May 24, 2013 — Imagine 600 people gathered in a room to talk about the future of fish and fishing. Think they swapped fish tales? You bet. But on-the-water stories aside, this group talked serious business. The May 2013 Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries Conference in Washington mostly addressed issues that matter to anyone who eats seafood, drops a line in the water on a weekend getaway, or makes money from fish. Here are the Pew Charitable Trusts’ key takeaways from the conference, which drew fishermen, conservationists, state and federal fishery managers, and congressional members and staff:
1. Food for Thought
We are finally turning the corner in our effort to end and prevent overfishing. Our old policy of “fish first and ask questions later” led to overfishing of many important species. A smarter approach is to understand a species—its health, reproductive rate, and place in the food web—before allowing fishing.
2. Making a Comeback
Thanks to federal fishery law, dozens of species are recovering from overfishing, and hundreds now have scientifically sound catch limits. The economic benefit of rebuilding all depleted fish populations is $31 billion added to the economy and 500,000 new jobs a year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As Congress considers changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, members should not weaken the law but build on its successes.
3. Bend, Don't Break
Some fishing interests want more flexibility in regulations, but the law already is flexible. Recovery times for about half of the depleted species that have rebuilding plans extend beyond the 10-year target. Too much flexibility in the 1980s and 1990s got us into the trouble we are in today. Clear targets and firm catch limits are working to rebuild many species, so let's not change those requirements.
Read the full story from the Pew Environment Group