BLUEFIN Tuna Update

The National Marine Fisheries Service recently released its Final Amendment I to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species plan, officially designating a vast area of the western Gulf a special conservation zone to protect breeding bluefin tuna from human-induced impacts. Western Atlantic bluefin tuna are severely depleted, and this area is the western bluefin's only known spawning ground. The designation is a Habitat Area of Particular Concern, or HAPC. HAPCs are not required to have any specific management measures and a HAPC designation does not automatically result in closures or other fishing restrictions. Rather, the areas are intended to focus conservation efforts and bring heightened awareness to the importance of the habitat. http://bit.ly/35I8ZB