During the course of the past summer, I spent ten weeks working for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as an intern with the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Division. My work with HMS involved constructing a cost analysis questionnaire for the East Coast tuna purse seine fleet. NMFS is the division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that is responsible for managing populations of recreational and commercially targeted fish species as well as marine mammals. In particular HMS manages Western Atlantic billfish, sharks, and tuna. Furthermore, the emphasis within my office is on the management of Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (BFT). BFT are among the world's most valuable fish. Their immense size and ability to reach speeds in excess of 50 mph make them an attractive target for big game sportsmen, while the profits garnered from their delectable, oily, flesh have become a main source of income for many commercial fishermen. It is both their size and potential value that lead so many "commercial/sportsmen" to chase this illusive fish for multiple days, hoping to strike it rich.

BFT are targeted using many different gear types. The most effective gear types, and by no coincidence those that are governed under regulations enforced by NMFS, are rod and reel, harpoon, purse seine, and long line (rod and reel being the principle gear type for recreational fishermen). Although I spent many hours in contact with all of the above participants in the past months, both recreational and commercial, the focus of my internship was on the tuna purse seine fleet. Due to the constraints of a relatively small, yearly quota allocation of BFT for all U.S. vessels (approximately 1,350 metric tons), the limited entry purse seine fleet has been the target of ever increasing economic scrutiny. Admittedly, the government's economic records pertaining to purse seine vessels pale in comparison to other fisheries managed by NMFS. Therefore, I attempted to collect cost information for the five vessels that currently partake in the more than 250 metric tons that are allocated annually to the purse seine category.

Vessels using purse seine nets have consistently participated in the U.S. fishery for BFT since the 1950s, although a number of purse seine vessels did target and land BFT off Gloucester, Massachusetts as early as the 1930s. The limited entry system with non-transferable individual vessel quotas (IVQs) for purse seining was established in 1982, effectively excluding any new entrants into this category. The five vessels that were allowed to continue participating in this fishery reflected those seiners that participated in 1982. Currently, under the IVQ system, these five vessels are assigned equal quotas and allowed to complete quota transfers between other members of the seine fleet. This system is effective in this category given the small pool of ownership. While only five vessels partake in the BFT purse seine fishery, approximately 60 people earn a significant portion of their annual income working on purse seine vessels fishing for BFT. This figure does not include spotter pilots, dealers, processors, freight forwarders, and others who derive part of their income from the purse seine fishery.

Because of the naturally adversarial relationship between government and the governed, I knew from the start that the task of obtaining cost data via a voluntary questionnaire would not be easy. Therefore, I took great pains to make the questionnaire as readable and "to the point" as possible. Throughout the process I kept close contact with the chief lobbyist for an organization comprised of the owners of the five purse seine permits, trying at each step to gain insight into what it might take to make the process the slightest bit smoother.

Although I spent my fair share of time answering phones and fielding questions regarding regulation specifics, I was able to actively participate in management meetings. During these meetings I was allowed to weigh in with my own opinions and views, but reminded that the fishery is not managed for one particular users group…a concept that can be difficult to handle at times. Very quickly I learned how truly complex government policy could be. I was somewhat disappointed with the disconnect between different divisions of NMFS, and how difficult it can be to coordinate effort controls and closure areas when different managing bodies are not on the same "page."

Not all of my time was spent in the office, however. I was able to spend a few days on the water and even lucky enough to get some photos of BFT from the tower of a harpoon boat. Our first day was successful, as I got some excellent photos of schooling BFT and close-ups of our catch. I was able to observe the off-loading of one particular purse seine vessel's catch of 71 giant BFT (measuring >80 inches in length) once the purse seine season began. The captain/owner of the purse seine vessel was very receptive to my presence. He allowed me to come aboard for photos and a brief interview and even gave me a video of the seining process. Interestingly enough, he was the one owner that was totally against producing the data that my questionnaire requested. He informed me that he had been more than willing to participate in voluntary government surveys in the past, but that his efforts had never been rewarded and therefore his approach had changed. After he cited several different instances in which he requested information or asked for clarification regarding a particular survey or project and had received an unsatisfactory response, I became less adverse to his negative response to my questionnaire.

Although my questionnaire information has yet to be returned in full at this time, I am hopeful that the other four permit holders will return their information by mid-fall. I believe that my time spent with HMS was a full-filling experience. I gained hands-on experience in an office environment, accessing databases, familiarizing myself with computer programs, drafting cover letters, and most importantly interacting with professionals who love what they do. I am hopeful that I may return at some point this fall to organize the results of my questionnaire and weigh in on any possible conclusions.