Alaska / North Pacific, Home to America’s Largest Fisheries, Have No Overfished Stocks
Juneau, Alaska: A new report by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that addresses the sustainability of U.S. marine fisheries cites major progress in creating and maintaining healthy fisheries across the country. According to the NOAA’s “Status of Stocks” report, as of 2005, the North Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Council has no stocks subject to overfishing. The “Alaska Model” of fishery management, which strictly heeds the advice of science advisors, has been widely cited by various environmental groups as well as the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy as an example for the rest of the country for fishery management.
In addition, the NOAA report details “progress in rebuilding overfished species and response of fisheries managers to slow fishing rates for species that were found in 2005 to have above-target harvests.”
“The NOAA Status of Stocks report reinforces what the fishing community in Alaska already knows – the “Alaska Model” of fishery management is a winning standard that continually results in healthy and sustainable fisheries,” said David Benton, Executive Director of the Marine Conservation Alliance. “The integration of science when setting catch limits ensures a win-win situation for the environment and marine conservation, as well as for the millions of people that depend on our fisheries for food and jobs.”
NOAA analyzes the population levels for 206 stocks and according to the report, 74% (152 stocks) were not overfished and 81% (192 stocks) were not subject to overfishing.
The NOAA Status of Stocks report comes at a critical time, as the U.S. Congress works to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the federal legislation that has governed U.S. fisheries management since 1976. The Senate’s version of the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization bill was passed last week and the full Congress is expected to review the MSA this summer.
The Marine Conservation Alliance is a coalition of seafood processors, harvesters, support industries and coastal communities that are active in Alaska fisheries. The MCA represents approximately 80 percent of the participants in Alaska shellfish and groundfish fisheries and promotes science based conservation measures to ensure sustainable fisheries in Alaska.