SAN FRANCISCO – July 18, 2011 — Last week the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released its annual “Status of Stocks” report to Congress, summarizing the health of our nation’s marine fisheries in 2010. This year’s report is broadly similar to last year’s report, as many stocks remain subject to overfishing and depleted below healthy levels. However, as I will discuss below, there is reason to hope that 2010 will be the last such report. Future years should reflect real progress toward sustainability, so long as we stay the course with strong fisheries management.
We can all hope that subsequent years’ Status of Stocks reports will reflect the success of annual catch limits, and the number of stocks subject to overfishing will drop to zero. For now, however, the 40 stocks still subject to overfishing stand as a reminder of why firm annual catch limits and accountability measures are necessary. Eric Schwaab, the NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, sums this up well in his preface to the 2010 report: “[Annual catch limits] move us away from a management system that too frequently resulted in overfishing. Implementing annual catch limits to end overfishing requires, in many cases, difficult decisions and short-term sacrifices on the part of commercial and recreational fishermen. However, in the long term, ending and preventing overfishing will result in sustainable fisheries that support more stable jobs and recreational opportunities.” Despite these words of wisdom, opponents of sustainable fishing continue to push in Congress to weaken, short-circuit, or delay annual catch limits. Readers should be clear that these legislative efforts—masked by optimistic names and sympathetic press releases—will undercut our best hope at bringing overfishing under control.