Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

MEDIA RELEASE….

Friday, August 13, 2010

PEI FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION TO CONDUCT BLUEFIN LIVE RELEASE TRIAL FISHERY
The Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will conduct a trial fishery project to assess the feasibility of a potential live release sport fishery for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna off the coast of the Island.
The project is being assisted by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) the PEI Department of Innovation, the PEI Department of Fisheries Aquaculture and Rural Development and the PEI Atlantic Shrimp Corp.
The project will catch, electronically tag, and release 50 Bluefin. The data gathered by the tags will later be collected and analysed to determine the impact of live-release fishing while preserving Bluefin tuna stocks.
In the event that the project verifies the feasibility of a live release fishery for Bluefin a significant new revenue stream will be opened for PEI fishers says development consultant Pat O’Neill. Historically the sport fishery has been subjected to sudden closures due to rapid filling of the quotas in the fishery. A live release fishery will not be subject to these sudden closures and allow for a more marketable sport fishery.
The traditional fishery harvesting the Bluefin for the sushi market in Japan would continue without being affected by the live release fishery says the consultant.
The trial fishery project will take place in September 2010 with a field team of ten licensed fishers operating in Eastern PEI in the area off North Lake and another team of ten operating in waters off Western PEI.
Fishermen will be selected by the PEIFA for the trial fishery through a fair and transparent process states the release. All PEIFA members who hold licenses to catch Bluefin will be eligible to enter a draw to catch the fish. The PEIFA will pay participating fishermen to catch and release alive each fish tagged by the scientists aboard the boat. The vessels will not be chartered by the day.
Fish will be tagged alongside the vessel in the water and will not be brought aboard the boat. Barbless hooks will be used to minimize stress to the fish. Scientists will do all the tagging of the fish and will ensure all procedures and collection of data are consistent throughout the study. Animal Care Permissions from the appropriate authorities have been obtained for the project states the release.
The Scientific Primary Investigator will be Dr. Mike Stokesbury of the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University. Dr. John Neilson will be the scientific authority for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in the project. Dr. Neilson has conducted research on Bluefin landed on P.E.I. for several years.
Live release fishing supports a commercially significant sport fishing industry for Atlantic Salmon in Canadian rivers. The effects of live release on Salmon have been extensively studied. Dr Steve Cooke of Carleton University helped design the project and is an acknowledged expert on the effects of live release on Salmon.
The Bluefin Live-Release project developed by the PEIFA in collaboration with DFO and the PEI government, will place Canada at the forefront of research to determine the effect of live release fishing on these large marine fishes, says Dr. Stokesbury.
The dates, times and locations to enter a draw to select participants will be published in island newspapers and posted on the PEIFA website states the release.