More than one-fifth of the world's most productive marine waters lies
within U.S. territorial waters where in 1994, commercial fishermen
brought to port l0.5 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, worth $3.8
billion. In addition. an estimated 17 million people enjoy marine
recreational fishing, landing almost 300 million pounds of fish each
year. Many more fish are caught and released as part of a nationwide angler
conservation program.
These vast fishery resources and their essential habitats can be
rapidly destroyed if harvest is not carefully controlled or their
important habitat goes unprotected. But with proper management,
healthy stocks can be maintained, and diminished fish populations can
be restored to bring greater wealth to the nation's coastal
communities. Fisheries that are sustainable over the long term allow
United States citizens to reap the greatest economic and social
benefit, including a continuing supply of high-quality seafood, and
recreational enjoyment.
Sound scientific research is the basis for sustainable fisheries. To
help ensure productive future harvests, NOAA Fisheries scientists
study the life history, stock size, and ecology of economically
important fishes, and the effects of climate and ocean processes on
their populations. This information is used by fisheries managers to
set annual quotas, or the amount of fish that can be harvested each
year.
Successes
- The collapsed striped bass fishery off the Atlantic coast has
recovered and widespread fishing is once again allowed.
- The Atlantic group of Spanish mackerel, heavily overfished, is
recovering, permitting larger commercial and recreational harvests.
- The agency's management of North Pacific groundfish has kept the
fishery the most productive and wealthiest in U.S. waters.
- The tuna and swordfish stocks fished in Western Pacific waters under
U.S. jurisdiction remain healthy and yield enormous returns to the
nation
- The agency has made significant progress to restore many depleted fish
stocks such as New England groundfish, Gulf of Mexico red snapper and
Atlantic bluefin tuna.
History
Future
