White marlin could go on endangered list, threaten tournament

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND - The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering placing the white marlin on the endangered species list, a move that could threaten one of Ocean City&#39;s most popular fishing tournaments as well as part of the resort&#39;s identity. <br> <br> For nearly 30 years, the White Marlin Open, known as the world&#39;s largest billfish tournament, has been held in August. A 14-foot stainless steel statue of a white marlin was dedicated this week at the entrance of Ocean City, which bills itself as the ``White Marlin Capital of the World.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Open awards prize money for the biggest white marlin, as well as the largest blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark. Last year, 374 boats participated in the event, which paid a record $1.8 million in prize money. More than 320,000 people were in Ocean City during the week of the tournament. <br> <br> The Biodiversity Legal Foundation submitted a petition in September asking the federal government to protect the fish, stating it could become extinct within five years if conservation measures are not enacted. <br> <br> In December, the fishery service found that the petition presented substantial evidence that action may be warranted. The service must decide by Sept. 3 whether the fish should be listed as threatened or endangered. <br> <br> Putting the species on the endangered species list also will end recreational fishing, which would do little to solve the problem, said Jim Motsko, the White Marlin Open&#39;s organizer. <br> <br> ``In the overall scope of things, the recreational fishery is not responsible for the mortality,&#39;&#39; he said. ``The mortality from recreational fishing is minute.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Motsko and other anglers blame the commercial fishing technique known as long-lining, a method that involves spreading fishing lines with thousands of baited hooks over miles of sea. <br> <br> Meanwhile, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, a Republican who represents the entire Eastern Shore, introduced legislation this week that he hopes will allow the NMFS to hold off on listing the white marlin as an endangered species. <br> <br> The legislation calls on the Bush Administration to enforce international treaties to conserve highly migratory species of fish by invoking trade sanctions against countries not complying with conservation agreements. <br> <br> Gilchrest, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, says 95 percent of white marlin mortality takes place in the international arena. <br> <br> ``There&#39;s no question that the white marlin and other highly migratory species are in trouble,&#39;&#39; Gilchrest said in a statement. ``We must take action to save these species, but the question is what&#39;s going to be the most effective way.&#39;&#39;

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