PANAMA CITY -- Tuna fishing off the western coast of Florida, which has produced good catches all summer, will soon be off limits. The National Marine Fisheries Service finalized a rule this week that will close more than 32,000 square miles in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to pelagic, or open-water, longline fishing. The year-round closure will take effect Nov. 1.

The rule effectively will close the entire eastern Gulf of Mexico to pelagic longlining, but fishermen are relieved that the fisheries service abandoned plans to close an expansive section of the western gulf. Fishermen said the earlier proposal not only would have shut off nearly 100,000 square miles of prime fishing ground, but also might have forced western-gulf fishermen into the already-crowded waters of the eastern gulf.

"The western gulf is a lot better. We can live with it, but we are not happy with it," said Panama City longline Capt. Bart Niquet. The rule also establishes a year-round closure off the entire Florida Atlantic Coast, and a three-month closure off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. Fishermen believe the final version of the rule indicates that NMFS listened to their suggestions when the agency solicited comments earlier this year.

Seafood dealer Greg Abrams said the rule is a fair compromise that should satisfy recreational fishermen without bringing severe hardship on commercial longliners. "I think it's good for everybody," he said. An important part of the new rule, Abrams said, is a ban on the use of live bait throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen had urged Marine Fisheries Service to consider that measure, which promises to sharply reduce the incidental catch of billfish. "The best thing out of the whole deal is cutting out live-baiting," Abrams said.

The rule also requires that longliners install vessel monitoring systems on their boats by Sept. 1. The equipment costs $4,000 to $6,000 per boat. The systems, designed to aid enforcement of the closed area, will allow NMFS to monitor the location of longlining boats.