There are examples of successful management and recovery of scombrids and billfishes. Although the highly valued eastern population of Atlantic bluefin was recently exploited at three times the MSY, reduction of the total allowable catch, divided among country-specific quotas, and stricter monitoring and compliance measures have led to recent catch reductions of almost 75% over the past few years (14). The North Atlantic swordfish (14) and four populations of Spanish mackerels off the southeastern United States have also been rebuilt after years of overfishing.
The future of threatened scombrids and billfishes rests in the ability of RFMOs and fishing nations to properly manage these species. Southern and Atlantic bluefin populations have been so reduced that the most expeditious way to rebuild abundances and avoid collapse with great certainty is to shut down the fishery until stocks are rebuilt to healthy levels. This would cause substantial economic hardship and hinder the ability of RFMOs to control fishing because of the increased incentive for illegal fishing that would be created. Strong deterrents to illegal fishing are needed, such as controlled international trade through a listing on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), although such a listing would not be a substitute for effective management by the RFMOs (3, 16). Reducing fishing-induced mortality rates to well below MSY, to allow for uncertainties in the stock assessments, should allow recovery to begin. These IUCN Red List assessments, together with lessons learned from past failures and successes, should help RFMOs improve their management of some of the world's most valuable fishery resources.
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