I am not sure how far out you are willing to go but the BFT are thick at the rigs right now. We took a trip to the Petronas (about 70 miles out)this past Saturday and the BFT were so thick they were hittingour jigs on the way down. We had 5 in the boxes within15 minutes. As far as the permits go you need a permit for your boat not individuals and it will run you $28.00. The permit is good for 1 year but they expire 31 December so if you buy one now you will have to renew January 1. The permit didn't specify what type of Tuna it just said Tuna. Here is a link with info and you can also purchase and print the permit there as well.
http://www.nmfspermits.com/default.asp