Here is an article of interest I wanted to show all of you blog followers. The article written by the Pew Environment Group, and it discusses the work of The Pacific Fishery Management Council; which is based in Portland, Oregon. The council will meet this week to discuss their Draft Fishery Ecosystem Plan.
By PETER BAKER AND PAUL SHIVELY
Sometimes
the environmental challenges facing our oceans seem so large that it's
hard to know where to start solving them. Changes in climate,
degradation of habitat and rising demand to feed an ever-growing world
population are just a few of the daunting ocean-related problems our
nation faces.
Over the past several months, however, a collection of
conservationists, anglers and others have come together to urge federal
policymakers to safeguard the array of species that serve as the
foundation for a healthy marine ecosystem. And, to their credit,
regional fishery managers on both coasts heeded the message these
advocates delivered: If we want to protect the oceans, it makes sense to
start small.
Species such as menhaden, sardines and herring - commonly known as
forage fish - are the lifeblood of a healthy ocean. Swimming together in
dense schools, these oil-rich fish feed on microscopic plants and
animals and then become nourishment for larger wildlife as a crucial
link in the marine food web. These fish account for more than one-third
of all ocean species caught around the world. But unlike catches of cod
or tuna, most of the forage fish that is caught is not consumed by
people.
Take menhaden, for example. Giant schools once ranged along the
Atlantic coast, feeding whales and seabirds and commercially important
fish. But menhaden populations have plummeted 90 percent in just the
past 25 years and remain at a record low. Despite their declining
numbers, hundreds of millions of menhaden are still hauled in and ground
up to be used in fertilizer, pet and livestock feed, and dietary
supplements for people.
This removal of forage fish can have significant impacts on coastal
ecosystems. Studies have found that the amount of menhaden in the diets
of striped bass, ospreys and bluefish has declined. And on the Pacific
coast, the decrease of forage fish has been linked to diminished salmon
runs, losses in seabird populations, and the unnecessary death of marine
mammals. In fact, in 2009 scientists documented 80 percent mortality
among pups in a population of sea lions off the coast of California when
females left them for a week at a time in search of food.
According to a report issued this year by a panel of 13 eminent ocean
scientists, forage fish are twice as valuable left in the water as they
are caught in a net because of the vital role they play as food for
commercially valuable predators such as tuna and cod. In other words,
it's important for federal fishery managers to ensure that there are
enough of them to feed everything else in the sea.
That's why conservation and fishing organizations - including the Pew
Environment Group - have urged the federal government to step up
protection of forage species in the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the
Atlantic, we are calling on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration to follow the expressed will of regional fishery councils
and implement new protections for menhaden and river herring. And on
the West Coast, we are asking NOAA officials to fulfill the Pacific
Fishery Management Council's June commitment to forestall fishing for
certain forage species until there is proof that catching such forage
fish will not harm the overall ecosystem.
Even though the regional fishery councils endorsed these common-sense
objectives and earned broad public support, those commitments mean
nothing until NOAA implements the policies. Unfortunately, agency
officials have been slow to embrace the councils' direction.
America's oceans offer a tremendous economic asset and cultural legacy.
Whether you enjoy fishing on the water, eating a sumptuous seafood
meal, or watching whales and seabirds, all of these activities depend
upon a thriving and healthy marine ecosystem.
Forage fish nourish other wildlife and sustain important commercial and
recreational fisheries. If we're going to protect our oceans as a
whole, we must make sure that healthy populations of these smaller prey
species remain in the water to support the entire food web.
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ABOUT THE WRITERS
Peter Baker (pbaker@pewtrusts.org ) and Paul Shively (pshively@pewtrusts.org )
of the Pew Environment Group are both are avid anglers who work to
conserve fish in New England and along the West Coast, respectively.
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