Support Smarter Management of Pacific Fisheries, Starting with Forage
Smarter management of our ocean fisheries is on the horizon. In April, the Pacific Fishery Management Council adopted a Fishery Ecosystem Plan. A typical fishery management plan looks at species individually, like puzzle pieces. But, the Fishery Ecosystem Plan will examine the complete fishery puzzle and how species interact and rely on each other. The Council will use this information to promote a more resilient fishery.
As part of the Plan, each year, the Council will prepare a Report on the State of the California Current Ecosystem Report. In order to get the most out of this Report, the Council should incorporate ecosystem indicators. These should include the status of forage fish populations and major predators like sharks and marine mammals. Indicators help us determine whether our ocean is healthy or in jeopardy so that we can make informed management decisions.
Forage fish are the staple food source for marine mammals, seabirds and predatory fish. Robust forage populations provide the safety net needed for other fish to flourish. A forage indicator will help the Council make decisions that fortify our ocean fisheries.
Thank Council members for adopting the Fishery Ecosystem Plan, and let them know that you want them to use forage fish as an indicator of ecosystem health.
Wild Oceans, founded in 1973 as the National Coalition for Marine Conservation or NCMC, is dedicated to bringing fishermen and environmentalists together to make sure there will always be plenty of fish in the sea. The non-profit organization's programs emphasize conserving the ocean's top predators - the big billfish, swordfish, tunas and sharks that are the lions and tigers of the sea – while preserving healthy ocean food webs and critical habitats essential to the survival of all fish, marine mammals and seabirds. Learn more at www.wildoceans.org.
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