On Saturday, New England fishermen gained more flexibility to fish in ways that make business sense while allowing our ocean ecosystems to recover. But for the new system to work, federal managers need to take critical steps.
First, NMFS needs to implement an enhanced catch monitoring program. Managers must know how many fish are landed or discarded, so fishing can stop once limits are reached — not just for the target species but also for "bycatch," or fish and other animals that happen to get caught with the species being fished for. With better data, scientists can offer improved advice about future catches. Hiring observers will also create more jobs in the regional fishing industry.
Next, measures should also be taken to ensure that fishermen who don't join sectors, known as the common pool, stay within annual catch limits. If the common pool overfishes, fewer fish will be available for the sectors, causing the new program to fail. This requires comprehensive monitoring of all fishing vessels. The federal government has already allocated over $10 million to help New England's fleet transition to the new monitoring system.
Finally, NMFS should quickly employ current fish stock information. Today, it takes far too long from data collection to actual adoption of a plan for management. Managers, in fact, often make decisions with years-old data. In a dynamic, ever-changing marine environment, fishery managers need to base decisions on the most current numbers, to reduce bycatch, end overfishing, rebuild depleted stocks and ensure success of the new sectors.
Read the complete story at The Cape Cod Times.