From the assistant administratorJune 2008
U.S. Fish Stocks are showing marked improvement. With the help and guidance of the Administration and Congress, and the hard work of our partners and constituents, I am pleased to announce that our marine fish stocks are showing marked improvement in 2007, the best single-year improvement to date in reducing overfishing. The good news is published in this year’s NOAA Fisheries Service annual report to Congress on the status of U.S. fish stocks. The report tracks both population levels and harvest rates for species caught in federal waters between three and 200 miles off U.S. coasts. This year, seven stocks have been removed from the overfishing list, which means they are no longer being fished at too high a rate in a year. The populations of four of these stocks have also increased and they are no longer considered overfished or at too low levels for sustainable fishing. Three stocks are listed as fully rebuilt (S ilver hake - Southern Georges Bank/Middle Atlantic, red grouper - Gulf of Mexico, and Tanner crab - Eastern Bering Sea). This is great news for the American people, for fishing communities and for the scientists who devote their lives to the study of fish populations. Ending overfishing on these stocks and preventing overfishing from occurring on others is critical to maintaining and rebuilding our valuable fisheries resources, and this year we took a giant step forward in this regard. Working with the eight regional fishery management councils, we have taken significant steps toward ending “overfishing” - when too many fish in a species are caught in a year - and rebuilding stocks. As of this latest report, 83 percent or 203 of the 244 stocks and stock complexes that NOAA has the necessary science to analyze are not subject to overfishing. The remaining 17 percent or 41 stocks are being fished at too high a rate. In addition, no new stocks were added to the overfishing list in 2007, which is very good news as well. The economic, recreational and ecological stakes for sustaining these resources are incredibly high. We are making great progress as we work to end overfishing by 2010, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 . Continued and new sustainable management practices such as annual catch limits are one of the tools we are using. We’re also well on our way to implementing annual catch limits and accountability measures. These annual catch limits are the amount of fish allowed to be caught in a year, and are required by a 2007 amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Additionally, the act calls for measures to ensure these limits are followed and do not exceed the scientific recommendations made by the regional fishery management councils’ scientific committees. Working with our partners, we will implement annual catch limits to end overfishing by 2010. We are seeking additional help from the Congress to meet these goals. The NOAA Fisheries Service FY 2009 request includes important new funding that will help end overfishing and rebuild fish stocks. In particular, we are requesting an additional $5.1 million for annual catch limit implementation, $8.5 million to expand stock assessments, and $3.0 million to improve recreational fisheries statistics. I’d like to thank our partners, the regional fishery management councils, the commissions, the states and our constituents for their dedication and support. Working together, we are making significant strides toward rebuilding our marine fisheries to their maximum sustainable levels. Please take a few moments to read through the entire report. Jim Balsiger Assistant Administrator for Fisheries (Acting) U.S. Fish Stocks are showing marked improvement. |
||||
 |
 |
 |