NMFS is trumpeting good news in its 2014 Status of U.S. Fisheries report it released last week. The number of U.S. fish stocks listed as overfished or subject to overfishing has reached an all-time low since the agency began tracking fish stock status in 1997, the report says. NMFS tracks 469 managed stocks and stock complexes.
Six stocks have been removed from the overfishing list, which contains stocks whose annual catch rate is deemed too high. South Atlantic snowy grouper, North Atlantic albacore, Gulf of Maine haddock, South Atlantic gag grouper, the Gulf of Mexico jacks complex and western Atlantic bluefin tuna have been freed from the overfishing list. That means of the 308 stocks whose overfishing status is known, just 26, or 8 percent, are on the overfishing list.
Dig a little deeper into the report and you'll find that while six stocks were removed, four were added to the list — Gulf of Mexico greater amberjack and gray triggerfish, Puerto Rico scups and porgies complex and the Puerto Rico wrasses complex, whose status was previously unknown.
Two stocks that made it off the overfishing list, Gulf of Mexico gag grouper and North Atlantic albacore, were also removed from the overfished list of stocks whose population size is too low, whether because of fishing or other causes. Of the 228 stocks whose overfished status is known, 37 are on the overfished list. Happily, no stocks were added to the list.
In fact, Gulf of Mexico gag grouper scored the hat trick, as its population has rebuilt to target levels. Gulf of Maine/Cape hatteras butterfish and Mid-Atlantic Coast golden tilefish were likewise declared rebuilt, the report says. The addition of the three fish stocks brings the total number of rebuilt U.S. marine fish stocks to 37 since 2000.
You can check out a synopsis of the report in the NMFS video below and read the full report here.
It's good to hear that U.S. fish stocks overall are healthy and are being fished sustainably. That can only raise the profile of U.S. seafood in global markets.
Yet here in New England, it's the inability of key groundfish species like Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine cod and Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder to escape either the overfished or overfishing lists that are crippling the dwindling Northeast groundfish fleet.
Yet fishing effort clearly isn't causing that status. You need only look at The Loud Hailer announcement on our home page to gauge the dissatisfaction the region's fishermen have with a management system that they feel is failing them.
The good news is that there are bright and innovative minds and fishermen who are willing to roll up their sleeves to find ways to improve data collection and find answers to the groundfish industry problems. If the agency is truly willing to work with the industry to find those answers, then maybe in the future NMFS will really have some good news to trumpet in its annual stock assessment report.
