FishWatch Profile - Larry Jennings

On the surface, it's simply harvesting no more fish than that particular species can replace when it next spawns. However, in researching historical harvests of numerous species one finds that in most food species, the harvests are often less than half or even single digit percentages of their peaks and commercial harvests continue a "sustainable" harvest.

Looking toward the future, sustainable harvests of wild species become problematic as human populations grow and increase demand for seafood while bringing more development and pollution which reduce the potential harvest. Very few people realize that most seafood in their market comes from aquaculture now but in time, wild seafood will become increasingly rare – it just won't be sustainable in a couple of decades.

Putting fish first -- as a recreational fishing activist volunteering with the Coastal Conservation Association, I attend numerous fisheries related meetings in Maryland, work on conservation related bills, communicate with legislators and continually research and learn about our fisheries and their management. Far too often, people fight limitations on a particular marine resource because it will decrease their income or make their job more difficult when the issue is maintaining a sustainable fish population.

More recently, I have become more involved in regional and national fisheries issues like the new recreational fisherman "phone book" and legislation to help clean up our water. I am also working time on aquaculture issues in Maryland where a variety of issues have limited its expansion. It all adds up to working within the system to make certain that recreational fishing interests are represented so more fishermen can pursue our passion with a reasonable chance for success.

Greed and technology can be very powerful and destructive. Combine that with the fact that most coastal states' regulatory agencies were founded to promote commercial harvests of seafood and not all have transitioned well to protect sustainable populations with all the other challenges they face.

With too little data, too little budget, it's often difficult for agency staff to put the fish first and stand up to the commercial interests who often also carry political clout. Our grass roots organization understands the necessity of working all levels of the process to make certain that decisions are science based and if not, we will elevate the level to make sure that the fish have a defender at the table.

Now, as virtually all commercially targeted species have been overfished at some point and commercial interests look for new targets, we are finding imbalances creating challenges to the ecology of our various marine habitats. From the depletion of forage species leading to skinny fish more prone to disease to sudden increases in predators because shark populations no longer keep them in check, it becomes a very complex fisheries management challenge.