New Mandates for Improving the Management of Marine Fisheries in the United States

1. Mike Baird New Mandates for Improving the Management of Marine Fisheries in the United States Alan Risenhoover, Director NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries

2. Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) • Governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters • Enacted in 1976 • Amended in 1996 and 2007 (MSRA) • Original Goals • Conserve and manage U.S. fisheries • Phase out foreign fishing, develop domestic capacity • Provide stakeholders a role in management (Councils)

3. Goals of 1996 Amendments • Achieve optimum yield (OY) in all fisheries • Social, economic, and ecological considerations • End overfishing • Rebuild overfished fisheries • Minimize bycatch • Protect fisheries habitat

4. Goals of 2007 Amendments (MSRA) • End and prevent overfishing • Improve science and its role in decision-making • Promote market-based management approaches • Promote international cooperation to address IUU fishing and bycatch of protected living marine resources

5. Status of U.S. Fisheries:Where are we now?

6. Overfishing – Rate of harvest is unsustainable. Left alone, leads to overfished stocks Overfished – Stock size has fallen below a sustainable level What is the difference?

7. Stocks “Subject to Overfishing” (43) – as of 3rd quarter 2007 • New England: • Cod – Gulf of Maine • Cod – Georges Bank • Yellowtail flounder – Georges Bank • Yellowtail flounder – Southern New England/Middle Atlantic • Yellowtail flounder – Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine • White Hake • Winter Flounder – Georges Bank • Winter Flounder – Southern New England/Middle Atlantic • Pacific: • Petrale sole • Yellowfin Tuna – Eastern Pacific • Mid-Atlantic: • Summer flounder • Scup • Highly Migratory • Species: • Blue Marlin – Atlantic • White Marlin – Atlantic • Sailfish – West Atlantic • Bigeye Tuna – Atlantic • Albacore – North Atlantic • Bluefin Tuna – West Atlantic • Sandbar Shark • Finetooth Shark • Dusky Shark • South Atlantic: • Vermilion Snapper • Red Snapper • Snowy Grouper • Golden Tilefish • Red Grouper • Black Sea Bass • Gag • Black Grouper • Speckled Hind • Warsaw Grouper • *Red Drum • Pacific and Western Pacific • Bigeye Tuna – Pacific • Gulf of Mexico: • Red Snapper • Greater Amberjack • Gag • Gray Triggerfish • Western Pacific • Bottomfish Multi-Species Complex – Hawaiian Archipelago • Caribbean: • Snapper Unit 1 • Grouper Unit 1 • Grouper Unit 4 • Queen Conch • *Parrotfishes Note: * indicates non-FSSI stock

8. Overfished Stocks (47) – as of 3rd quarter 2007 • New England: • Cod – Gulf of Maine • Cod – Georges Bank • Haddock – Gulf of Maine • Haddock – Georges Bank • American Plaice • Yellowtail flounder – Georges Bank • Yellowtail flounder – Southern New England/Middle Atlantic • Yellowtail flounder – Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine • White Hake • Windowpane Flounder – Southern New England/Middle Atlantic • Winter Flounder – Southern New England/Middle Atlantic • Ocean Pout • Atlantic Halibut • Winter skate • Thorny skate • *Atlantic Salmon • New England/ • Mid Atlantic: • Monkfish – North • Monkfish – South • North Pacific: • Blue King Crab – Pribilof Islands • Blue King Crab – Saint Matthews Island • Pacific: • Bocaccio • Darkblotched Rockfish • Cowcod • Yelloweye Rockfish • Highly Migratory • Species: • Blue Marlin – Atlantic • White Marlin – Atlantic • Sailfish – West Atlantic • Bigeye Tuna – Atlantic • Albacore – North Atlantic • Bluefin Tuna – West Atlantic • Sandbar Shark • Porbeagle Shark • Dusky Shark • Mid-Atlantic: • Summer Flounder • Scup • Butterfish (Atlantic) • South Atlantic: • Pink shrimp • Snowy grouper • Black Sea Bass • Red Porgy • Gulf of Mexico: • Red Snapper • Greater Amberjack • Western Pacific • Seamount Groundfish Complex – Hancock Seamount • Caribbean: • Grouper Unit 1 • Grouper Unit 2 • Grouper Unit 4 • Queen Conch Note: * indicates non-FSSI stock Blue = stocks also “subject to overfishing”

9. Domestic Provisions of MSRA

10. End and Prevent Overfishing Annual Catch Limits • Set at limits “such that overfishing does not occur” • May not exceed recommendations of Councils’ scientific committees (SSCs) • Accountability • Required for stocks currently undergoing overfishing by 2010; all other stocks in 2011

11. Promote Market-Based Approaches • Additional management tool • Transferable permit specifying the amount of catch a privilege holder may harvest • Goals: rebuild overfished stocks, reduce overcapacity, promote safety • Seek to provide social and economic benefits • Allocations must be “fair and equitable” and prevent acquisition of excessive shares

12. Improve Science for Management Recreational Fisheries Data • New program to improve the collection, analysis, and use of recreational fisheries data • Registry of recreational fishermen

13. Improve Science for Management (cont.) • Stronger role for scientific and statistical committees • Enhanced review of scientific information • New regional pilot programs for ecosystem research • New Research Programs • Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program • Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program • Cooperative Research and Management Program

14. Required new Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program Additional authority for Councils and NOAA to designate zones to protect corals from damage from fishing gear Deep sea coral habitats are biologically diverse, fragile, and a U.S. priority for protection Deep Sea Corals in MSRA

15. The State of Deep Coral Ecosystems of the United States • Released December 10, 2007. • Basis of upcoming Report to Congress (January 2008) • Highlights deep coral • distribution and ecology • threats they face, and • U.S. conservation actions • Addresses MSRA requirement to “identify existing research on and known locations of deep sea corals”

16. Bycatch Reduction • A new Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program • Incentives to reduce bycatch, seabird interactions, and post-release mortality • Coordination on seabird interactions • Annual report to Congress (starting 2009)

17. Bycatch Reduction Research Example • To reduce interactions of sharks with fishing gear, research on Electropositive (E+) metals: • E+ metals react with seawater, producing large electric fields, unlike inert metals such as lead. • Large electric fields may disrupt the electric sense of sharks, making them avoid bait associated with E+ metal alloys.

18. NEPA-MSA Streamlining • Requires revised Agency procedures for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to: • conform to the timelines for review and approval of fishery management actions • integrate environmental analytical procedures and time frames for public input • The Secretary must work with the Regional Councils and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)

19. Other Provisions • Strengthens conflict of interest rules for Councils • Improve fisheries enforcement through state and federal cooperation • Address impacts to fisheries and fishing communities from recent hurricanes

20. International Provisions

21. International Fisheries & Protected Living Marine Resources Actions must be taken to: • Address international overfishing • Reduce bycatch of protected living marine resources (LMRs) • Strengthen international organizations with fisheries management oversight • Combat illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing • Promote improved monitoring and compliance of international fisheries

22. Biennial Report to Congress • Must include: • Status of international living marine resources (LMRs) • Identify nations whose vessels engage in IUU fishing or bycatch of protected LMRs • Identify measures taken by nations or international fishery management organizations to end IUU fishing or reduce bycatch of LMRs • Corrective actions taken or encouraged domestically or abroad

23. Identification of Nations • After identification, U.S. government will: • Notify nations of their identification and the Act’s requirements to address IUU fishing and bycatch • Initiate consultations with those nations • Notify relevant international organizations of U.S. actions to address IUU fishing • Seek international agreements to reduce bycatch

24. Certification Procedures • U.S. Commerce Secretary must certify whether corrective action has been taken • Nations must be notified and provided an opportunity to comment • Identified nations will receive either “positive” or “negative” certification

25. International Cooperation and Assistance • Support efforts to build capacity in other countries for fisheries management and enforcement • U.S. has supported workshops on: • Methods to prevent and mitigate incidental take of marine turtles, mammals, seabirds, and other resources • Marine mammal stranding response • Enforcement and preventing IUU fishing

26. Summary of the MSRA

27. Domestic Provisions • End and prevent overfishing • Additional fisheries management tools • Enhanced role for science in management

28. International Provisions • Opportunities and challenges to improve fisheries management globally • Multilateral process to address IUU fishing and bycatch • Requires our commitment to strengthen international fishery organizations and capacity building

29. Stay Informed:www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/