Oceana is asking the court to overturn the Omnibus Annual Catch Limit Amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, approved earlier this year, which sets rules for fisheries from New York to North Carolina.

The amendment was originally intended to set scientifically-based annual catch limits and accountability measures for all 13 fish species managed in the region. But Oceana says the amendment falls far short of its goal.

"The Magnuson-Stevens Act, the law governing U.S. commercial fisheries, requires National Marine Fisheries Service to set limits on the number of fish caught regardless of whether or not the species is a target of the fishermen," said Gib Brogan, Northeast representative for Oceana.

"Current methods completely ignore bycatch - the catch of non-target fish and ocean wildlife," Brogan said. "Oceana believes that limits should be set for both target species and bycatch to ensure that fisheries are not taking too many fish out of the oceans."

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