U.S. Oceans Agency Optimistic on Fish Recovery

WASHINGTON, DC, June 17, 2004 (ENS) - Fish species are recovering from decades of overfishing, and four fish populations are completely rebuilt, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says in its latest annual status report to Congress, released on Wednesday.

Dozens of fish populations are still being overfished, but a record 10 species were removed from the list of overfished stocks, and overfishing practices were stopped for five species, the agency said.

"The American public can feel confident that U.S. fisheries are becoming more sustainable each year as we rebuild fish stocks that were once overfished," said Conrad Lautenbacher, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA administrator.

Pollock caught during NOAA fish stock assessment survey (Photo courtesy NOAA)

While not recovered, the report says overfishing was halted for spiny dogfish, summer flounder, South Atlantic yellowtail snapper, North Atlantic swordfish and blacktip shark.

The 10 species no longer overfished are North Atlantic swordfish, pollock, summer flounder, monkfish, red grouper, blacktip shark, sandbar shark, South Atlantic yellowtail snapper, blue king crab, and tanner crab.

In addition, since December 2003, the cutoff date for this report, Pacific whiting has been taken off the overfished list.

Of the 894 federally managed fish stocks, 76 are classified as overfished, and 60 are experiencing overfishing.

In the report, the term overfished refers to the size of the fish stock. An overfished stock is one whose size is below a prescribed threshold. When a fish stock is overfished, the population is too low to replenish itself if harvest rates are not reduced. An overfished designation triggers fisheries managers to develop a rebuilding plan for that stock.

Overfishing refers to harvesting activities on a fish stock. Overfishing occurs when fishermen are taking too many fish for the species to replenish its population. If overfishing were to continue, the stock would become overfished.

While some species are rebuilding, others are declining. The NOAA Fisheries report shows these species, from east to west, as less abundant in 2003 than in previous years.

• In the Northeast Region, American plaice and Southern New England winter flounder are now listed as overfished.

• Northeast region stocks of American shad and river herring, are now listed as overfished.

• For the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species group, the following stocks are now listed as unknown rather than subject to overfishing because these stocks have not been assessed: basking shark, bigeye sand tiger shark, Galapagos shark, narrowtooth shark, and whale shark.

• Gulf of Mexico vermillion snapper is newly listed as overfished.

• In the Northwest Region, lingcod is listed as subject to overfishing.

• Blue King crab in the Pribilof Islands were approaching an overfished condition last year, and this year are overfished.

• Bering Sea snow crab was revised from rebuilding, not overfished, to overfished this year.

• In the Pacific Islands Region, bigeye tuna was newly listed as subject to overfishing.

Gulf of Mexico vermillion snapper is newly listed as overfished. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

In addition, two plans - coral reef ecosystems in Hawaii and a highly migratory species plan covering 16 species of tunas, sharks and billfishes in the Pacific- have been approved by the Secretary of Commerce and will soon be implemented.

The agency told Congress that its partnerships with the regional fishery management councils, commercial and recreational fishermen, environmental groups and the states are working to ensure long term healthy ocean ecosystems off America's coasts.