Bluefin tuna spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico would become more protected under a proposed new amendment expected to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The majority of bluefin caught off Louisiana is captured incidentally by a small number of long-line fishers targeting yellowfin tuna.
And while it's illegal to fish bluefin in the Gulf – the only known spawning area for western Atlantic Bluefin – a part of an internationally set U.S. quota is used to cover bluefin caught accidentally by commercial boats trying to catch other fish.