Fish and marine mammals

Congress approved the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (H.R. 5946) in late December 2006. The bill mandates an end to overfishing starting in 2010, the first important step toward rebuilding many of our depleted fish populations. Overfishing means catching fish faster than they can grow and reproduce. And if left unchecked, overfishing can deplete fish populations to below 10 or 20% of their historic size. The bill requires that decisions by regional fishery councils, which make decisions about how much fish can be caught, be based on the findings of their science advisors rather than on the self-interest of members of the councils. The bill also requires that fish management plans contain accountability measures so that there is some consequence if too many fish are caught.

The challenge now is to turn the general language of the new law into detailed rules that the fishery managers have to follow when setting annual catch limits for commercial and recreational fishermen. Making sure that the National Marine Fisheries Service formulates good rules despite pressure from industry and the regional fishery management councils will take vigilance from Environment America and citizens interested in the health of our oceans.

Ocean ecosystems are vital, awe-inspiring and vulnerable places. When fish stocks fall, it has profound negative effects on the rest of the ocean’s animals like whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other fish. And when we deplete stocks past the point of recovery, we risk losing important fish species and the jobs that go with them. That’s why Environment America opposes powerful fishing interests that resist catch limits that would protect our ocean ecosystem.

Unfortunately, destructive overfishing has already jeopardized many fish species. A recent report by the National Marine Fisheries Service to Congress shows that for all federally managed fish stocks for which there is adequate information, one in four are depleted to less than 20 percent of their historical populations. Some are at 5 to 10 percent of their historical levels.

Environment America is working to save our oceans from overfishing by setting strong rules, called National Fishing Standard 1, which will determine for the next decade how commercial and recreational fishing in the ocean is conducted. In order to do the job, the new rules must set numerical annual catch limits at levels that minimize the possibility of overfishing, set catch levels no higher than recommended by independent scientific councils, and impose penalties for exceeding the limits.

We're researching regional fisheries: in the north and south Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf. In Massachusetts, we're working to pass state legislation that would set catch limits based on a recovery plan for north Atlantic fisheries. In California, we're working to create and expand protected areas that will preserve the habitat of important marine life of the West coast.