Oceana has announced a major litigation victory that will require stronger accountability through catch monitoring for the New England groundfish fishery. This win establishes the first full count, cap and control fishery in the Northeast and will help restore New England’s groundfish populations to healthy levels in future years.

The settlement reached this week promotes better transparency in monitoring catch levels in the groundfish fishery, including discards. It also requires an analysis to determine the level of monitoring needed and the publication of an annual summary of  the fishery’s monitoring needs for the 2013-15 fishing years. This analysis will be critical in determining how to provide accurate, precise and timely catch reporting.

“This agreement commits the government to fully account for the catch that it regulates,” said Eric Bilsky, senior litigator at Oceana. “Our government must strictly monitor and enforce science-based catch limits to prevent wasteful and unsustainable fishing practices.”

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