California Tuna Purse Seine Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category | III |
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Estimated Number of Participants | 14 |
Target Species | tunas (yellowfin, Pacific bluefin, bigeye, skipjack) |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans | N/A |
Observer Coverage | Limited coverage; 20% in 2005. |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured | None documented |
Basis for Current Classification
Classified as Category II based on lack of documented marine mammal mortality and serious injury.
Distribution
The Category III CA tuna purse seine fishery targets yellowfin, Pacific bluefin, skipjack, and Pacific bonito mostly caught within Federal waters when the stocks occur in U.S. waters off California.
Gear Description
Purse seines are used, which are large walls of netting deployed around an entire school of fish. Purse seines consist of floats adhered to the “float line” of the seine with a lead line threaded through rings at the bottom. When a school of tuna is located, a skiff will encircle the school with one end of the purse seine attached to the skiff, while the other end is attached to the purse seine vessel. Once the skiff circles around and reaches the purse seine vessel, the lead line at the bottom of the seine is pulled in, “pursing” the net closed on the bottom and preventing the tuna from escaping when swimming downward.
Purse seines in this fishery can be more than 6,500 ft (1981.2 m) in length. The minimum length depends on the length of the purse seine vessel. The maximum depth where fish are targeted is about 300 m (984.3 ft). The mesh size used depends on the species targeted; it is important that the mesh size is not too large, in order to prevent gilling the fish, but is big enough to enable undersized fish to escape. The mesh size for this specific fishery ranges from 2-2 3/4 inches (5.1-7.0 cm).
Management
All fisheries targeting highly migratory species (HMS), including tuna, require a Federal HMS permit, and additional state permits may apply. This is an open access fishery. The IATTC specifies trip limits and catch limits each year for most target species. Trip limits are based on the cumulative catches for each quarter, and are adjusted accordingly. There is also a requirement to submit, within 24 hours of landing, electronic landings receipts for Pacific bluefin tuna landings in California ports. The IATTC groups purse seine vessels into 2 fleet types, large seiners (Classes 4-6) and small seiners (Classes 1-3). The large seiners are held to more restrictive measures than the small seiners regarding area closures, closure dates, and catch limits. The smaller coastal purse seine vessels that plan to target HMS must register with the IATTC purse seine vessel registry. Logbooks are required, and all logbook and observer data is collected by the IATTC and NMFS. The State of California also requires that no Pacific bluefin tuna weighing less than 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) may be sold, purchased, or processed.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) | II (1996) |
Original Number of Participants | 150 |
Basis for Original Classification | Classified by analogy to the Category II CA squid purse seine fishery. |
Past Names | CA anchovy, mackerel, and tuna purse seine (until 2007) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) | None |
Timeline of Changes
2022 |
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2011 |
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2007 |
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