The "Give Swordfish a Break" campaign of SeaWeb and the Natural Resources Defense Council announced today a re-doubled effort to ensure a proposed federal government swordfish management plan &emdash; which campaign leaders deemed good, but not enough &emdash; is strengthened and fully implemented in 1999.

The campaign will add staff to work in six states along the Eastern seaboard in 1999 to sign on additional partners and to inform a series of local hearings the federal government will hold on its proposed management plan.

"The campaign goal from the beginning has been to raise public awareness and encourage fisheries regulators to end destructive management practices that have led to this crisis and cost the fishing industry millions of dollars due to decreased populations," said Vikki Spruill, Executive Director of SeaWeb, a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts. "If we all do our part now &emdash;fishers, consumers and government &emdash; swordfish can recover and return to plentiful levels."

The campaign, a partnership of the two conservation organizations has convinced hundreds of chefs at restaurants in the Eastern United States to stop serving North Atlantic swordfish until a strong government management plan has been fully implemented. The organizations are concerned that a proposed government plan will be weakened by industry pressure during the current public comment period and that several loopholes in the plan be closed.

The campaign continues to draw more chefs and consumers, and was recently credited by the 1998 Annual Report on the United States Seafood Industry as a reason why swordfish has dropped from the top-10 best-selling seafood list.

"These data prove that chefs and consumers are doing their part to stop the crisis," said Lisa Speer of NRDC. "Now we are waiting for the government to meet their commitment. The longer government waits, the harder the road to recovery will be."

North Atlantic swordfish stocks have plummeted in recent years, with the average sized fish brought to market weighing less than one-third the average weight of swordfish brought in 30 years ago. Long-lining &emdash; the fishing method of stringing hundreds of baited hooks dozens of miles into the ocean &emdash; catches two juvenile swordfish for every mature swordfish caught.

The state organizers will be asking chefs, restaurant owners and grocers to join the campaign and sign a petition that says:

We were encouraged by a draft management plan for swordfish issued by the government in October, which contains several key measures to restore swordfish. We are concerned, however, about the lack of effective protections provided in the plan for baby swordfish. Currently, almost 2/3rds of the swordfish caught in the north Atlantic by US fishermen are juveniles that have not had the chance to reproduce and replenish the population. This must stop if we are to bring swordfish back. The future of the north Atlantic swordfish population depends on protecting young fish.

We urge the US government to

1) protect significantly more swordfish nursery areas in its final management plan;

2) adopt quotas that will restore swordfish within 10 years;

3) ensure that the tens of thousands of dead baby swordfish that are discarded by US fishermen each year are counted against the quota; and

4) aggressively pursue complementary international action to conserve swordfish.

Until these steps are taken, we remain committed to ‘Give Swordfish a Break,' and will continue to refrain from offering swordfish from the north Atlantic.

 

For more information about the Give Swordfish a Break Campaign, please contact: Laura Burstein, 202-822-5200, x 222.