The goal of PFCP is to foster interdisciplinary research on pelagic fishes that will be used to conserve biodiversity and maintain pelagic fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic.  Research efforts of the PFCP focus primarily on tunas (bluefin, yellowfin, blackfin) and billfishes (marlin, sailfish); however, basic research on associated pelagic species is also an important component of the Program.  PFCP research represents the starting point in a long-term effort to assess the inherent value of this unique ecosystem and to understand the mechanisms controlling the structure and function of marine pelagic communities.  Findings will provide insight into ecosystem stability and potential consequences of future habitat alteration due to human activity (commercial fishing, oil spills, eutrophication) as well as global climate change.

New evidence indicates that only a small fraction of large fishes that inhabited our oceans a few decades ago are left.  Although estimates vary, it appears that up to 90% of marlin, swordfish, tuna, and shark populations are gone from the global ocean.  In the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, the same is true, and stocks of certain highly migratory species (bluefin tuna, white marlin, blue marlin, oceanic white tip shark, silky shark) have declined dramatically from historical population levels.  To effectively manage and conserve these highly esteemed species, information on regional abundance, recruitment sources, migration patterns, spawning locations, environmental associations, and socio-economics is required.  Unfortunately, these data are virtually nonexistent for many pelagic species, and critically needed to manage these threatened resources.