The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) has filed paperwork to intervene in court to prevent white marlin from being listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The move follows a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Turtle Island Restoration Network against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) that seeks to force the agency to list the Atlantic white marlin as “threatened” or “endangered” under the ESA. The language of the ESA states that if white marlin are listed, NMFS would have the discretion to prohibit recreational fishing for white marlin by regulation – even catch and release. For more information, visit www.joinrfa.org.
