NOAA Report Shows A Number Of U.S. Fish Stocks Still In Peril

The Ocean Conservancy
Wednesday, 1 May 2002

Conservationists Seek Stronger Laws and Enforcement to End Overfishing

The number of fish stocks in need of stronger conservation in U.S. coastal waters continues to be alarming, despite laws requiring federal fisheries managers to stop overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks. According to the Commerce Department's new 2001 Report to Congress: Status of Fisheries of the United States, 93 of 304 fish stocks are in peril. These include such important species as Atlantic cod, red snapper, and Pacific rockfish.

The Ocean Conservancy, a national science-based advocacy organization, believes that the government must move quickly to put an end to overfishing. Advancing technology has brought virtually the entire ocean within reach of fishing gear. Without protective regulations, fish have no place to hide. Areas that were previously lightly fished have changed dramatically, and the largest, most desirable fish are now gone. Historically, remote and unfishable natural refuges helped to sustain fish stocks for centuries. With their loss, fisheries are in crisis, ecosystems are changing, biodiversity is being lost, and numerous fish species have been driven to the brink of extinction.

Mark Powell, Acting Director of Fish Conservation at The Ocean Conservancy, explains why this report is so alarming, "Progress has been slow because too often the fishing industry favors short-term profits over long term sustainability. It's time for managers to end overfishing and rebuild our depleted fish populations."

Ever since Congress passed the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) in 1996, fishery managers have been trying to rebuild depleted fish stocks. Each year they propose limits on when, where, and how fishermen can fish. In many cases, those management measures are weakened based on complaints from the fishing industry about economic hardship and the viability of the industry. And each year overfishing continues on some of the most important fish stocks in United States waters. A study of fisheries in the North Atlantic released in February revealed that catches of preferred food fishes--such as cod, tuna, flounder, haddock, and hake--had declined by half over the past 50 years, even though fishing effort had tripled.

For more information, or to contact The Ocean Conservancy, see their website at: www.oceanconservancy.org