SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Seafoodnews.com] — September 12, 2013 — In Congressional testimony on Monday, NOAA Acting Assistant Adminstrator for Fisheries Sam Rauch repsonded to the the latest NRC report calling for more flexibility in stock rebuilding timelines. A portion of his comments are below:
"We've heard concerns from stakeholders that the 10-year rebuilding timeline may be arbitrary and too restrictive. In response to these concerns and similar concerns expressed by Members of Congress, in 2011 NOAA commissioned the National Academy of Sciences` National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of success in stock rebuilding and identification of changes made to fisheries management in response to rebuilding requirements. NOAA asked the NRC to study seven topics related to rebuilding to help us and the Councils better construct efficient and effective rebuilding plans.
The NRC rebuilding study was released on September 5, 2013. We are thankful for the in-depth and forward-looking review provided by the NRC, and at present we are carefully analyzing the report`s details. The timing of the report fits nicely with our work to revise National Standard 1 Guidelines. Since the guidelines were last updated in 2009, a number of issues regarding the application of the guidelines have been identified by stakeholders and managers, and these issues may warrant revisions. An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published on May 3, 2012 to solicit public input, and several report findings reflect possible revisions to the guidelines similar to those currently being considered by NMFS. At this time, NMFS would like to acknowledge a few aspects of the report:
— From the NRC`s assembly of technical results from all rebuilding plans, we are pleased to see that rebuilding plans are effective at increasing stock abundance, especially when fishing mortality is quickly reduced below overfishing levels.
— The report identifies several challenges with implementation of rebuilding plans that are based upon specific biomass targets and rebuilding timeframes. They note that more flexible rebuilding plans could be based on strict requirements to keep fishing mortality rates at about 75 percent of the overfishing limit.
— The report notes that some rebuilding plans have had large social and economic consequences in order to rebuild to specific biomass levels in fixed time frames but that the economic consequences had rebuilding not occurred are difficult to determine. Continued investments in social and economic data collection and analysis will inform the process of developing future rebuilding plans.
— The report`s investigation of ecosystem factors includes a general finding about the complexity of ecosystems and the challenges of making specific forecasts, especially over longer- term time frames. NMFS is keenly interested in increasing the linkage between ecosystem/environmental factors and fish stock assessments and forecasts. The FY 2014 President`s Budget Request includes a $10 million increase for NOAA to fund research on the impacts of climate on fisheries with a focus on the Northeast groundfish region and NOAA has a variety of activities underway to understand climate impacts on marine ecosystems and increase the use of this information in management of fisheries resources.
Conclusion
The Magnuson-Stevens Act has galvanized the United States` efforts to end overfishing in federally managed fisheries, rebuild stocks, and ensure conservation and sustainable use of our marine fisheries. Fishery harvests in the United States are scientifically monitored, regionally managed, and legally enforced under 10 strict national standards of sustainability. But we did not get here overnight. Our Nation`s journey toward sustainable fisheries has evolved over the course of over 35 years.
In 2007, Congress gave NOAA and the Councils a clear mandate, new authority, and new tools to achieve the goal of sustainable fisheries within measurable timeframes. Notable among these were the requirements for annual catch limits and accountability measures to prevent, respond to, and end overfishing.
We are seeing progress in our effort to end overfishing and rebuild stocks. Both the number of stocks subject to overfishing and the number of stocks that are overfished are at an all-time low. This progress has been due to the collaborative involvement of our U.S. commercial and recreational fishing fleets and their commitment to science-based management, improving gear technologies, and application of best-stewardship practices. These rebuilt fish stocks have often resulted in improved revenues, helping sustain fishing communities.
While we are seeing progress and realizing benefits in some fisheries, we recognize that challenges remain. Looking ahead, we must continue to increase the quality and quantity of scientific data, continue progress made to address overfishing and rebuild stocks, and better address the difficult transitions that can come with management changes leading to more biologically and economically sustainable fishery resources.
It is also increasingly important that we better understand ecosystem and habitat factors, including climate change, and incorporate them into our stock assessments and management decisions, because resilient ecosystems and habitat form the foundation for robust fisheries and robust economies.
It is important to take time to reflect on where we have been to understand where we are. The Magnuson-Stevens Act provides flexibility in adapting management plans to the life history differences among species and nuances of particular fisheries, as well as to the unique regional and operational differences among fisheries and in the fishing communities they support.
NOAA supports the collaborative and transparent process embodied in the Councils, as authorized in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and strongly believes that all viable management tools should continue to be available as options for the Councils to consider when developing management programs.
Together with our partners, we continue to explore alternative approaches that will produce the best available information to incorporate into management. We had productive discussions at the recent Managing Our Nation's Fisheries Conference, and we will continue to engage with our stakeholders. We are also thankful for having the new National Academy of Sciences study on rebuilding and will be reviewing it carefully.
Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss implementation progress of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and future efforts of reauthorization. We look forward to the discussions that will take place and will work with Congress on efforts to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.