(SitNews) WASHINGTON – April 13, 2011 – On the 35th anniversary of the passage of the nation’s primary fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the Marine Fish Conservation Network issued a report showing that U.S. fishery managers are making significant progress toward the goal of ending overfishing through the adoption of annual catch limits and accountability measures. However, overfishing continued on one out of five fish stocks assessed in 2010, underscoring the need for cautious optimism.
According to the report, significant progress has been made at reducing the number of fish stocks subject to overfishing and rebuilding overfished stocks in those regions, such as New England, that are implementing and enforcing hard catch limits for the first time. In Alaska, where catch limits have been employed for years and where accountability measures are in place to halt overfishing promptly if it should occur, chronic overfishing has not been a problem and fisheries are thriving.
"The report is testimony to the potent effect of uniting stakeholders to address overfishing and to champion sustainable fisheries,” said Linda Behnken of the Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association. “Continued progress depends on basing management decisions on sound science, dedicating adequate resources to stock assessment and catch accounting, and working together to protect the health and productivity of the ocean."
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