Three fishing conservation powerhouses are joining forces for the specific purpose of removing marlin from restaurant menus.
Sustainable seafood defines what can be harvested from a fishery without harming it, but commercial fishing for marlin is being highlighted as an example of overfishing.
International efforts to conserve billfish and promote sustainable sport fishing are at risk, while the demand for marlin meat serves as an incentive to harvest them.
The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) supports taking marlin off the menu and has joined with The National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) and The Billfish Foundation (TBF) to raise awareness about the excessive harvest of marlin. The ultimate goal is, through education and political advocacy, to end the commercial harvest, sale and importation of marlin, sailfish and spearfish in the United States.
Who are these groups?
The IGFA is internationally known for maintaining fishing world records for both freshwater and saltwater catches, and it maintains a fishing hall of fame and museum in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The NCMC works to prevent overfishing, reduce bycatch and protect ocean habitat by developing proactive conservation strategies.
TBF networks the sportfishing interests of its members around the globe to support policies that are good for billfish and provide continued fishing opportunities.
Billfish off the South Carolina coast and across the Atlantic Ocean fall under the jurisdiction of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), which lists blue marlin and white marlin as overfished, and sailfish stock abundance is thought to be declining as well. Besides the Atlantic harvest, the United States is also the largest importer in the world of billfish for human consumption.
How can anyone help? Take the Marlin-Free Pledge on the www.takethemarlinoffthemenu.org website. If you see a seafood retailer or restaurant selling marlin, either ask them to stop or write a letter explaining why you don’t think marlin is a sustainable seafood in terms of a global commercial harvest.
Fishermen who target billfish know it’s not cool to kill a marlin, and they take care by using circle hooks in help improve the effectiveness of catch-and-release fishing for billfish.
A national survey conducted this March shows that 78 percent of American consumers no longer eat marlin. Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the IGFA said, “With some billfish populations imperiled due to overharvesting, the decision to stop the commercial harvest and sale of marlin and other billfish is a no-brainer.”
There is also the added concern that a top food-chain predator such as marlin is likely to be tainted with higher-than-normal levels of mercury that can sicken consumers.
Even TV’s “The Sporting Chef,” Scott Leysath, has gone public in support of removing marlin from restaurant menus. His HuntFishCook show stresses the harvest of sustainable species, including the practice of catch-and-release fishing. Leysath takes it one step further, advocating marlin-free recipes in print formats and said, “As chefs, we have a great deal of authority in influencing the eating desires and habits of American consumers, and we need to take action now to ensure that marlin and other billfish are around for a very long time.”
The strong conservation ethic of recreational anglers, plus federal size limits, keeps them from killing anything but the occasional tournament-winning marlin. I have enjoyed smoked marlin before on the docks and I hope to do so again, but I much prefer the mental image of an ocean-dwelling predator on the loose wearing a blue suit and kicking tail.
Be the first to comment