WASHINGTON —Legislation was introduced today in the U.S. Senate that would close the south Atlantic and parts of the Gulf of Mexico to commercial longline fishing to help rebuild overfished species, including tuna, swordfish, and sharks, and reduce the bycatch of other highly migratory species.

Sen. John B. Breaux, D-La., is sponsoring the Senate and House bill, which is expected to be considered early next year when Congress reconvenes after its winter recess. A companion House measure sponsored by Reps. Porter Goss, R-Fla., and Billy Tauzin, R-La., is expected to be introduced soon.

The legislation would close permanently about 80,000 square nautical miles of the Atlantic from the North Carolina-South Carolina border to the Florida Keys and would close about 82,000 square nautical miles in the Gulf from the Texas-Mexico border to Cape San Blas, Fla., from Memorial Day to Labor Day; a 5,400 square nautical mile area within the Gulf closed area would be closed from Jan. 1 to Labor Day.

The legislation includes a provision that would buyout the fishing permits of up to 68 longliners—about one-third of the U.S. fleet—who would be displaced from the closed area in the south Atlantic. The $25 million cost of the buyout would be paid by the federal government ($15 million), recreational fishermen in the states benefiting from the closures ($5 million), and the remaining longliners ($5 million).

The bill also calls for research programs in the Gulf and the mid-Atlantic to determine ways to reduce the bycatch of billfish and other highly migratory species.

The conservation measure was introduced at the urging of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), The Billfish Association (TBF)—all of which represents the saltwater community—and the Blue Water Fishermen’s Association, which represents U.S. Atlantic longliners.

The groups signed in late August a memorandum of understanding detailing the closed areas and the buyout program, and they agreed to seek congressional legislation to implement the agreement.

"This legislation is the successful culmination of discussions about conservation efforts for swordfish and other highly migratory species and the beginning of a legislative debate on the issue that should result in a positive outcome for species such as billfish, mahi mahi, wahoo, and sharks and, ultimately, for recreational fishermen and longliners," said Alex M. Jernigan, president of CCA, which represents nearly 70,000 saltwater anglers in states from Texas to Maine.

"Introduction of this legislation reflects unprecedented cooperation between recreational and commercial fishing interests to close areas that we know have significant bycatch problems," said ASA President Mike Hayden. "We hope this legislation serves as a model as the international community grapples with bycatch issues when they meet next week at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna meeting in Brazil. Passage of this legislation will be an important first step, but ultimately it will take international cooperation to be truly successful in restoring these important game fish."

"My legislation results from a far-reaching, bycatch conservation agreement among four key recreational and commercial fishing organizations that all want to protect small swordfish and other rapidly declining fishing resources," said Sen. Breaux. "A true solution will require international cooperation, but we are taking a bold first step to address the problems in our own coastal waters."