SPECIAL CONSERVATION ZONE DESIGNATED
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO
TO PROTECT BLUEFIN TUNA

6/16/09  On June 12, 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released its Final Amendment I to the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) plan, officially designating a vast area of the western Gulf a special conservation zone to protect breeding bluefin tuna from human-induced impacts. Western Atlantic bluefin tuna are severely depleted, and this area is the western bluefin's only known spawning ground. The designation is a "Habitat Area of Particular Concern" or HAPC. HAPCs are not required to have any specific management measures and a HAPC designation does not automatically result in closures or other fishing restrictions. Rather, the areas are intended to focus conservation efforts and bring heightened awareness to the importance of the habitat.

To see the Gulf of Mexico bluefin HAPC boundaries, see this interactive map (under species-lifestage, select bluefin tuna and then HAPC) http://sharpfin.nmfs.noaa.gov/website/EFH_Mapper/HMS/map.aspx

NMFS received a joint request in 2007 from the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) and the Tag-a-Giant Foundation to consider establishing a new HAPC for spawning bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico. The HAPC will coincide with the area identified in a petition submitted to NMFS in June 2005 (by NCMC, Oceana, Blue Ocean Institute, NRDC and Monterey Bay Aquarium) and based on new electronic tagging studies by Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford University.

Amendment I and supporting documents are available on the NMFS web site http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/EFH/index.htm.

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