CONSERVATION GROUP WELCOMES FINAL OCEANS REPORT
Seafood coalition applauds work of federal commission
The Marine Conservation Alliance (MCA) today welcomed the release of the final report of the blue-ribbon U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP). The USCOP calls on the federal government to develop a comprehensive oceans policy and to place a higher priority on better understanding the oceans and climate, as well as highlighting the need to address environmental problems associated with dramatic increases in population and pollution along the nation’s coastlines.
“The Commission has strengthened its position that sustainable fisheries management can be achieved through the existing system of regional management,” Ron Clarke, MCA executive director, said. “Their final report emphasizes state involvement, and balanced, shared responsibility for marine resource issues – a position the MCA finds entirely consistent with the success of fisheries management here in the North Pacific.” The MCA is a coalition of Alaska and Pacific Northwest fishermen and seafood processors, coastal communities, and Alaska Native groups.
Created by Congress in 2000, the USCOP issued a draft report in April, 2002. Governors of all 50 states and interested groups and citizens reviewed and commented on those preliminary findings. The USCOP considered those suggestions for their final report, which was formally presented to Congress today.
In its final report, the USCOP specifically cited the North Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council as an example of responsible management, saying the council has a history of setting harvest levels at or below the level recommended by its science advisors. The report notes that of the 82 groundfish stocks under its jurisdiction, none in the North Pacific was classified as overfished.
Over half of all fish landed annually in the U.S. comes from the abundant and sustainably managed fisheries off Alaska, such as wild salmon, halibut, crab, and groundfish, including walleye pollock and Pacific cod. The Commission noted progressive fishery management practices help sustain these fisheries – estimated at a worth of $2.3 billion annually – and provide tens of thousands of jobs in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
“The MCA is pleased by the USCOP’s clarifications in the final report and its recommendations to strengthen the regional fishery management council system by increasing its reliance on its scientific advisors,” Clarke said. Specifically, Clarke said the MCA supports USCOP recommendations to:
1) require institutionalization of the Councils’ science advisory bodies;
2) require Councils to not exceed allowable biological catch levels or overfishing limits set by science advisors;
3) increase monitoring of catches; and
4) significantly increase federal fishery research budgets so management decisions can be better grounded in sound science. “These suggestions echo practices already in place in the North Pacific,” Clarke said. “These standard procedures are the foundation for our region’s success.”
The report outlines a range of environmental concerns and emphasizes the lack of a coordinated federal oceans policy to address identified problems. The USCOP’s report points to concern over unevenness in fisheries management across regions of the U.S. and calls for changes in federal fisheries policy to end overfishing where it is occurring. The report notes federal fisheries off Alaska could serve as a model for responsible fisheries management. The MCA urges Congress to take note of the North Pacific example when considering policy changes needed to replicate this success in other regions.
The MCA was established in 2001 by fishing associations, communities, Community Development Quota groups, harvesters, processors, and support sector businesses to promote the sustainable use of North Pacific marine resources by present and future generations — based on sound science, prudent management, and a transparent, open public process. The Marine Conservation Alliance supports research and public education about the fishery resources of the North Pacific, and seeks practical solutions to resource use questions to both protect the marine environment and minimize adverse impacts on the North Pacific fishing community.
For more information:
Ron Clarke, Executive Director, Marine Conservation Alliance
P.O. Box 20676, Juneau, AK 99802
(907) 523-0731
Fax: (907) 523-0732
e-mail: ronclarkemca@alaska.com
website: www.marineconservationalliance.org