A Vision for Our Ocean Future

8/14/2019 A Vision for Our Ocean Future

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The Mari ne Fi sh Con servaTio n neTwo

a vision For oUr

oCeanFUTUr


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The Marine Fish ConservationNetwork (Network) is the largest nationalcoalition solely dedicated to promotingthe long-term sustainability o marine ishpopulations by pressing or changes in the waywe manage our oceans fsh. With around 200member organizationsincluding environmentalorganizations, commercial and recreationalfshing associations, aquariums, and marinescience groupsthe Network uses its distinctvoice and the best available science to educatepolicymakers, fshermen, and the public aboutthe need or sound conservation and bettermanagement practices.

The Network ormed in 1992 to respond tounsustainable management o Americasocean fsheries, which was creating an oceanenvironmental crisis. Since that time, the

Network has success ully worked with the public,fshermen, conservationists, and Congress toadvance legislative proposals to protect fshpopulations and American fshing traditions.The Network also works with the eight regionalfshery management councils and the NationalMarine Fisheries Servicethe ederal entitiescharged with serving as stewards o ocean fshpopulationsto ensure that ederal regulationsand management decisions uphold the ideals andmandates o our nations ederal ocean fsherieslaw, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservationand Management Reauthorization Act.

The Marine Fish Conservation Network advocates or national policies to achieve healthy

oceans and productive fsheries.


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A BRIEF HISTORY OF U.S. FISHERY MANAGEMENT

In 1976, Congress created a federal sheries law to Americanize shing off ournations coasts by phasing out foreign shing and creating a series of programs to

promote the U.S. shing industry. This law, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation andManagement Act, successfully advanced American shing interests, but it ignoredthe tenets of sustainable management since few believed the oceans would ever runout of sh. In many sheries, most notably New England cod, the domestic capacityto catch sh far exceeded the reproductive capacity of the ocean. By the late 1980s,many sh populations had collapsed.

The Network, representing the diverse interests of environmentalists, shermen, andmarine scientists, quickly became the leading voice for restoring the health of our

ocean sheries. Through the Networks persistence, Congress responded to the crisisby passing the Sustainable Fisheries Act in 1996, which addressed rampant overshing,bycatch (the unintended catching and killing of non-target ocean wildlife), loss of habitat, and other threats to ocean sh populations.

Even with the newly renamed Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation andManagement Act, sh populations were slow to recover. In fact, many continuedto decline. Regional shery management councils repeatedly refused to change oldways of managing our sheries. The National Marine Fisheries Service, in turn, oftenapproved shery management plans that did not meet the conservation mandates setforth in the Magnuson-Stevens Act and allowed harmful delays in rebuilding manysh populations.

Once again, the Network recognized that the Magnuson-Stevens Act needed tobe stronger. In 2006, the Network was instrumental in getting Congress to pass arevised version of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that included new measures to base allmanagement decisions on sound science and to hold shery managers accountable

for setting and adhering to annual catch limits. Today, the Network is continuing toadvocate for full implementation of the key conservation principles of sustainableshery management to ensure that sound management will become the norm, notthe exception.


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A generation ago, most people believed that our oceansrepresented an endless resource. Today, decimatedpopulations o once-abundant marine species and thedestruction o important habitats demonstrate that weare taking more rom the oceans than the oceans canproduce. Scientists have begun to take a very close look

at the issue o ocean health, and consensus has emergedon the scientifc ront: The worlds oceans have reacheda point o crisis.

I we truly are to institute sustainable management orprotecting our oceans, we must act boldly, decisively,innovatively, and quickly to incorporate the ollowingprinciples into our ocean management:

Conserve Marine Ecosystems

Fishery managers and scientists recognize the need toexpand the ocus o fshery management to include entireecosystems, considering interactions between key predatorand prey species within an ecosystem as well as the habitatneeds o all living marine resources. Scientists believe thatsome fshery declines and di fculties in restoring depleted

populations are partially due to fshing-related disruptionsthat upset the entire ecosystem. In order or our oceansto thrive, fshery managers must consider ecosysteminteractions in all management decisions.

Eliminate Overfshing o All Species

Overfshing (catching fsh at too high o a rate) must endso that fsh populations can recover. In the past, managershave reacted to overfshing only a ter it occurs and haveunnecessarily extended deadlines or rebuilding depletedfsh populations. This reactive approach to managementincreases the likelihood that populations will remaindepleted or years to come. Some managers also usescientifc uncertainty as an excuse to allow overfshing

PrinCiPles oF sUsTainaBle Fishery ManageMe


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to continue. To stop overfshing rom occurring, fsherymanagers must adhere to the law and set catch limits with amargin o sa ety to compensate or scientifc uncertainties,natural disasters, and sudden drops in fsh populations.

Prevent BycatchBycatch is the indiscriminate catching and killing o fshand marine li e other than those a fsherman intends tocapture. This includes fsh that are not the target species,sex, size, or quality. It also includes many other fsh andmarine li e that have no immediate economic value butare ecologically important, such as starfsh, sponges, andskates. Bycatch in U.S. fsheries is estimated at more thantwo billion pounds annually and is a major actor in thedecline o many marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds.Because bycatch primarily results rom fshing practicesand gear that are not selective, fshery managers mustcreate management plans that reduce the likelihood o bycatch and that also include on-board observers whocan accurately assess and report bycatch.

Protect Essential Fish Habitat

Ocean habitats sustain a remarkable diversity o plantsand animals. Essential fsh habitat is comprised o areaso the aquatic environment upon which ish dependto reach maturity and reproduce. Because these areasare so critically important to the long-term survival o fsh populations, Congress requires fshery managers to

describe, identi y, conserve, and enhance essential fshhabitat. Fishery managers are also required to minimizethe impacts o damaging fshing practices, unless it is notpracticable to do so. It is imperative that fshery managersollow these legal requirements to minimize the adverseimpacts o fshing on essential fsh habitat.

Improve Scientifc Data

Objective observation and data collection are vital tomanage marine ish e ectively. The ability o isherymanagers to address the problems o overfshing, bycatch,and degradation o essential fsh habitat can be limitedby a lack o accurate and reliable scientifc in ormation.


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Unfortunately, this lack of knowledge regarding the healthof a resource or the impact of shing on that resource rarelyimpedes exploitation of sh populations. Without betterscientic data, shery managers are forced to make riskyand uninformed decisions; therefore, we must dedicatemore resources toward improving scientic knowledgeof our ocean resources. In the interim, managers mustaccount for scientic uncertainty by including buffers toensure shing limits are not exceeded.

TAKING ACTION TO IMPROVE OCEAN FISHERY MANAGEME

Congress has taken two crucial steps forward to improvesheries management: First, Congress passed the 1996Sustainable Fisheries Act, and in 2006, it passed a strongerversion of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Now that we havea better law, the Network is working with shery managersto ensure that they take several common sense actions toadvance and improve U.S. sheries management.

Fully Implement the Law

History has shown that a stronger law does not necessarilyresult in improved management of our ocean sheries.The Network will work with the National Marine FisheriesService and the regional shery management councils toensure that the letter and spirit of the Magnuson-StevensReauthorization Act are fully implemented into bettermanagement of our oceans.

Allocate Greater Funding forOcean Management and Research

Improvements in conservation can only go as far as themoney allocated to implement them. Fishery managersneed greater funding for cooperative scientic research,


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better sheries data, habitat protection, and programs to monitor wasteful shingpractices, all of which have been seriously underfunded in past years. The Networkis looking for creative ways to fund sheries management so that the hard work of Congress will not go to waste due to lack of funding.

Advance Ecosystem-basedManagement by Protecting Forage Fish

As a rst signicant step toward a holistic approach to managing our oceans, theNetwork is promoting the protection of ocean forage sh, those sh populations thatserve as a primary food source for larger ocean predators. The Network is working withshery managers to set catch limits for forage sh that take into account the needsof the entire ecosystem.

A VISION OF OUR OCEAN FUTURE

Our oceans and the intricate web of life they support including human life are invery real and very serious trouble. The problems facing our oceans have been causedby years of human neglect and mismanagement, but it is not too late to change ourcourse. We can overcome these problems by instituting the principles of sustainable

shery management, increasing funding for ocean management, and treating ouroceans not as an inexhaustible resource, but as a unique and invaluable ecosystemthat deserves our protection.

For more information on the Marine Fish Conservation Network and how to supportocean conservation efforts, visit: www.conservesh.org.


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A Vision for Our Ocean Future