Despite the fact that it is widely agreed among scientists, fisheries managers, and government regulators that U.S. fisheries are well managed, some NGOs now gain so much revenue from companies that sell seafood and concerned citizens, that they simply cannot admit the U.S. success.
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — March 23, 2015 — The following is an excerpt from an op-ed published on March 17 in The Hill by Dr. Ray Hilborn, professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the University of Washington and author of "Overfishing: What Everyone Needs to Know":
Today, the U.S. has essentially eliminated overfishing, with only 9 percent of stocks now fished at rates higher than would produce long-term maximum yield. In a report released this month by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, 98 percent of U.S. fisheries received a "Best" or "Good" rating, with only 2 percent on the "Avoid" list. While 17 percent of stocks are still considered "overfished", most of these are on the road to recovery. And in New England, bottom fish stocks have made a spectacular recovery, having increased six-fold since the mid-1990s.
Technically speaking, some stocks will always be "overfished" – fish stocks fluctuate naturally and the managers can only control what they harvest-but the U.S. management system, using scientific advice, is designed to take such fluctuations into account, and will completely stop harvesting when stocks reach low levels. Consumers and retailers should buy U.S.-caught fish with confidence that the fishery is managed through an open, transparent, and sustainable process.
However, consumers and retailers are often confused by the numerous non-governmental organizations providing consumer advice on what stocks are sustainably managed. Legitimate concerns about overfishing in the 1990s led to the rise of these watchdog NGOs, and today there are literally dozens of seafood advice web sites that provide often conflicting advice. A stock may be listed as a "best choice" by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but still be on Greenpeace's "red" list. The same stock of fish may be rated "green" or "red" by the same organization depending on how it is caught.
Why the conflicting information? Quite simply, providing seafood advice is now a big business, both with direct payment from retailers to those giving advice, and by fundraising campaigns to "save the oceans" that fail to acknowledge that the existing U.S. fisheries management system provides for sustainability. Indeed, despite the fact that it is widely agreed among scientists, fisheries managers, and government regulators that U.S. fisheries are well managed, some NGOs now gain so much revenue from companies that sell seafood and concerned citizens, that they simply cannot admit the U.S. success.
Read the full op-ed at The Hill