NOAA Fisheries’ Status of Stocks report shows the shortcomings of status quo fishery management.
Each year, NOAA Fisheries reports to Congress about how fish stocks are doing in the U.S. in the Status of Stocks report. The report focuses on a few key numbers: namely, overfishing in general, or how many fish stocks are being fished at an unsustainable rate, and also how many stocks are overfished, where their population size is too low to provide long-term sustainable fishing. The report also provides details on how many stocks have been rebuilt to a healthy population size after being overfished.
For fisheries policy advocates like me, the report is an invaluable snapshot of where things stand, and for the last several years, the news out of the report has been concerning. There have been more stocks that are overfished, no new stocks rebuilt and a plateau on how many stocks are experiencing overfishing. These trends point to a reversal in progress made toward more sustainable fisheries over the last few decades.
The most recent report, released earlier this spring, tells us that the waters are still murky for U.S. fisheries. There have been some improvements, but there are also still shortcomings and signs that status-quo management is not going to be sufficient given climate change and other threats.
Snapshot of U.S. Fisheries Shows a Need for Change - Ocean Conservancy
Each year, NOAA Fisheries reports to Congress about how fish stocks are doing in the U.S. in the Status of Stocks report. The report focuses on a few key numbers: namely, overfishing in general, or how many fish stocks are being fished at an unsustainable rate, and also how many stocks are overfished, where their population size is too low to provide long-term sustainable fishing. The report also provides details on how many stocks have been rebuilt to a healthy population size after being overfished.
For fisheries policy advocates like me, the report is an invaluable snapshot of where things stand, and for the last several years, the news out of the report has been concerning. There have been more stocks that are overfished, no new stocks rebuilt and a plateau on how many stocks are experiencing overfishing. These trends point to a reversal in progress made toward more sustainable fisheries over the last few decades.
The most recent report, released earlier this spring, tells us that the waters are still murky for U.S. fisheries. There have been some improvements, but there are also still shortcomings and signs that status-quo management is not going to be sufficient given climate change and other threats.
Snapshot of U.S. Fisheries Shows a Need for Change - Ocean Conservancy