As reported in The Fisherman back in January of 2022 (ICCAT Takes A Bite Out Of Mako Fishing With New “No Harvest” Rule) there is no mako harvest allowed along the East Coast. While the initial closure was said to be in effect “for the next two years” through the ’22-’23 seasons, this closure remains in effect through 2024, and beyond.
The United States and other countries from around the world tackled management challenges for Atlantic tunas and sharks at the 2021 annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
“The bad news coming out of ICAAT is that a two-year retention ban is being implemented starting in 2022 on North Atlantic shortfin mako shark which ICCAT called ‘overfished’,” the notice in The Fisherman stated while referencing NOAA Fisheries as saying the mako ban “also contains strong provisions to improve data reporting, and particularly, the catch reporting of live releases and fish discarded dead, by all ICCAT parties.”
ICCAT oversees the conservation and management of Atlantic highly migratory species, including tunas, swordfish, marlin and sharks, and adopts measures to minimize bycatch of turtles, seabirds, and other protected marine life associated with these fisheries. ICCAT’s 52 members, including the United States, share this responsibility, along with five cooperating, non-contracting parties.
Learn more about the rationale behind the mako closure in Mako Madness: A Deep Dive Into The ’22 Mako Moratorium by Capt. John Raguso from the May, 2022 edition of The Fisherman Magazine.
