In early January, the Associated Press released a story titled “Has Overfishing Ended? Top U.S. Scientist Says Yes.” Based largely on statements by Dr. Steve Murawski, a former National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) chief scientist, the piece was widely distributed and generated scores of articles around the country and beyond.
In fact, Murawski, now a professor at the University of South Florida, noted in the AP story that “we are the only industrialized fishing nation who actually has succeeded in ending overfishing.” Unfortunately, as illustrated by the NMFS First Quarter 2011 Status of U.S. Fisheries report, the struggle to end this enduring problem in U.S. waters isn’t over—at least not yet.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the chance to work on fisheries management issues with the U.S. Coast Guard and NMFS, with Congress and in the nonprofit sector. The progress we have made on several fronts is quite remarkable. And I look forward to the day America can write the obituary for one of the most pernicious problems in our oceans.
Yet according to the latest NMFS report on the status of U.S. fisheries released in March—after Murawski’s statements—39 of America’s most valuable commercial and recreational fisheries are still subject to overfishing. Moreover, 26 of these populations being fished at unsustainable levels are highly depleted. Setting annual catch limits based on the best available science remains a critical step toward rectifying these problems.
Read the complete stroy from Talkingfish.org