after each set. Electronic monitoring is in place to audit reporting. In the Gulf of Mexico, pelagic longline fishermen must also use “weak hooks” to reduce the number of bluefin tuna caught unintentionally. These regulations were designed to manage total U.S. catches consistent with ICCAT recommendations.