A new report highlights the success, and challenges, of fisheries management.
Brian Handwerk
Surf fishermen try their luck for bluefish off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Photograph by Tyrone Turner, National Geographic
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]wo-thirds of the closely monitored U.S. fish species once devastated by overfishing have bounced back in a big way thanks to management plans instituted 10 to 15 years ago, a new study says. And fish aren’t the only ones celebrating. Recovering populations can mean more revenue and jobs for some fishermen—but unfortunately success hasn’t been universal.
Authors of a new Natural Resources Defense Council report said the results prove that critically overfished species can be rebuilt, even from very low levels, when Mother Nature is given a chance to recover. That’s good news in a world where rampant overfishing is a critical concern.
“This demonstrates that when we trace the historic arch of these fisheries in which rebuilding requirements were put in place 15 years ago, we see real positive news. We see populations that were depleted or in decline turned around and rebuilt or well on their way to rebuilding,” said principal author Brad Sewell.
