Fishing is a time-honored tradition for many across our region and the country. It is also the economic livelihoods of countless families and communities up and down the U.S. coastline, including New Jersey. However, unlike in decades past, it is the right to fish rather than the fish themselves that is increasingly threatened.
In 2007, Congress reauthorized the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act — the primary statute governing U.S. fisheries.
At that time, Congress made clear that science collected by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should dictate decisions regarding annual catch limits for recreational and commercial fishermen. Congress mandated a comprehensive review of the data collection procedures that would have provided more reliable information and science-based decision making.
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