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New study accuses N.E. fishery managers of enabling overfishing; Panel ponders tighter fishing limits

New study accuses N.E. fishery managers of enabling overfishing

A new study examining the health of the nation's fish stocks criticizes New England fishery managers for contributing to the "chronic overfishing" of cod, flounder and other groundfish species that have yet to recover to sustainable levels.  The New England Fishery Management Council has "knowingly set annual catch limits that allow overfishing in a misguided attempt to mitigate short-term economic impacts," according to the report, released Tuesday by the Marine Fish Conservation Network. The coalition of environmental organizations, commercial and recreational fishing associations, aquariums and marine science groups created the term "chronic overfishing" to define a prolonged period of catching more fish than a population can produce.

The 16-page study, entitled "Taking Stock: The Cure for Chronic Overfishing," analyzes federal fish stock data from 1998 to 2006. It concludes there has been "very little improvement in reducing overfishing" since 1998, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service presented its first stock status report to Congress...  Standard-Times.
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Panel ponders tighter fishing limits
Fishermen say it's not necessary


BLACK SEA BASS
RANGE: From Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral, often near wrecks and reefs.
SPAWNING: From June through October in the Mid-Atlantic, and February through May in the South Atlantic. Popular species of fish that scientists say are depleted by over-harvesting may be put under stricter limits by the federal council that regulates fishing from North Carolina to the Florida Keys.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering extending catch limits on snowy grouper, black sea bass and red porgy for a decade or longer. They say that would enable the populations to rebuild. The species were already under new federal regulations that took effect last year in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida to prevent overfishing.

Fisherman say the rules are unnecessary and potentially harmful. They say the science is too thin to confirm that the species are depleted, while tougher limits could hurt their livelihoods.  Meanwhile, a new report by the Marine Fish Conservation Network, a consortium of conservation groups, said overfishing remains a chronic problem in many U.S. fisheries, and the South Atlantic has the largest share of chronically overfished stocks in the nation. Of 49 stocks overfished for at least six years, 10 are in the South Atlantic, the report said...  Raleigh News & Observer.