Economic and Ecological Analysis of the Cape Hatteras Area Closure in the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fishery

Abstract

Atlantic bluefin tuna are overfished and, consequently, NOAA is implementing a Cape Hatteras area closure to reduce catch in the longline fishery. The objective of this Masters Project was to investigate the ecological and economic impact of this management measure. Data from the fishery was mapped in ArcGIS to calculate CPUE, model the redistribution of displaced fishing effort, and understand the ecological benefits to the fishery. Results showed that fishermen are expected to relocate effort south of the area closure. Corresponding ecological benefits do not fully account for dead discards and are not expected to rebuild stocks. CPUE is not consistently high within the closure but instead migrates seasonally along the coast. This suggests that dynamic fisheries management may have greater ecological benefits to Atlantic bluefin tuna.