Comment from Sherri Pickel

Dear Ms. Margo Schulze-Haugen I urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to end the use of pelagic long-lines to fish for swordfish and yellowfin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico that captures and kills as many as 1,000 sea turtles every year. The fishery is also deadly to the disappearing bluefin tuna, which spawns in the Gulf. You agency has determined that this Atlantic longline fleet also discarded 11,823 swordfish, 1,345 bluefin tuna, 34,611 sharks, 611 blue marlin, 744 white marlin, 321 sailfish in 2007, the vast majority of which were dead or dying. With more than 40 percent of the long-line fishing effort concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico, eliminating long-lining in this area will stop this wasteful and destructive bycatch. The closing of the longline fishery in the Gulf of Mexico should be given full consideration in the new proposals that would increase the numbers of breeding and juvenile endangered bluefin tuna that long-line fisherman can kill and sell. Given the severely depleted status of these magnificent fish, the fact that the long-line fishery is being allowed to kill any of these fish while they are reproducing is unacceptable. Instead of increasing the number of bluefin tuna fishermen in the Gulf are allowed to kill and sell, the National Marine Fisheries Service should eliminate the use of long-line gear in the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Sherri Pickel