Government Reports Marine Fish Recovering
Investments of conservation-minded anglers begin to pay off.
by Forbes Darby
In testimony today before the House of Representatives Committee on Resources, Dr. William Hogarth, head of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that the number of marine fish stocks that are in jeopardy has declined for the first time since reporting began in 1997. The number of fish that were overfished, experiencing overfishing, or both fell to 93 from last year’s record high of 107.
"This shows that the tough traditional management measures put in place by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 are working," says Mike Nussman, president of the American Sportfishing Association. "Indications are that we’ve reversed the decline and are now climbing back toward recovery."
The report shows that where traditional conservation measures have been well implemented, fish stocks have responded. For example, yellowtail flounder and haddock stocks on Georges Bank have increased from historic lows due to large-scale commercial closures put in place in 1995. Popular recreational species such as red snapper and summer flounder have also experienced significant rebuilding thanks to size and catch limits. The response of these stocks to traditional, well-implemented management measures is clear evidence that conservation and recreation can coexist.
Referencing some extreme environmental groups’ allegations that fishery management has failed, Nussman comments, "We’ve been able to witness the positive gains documented by NMFS through dedicated management. These chicken-little scenarios may sell memberships, but they are not an accurate reflection of the sacrifice made by the recreational community and other conservationists to ensure long-term healthy fisheries." Nussman went on to note that America’s 12 million recreational anglers pay a significant portion of the price tag for marine fisheries management through license fees and excise taxes.
Unfortunately, not all the news is so good. While nearly 90% of major fisheries have some data on which to assess their health, there still exist a sizable number of fisheries for which little is known; a deficiency all involved admit needs improvement. Fortunately, these so-called "unknown status" fisheries are typically not subject to the pressure of directed fishing operations and should not presumed to be overfished.
Further, not all fish stocks for which NMFS has good data have witnessed signs of recovery. This is due in large measure to poor implementation of prescribed management measures. However, NMFS points out correctly that conservation measures have been applied to many species only in the last decade or two and that the nature of their life histories dictates that recovery could take as long as 30 years.
"The positive gains toward recovery are very encouraging," says Nussman, "but we must remember that fishery conservation is a marathon and we don’t have any shortcuts."
Copies of the NMFS report to Congress entitled Toward Rebuilding America’s Marine Fisheries is available online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/reg_svcs/Status02.pdf.
