Here fishy, fishy!

This is from the Marine Fish Conservation Network. I would have signed it showing my support as a scientist, but I decided against it for reasons of job security. It is highly accurate descriptions of today's fisheries however, and I recommend any one interested in conservation read it. As scientists concerned with the health of our nation's ocean environment, we are troubled that U.S. fisheries management is not adequately protecting our marine fish and wildlife. Many of our nation's fish populations are persistently overfished, and in some cases are in danger of collapse. It is critical for the long-term sustainability of fish populations and the ocean ecosystems they depend on that our fishery management regime ensures that management decisions are based on sound science
Today, many important fish populations exist at a mere fraction of their historic numbers. For instance, according to estimates by the National Marine Fisheries Service, populations of bocaccio and canary rockfish on the West Coast are at less than ten percent of their historic levels (1); other scientists estimate that North Atlantic cod biomass levels are at less than four percent of what they were in 1852 (2); and shark populations have declined precipitously in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. (3)
	Despite the continued depletion of these and other fish populations, fishery managers continue to set unsustainably high catch limits. Of the more than 300 federal fish populations for which we have assessments, over one third are at unsustainably low levels and one in five are being fished at unsustainably high rates. (4) Moreover, of the major fish populations that are depleted, approximately 60 percent continue to be fished at unsustainably high rates, ensuring further decline (5) and preventing the recovery of those stocks. Scientific analyses show that continued overfishing on already depleted fish populations increases the risk of a severe and prolonged population collapse. (6)
The eight Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMC), which are responsible for making decisions regarding both allocation and conservation of fish resources, face intense political pressure to improve short-term economic conditions, and too often ignore scientific recommendations in favor of decisions that result in overfishing. Scientific committees convened by the RFMCs are responsible for developing accurate stock assessments, providing scientific advice on appropriate catch levels, and identifying essential habitat in need of protection for federal fish populations. But the RFMCs often disregard this critical scientific information when setting fish catch limits, and frequently set levels that result in the overfishing that is plaguing our fisheries.
In order to reverse course and move fish populations toward long-term sustainability, fishery management decisions must conform to the scientific recommendations of unbiased fisheries and marine scientists. It is not too late to restore our nation's fish populations to healthy levels, but reform has to happen now. After three years of intensive study, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP) concluded that we are failing to adequately manage the Congress to adopt the recommendations of the USCOP and amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheryactivities that affect the health of our oceans, and outlined a model for improving the use of science in fisheries management. We urge Conservation and Management Act to strengthen the role of science in federal fisheries management by requiring Councils to adhere to the recommendations of their scientific committees.
Footnotes: 1. MacCall, Alec D. June 2003. Status of Bocaccio off California in 2003. Santa Cruz Laboratory, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Cruz, CA. Methot, Richard, K Piner. April 2001. Status of the Canary Rockfish Resource off California, Oregon and Washington in 2001. Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA. 2. Rosenberg, Andrew A, WJ Bolster, KE Alexander, WB Leavenworth, AB Cooper and MG McKenzie. 2005. The history of ocean resources: modeling cod biomass using historical records. Frontiers in Ecology 3(2): 84-90. 3. Baum, Julia K, RA Myers, DG Kehler, B Worm, SJ Harley and PA Doherty. 2003. Collapse and conservation of shark populations in the Northwest Atlantic. Science 299: 389-392. Baum, Julia K & RA Myers. 2004. Shifting baselines and the decline of pelagic sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Ecology Letters 7: 135-145. 4. NMFS. 2004. Annual Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries - 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD, 24 pp. 5. NMFS. 2004. Ibid 6. National Research Council, 2004 "Improving the Use of the 'Best Scientific Information Available' Standard in Fisheries Management": 21.