Successful Management of U.S. Marine Fisheries Documented The proceedings of a November 2003 national fisheries conference, sponsored by the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries, were published and released on May 3, 2004. The 254 page document entitled “Managing our Nation’s Fisheries: Past, Present and Future” outlines substantial progress toward improving the health of our marine fisheries resources and securing their long-term viability. Currently, recreational and commercial fisheries are estimated to contribute 60 billion dollars to the gross national product each year, and further economic growth is expected as the fish stocks continue to rebuild. The proceedings will be widely distributed, and are now available on the conference web-site at www.managingfisheries.org. The conference proceedings provide a region-by-region report card on the management of U.S. marine fisheries, and contain the summaries of 10 different panel discussions on ecosystem-based approaches, and how ecosystem considerations are currently being incorporated into fishery management decisions. It is anticipated that this document will be extremely useful in charting the course of future U.S. fishery management policy, including implementation of the recent recommendations of the U.S. Commission of Ocean Policy and pending reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The meeting, held in Washington, D.C. last November, was called by the Nation’s eight Regional Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries to review and evaluate our domestic fishery management programs. In addition to documenting the successful aspects of the current fisheries management process, the conference also highlighted remaining challenges, and explored various approaches to meeting those challenges. Keynote speakers at the conference included U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, Coast Guard Admiral Thomas Collins, NOAA Administrator Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Sam Bodman, NOAA Fisheries Administrator Dr. Bill Hogarth, and Admiral James Watkins, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
Conference attendees, numbering nearly 600, concluded that the future looks bright for U.S. fisheries and fish resources. Pollock, flounder, sea bass, and many other species that have been the mainstay of fishermen and seafood consumers, are currently at or near all-time high abundance levels, and other stocks are showing signs of rebuilding to healthy levels. Fishery managers are also focusing attention on minimizing the effects of fisheries on seafloor habitat, further incorporating ecosystem considerations in their management plans, developing capacity limitations or associated rationalization measures, and minimizing interactions of fisheries with protected species such as whales, seals, sea turtles and seabirds.
Under the current fisheries management process, decisions on how to best manage the fisheries are made at the regional level with the appropriate scientific expertise, and with direct participation by the affected industry and the public. The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, which recently released a comprehensive review of ocean policy, supports the current fisheries management partnership between NOAA and the Regional Fishery Management Councils, and offers a number of recommendations to further strengthen that process.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is the largest of the eight regional management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Over the last several decades, the Mid-Atlantic Council has made remarkable strides to conserve and protect the living marine resources in federal waters off of the Mid-Atlantic coast. Working in partnership with the states and federal government, the Council has made the tough management decisions required to successfully accomplish its mission in building sustainable fisheries. Balancing the rebuilding of fish stocks with the economic and social impacts to recreational and commercial fishermen, the Council has developed effective quota management programs that have reversed decades of overfishing for many of the stocks in the Mid-Atlantic region.
In fact, 10 of 12 species for which the Council has primary management authority are rebuilt or rebuilding. Six are fully rebuilt, nine are no longer overfished, and for 11 of the 12 species, overfishing is not occurring. The Council is committed to their current management programs for these species and has developed additional programs to enhance its management plans, including Research Set Aside and Public Affairs programs. The Mid-Atlantic Council also realizes that there are significant challenges ahead in addressing the concerns associated with the management of these stocks and looks forward to continued success as those challenges are met and addressed.