August 14, 2015 — Why was the striped bass limit cut to one fish? Why are you allowed to take 9″ scup from select shore areas and the minimum is 10″ from a boat and other shore areas? And, why have we been restricted to one black sea bass all summer?
The answer to these and similar questions lies, in part, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) ability to manage and prioritize fish stock assessments for recreational and commercial fisheries so fish managers can make decisions based on the best available scientific information.
Earlier this month NOAA released a final version of a new stock assessment prioritization system. NOAA manages over 500 fish species nationally but only has the recourses to conduct about 200 fish stock assessments a year with its partners. So, they had to develop an objective and transparent way to prioritize assessments. Details of the final assessment system report can be found at www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/stock-assessment/stock-assessment-prioritization.
Stock assessments are fundamental to the sustainable management of our Nation’s fisheries. They represent the best scientific information available used to determine the status of fish stocks and guide the setting of harvest regulations that prevent overfishing and attain optimum yield from our Nation’s fisheries.
Read the full story at the Cranston Herald