MISSION STATEMENT
The American Bluefin Tuna Association (ABTA)
was formed to protect the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
fishermen’s traditional access and quota share.
ABTA will protect the domestic structure under the
National Marine Fisheries Service Highly Migratory
Species Fishery Management Plan (HMS FMP)
and will focus on seeking or supporting changes
to allow rod and reel, harpooners, charter boats,
private recreational fishermen and others to
catch their quota.
Issues that are important to us
1. To protect the U.S. historical 57% share of the
international Western Atlantic quota mandated
under agreements authored by the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas (ICCAT);
2. To generally protect the traditional domestic
program for the bluefin fisheries within the commercial and recreational categories
under the Final Highly Migratory Species FMP.
3. To protect the forage base and ecosystem
conditions that would provide adequate food
source to attract and maintain tuna on
Northeast fishing grounds.
4. To advocate balanced fishery policies regarding
competetive or nuisance species abundance
such as with spiny dogfish known to hinder
effective fishing for bluefin tuna.
5. To assure that reasonable opportunities are
provided to bluefin tuna fishermen to catch
quota under the minimum number of regulations
desirable under NMFS management.
6. To provide for a Board of Directors
representative of the main fisheries today to
decide specific policies, objectives and
strategies.
