The U.S. Fisheries Industry: Science-Based Fisheries Management

Colleen Coyne, Fisheries Program Coordinator for Food Export USA-Northeast, discusses how science-based conservation methods are helping the U.S. seafood industry promote responsible fisheries management.

Sustainable seafood is fish, shellfish, and shellfish that are harvested or farmed in a way that meets today’s needs while allowing species to reproduce, habitats to thrive, and productive ecosystems to be available for future generations. , refers to seaweed. Unfortunately, consumers sometimes have misconceptions about U.S. fishing practices.

As a global superpower with a vast coastline, there is a stereotype that the United States must employ a large factory fleet to capture what thrives on the ocean floor, or that the politics of the moment will undermine extraction regulations. . There must be no difference from the truth.

Seafood production in the United States is carefully monitored and managed using science-based preservation methods. For wild fisheries, fisheries management plans are developed by local fisheries management councils in a public process. Accountability and transparency are key factors.by law ⁽¹⁾, Congress must: “Considering the social and economic outcomes of fishing communities. Preventing overfishing. Rebuilding depleted stocks. Minimizing bycatch and interactions with protected species. Identifying critical fish habitats.” and protect you.” ⁽²⁾

Continuous monitoring is necessary to sustainably manage wild resources in ever-changing ocean conditions. Regularly conducting species richness and distribution surveys ensures that fisheries management actions and decisions are based on the best available science.

Wild capture fisheries in the United States are scientifically monitored, locally managed, and legally enforced based on 10 national sustainability standards. ⁽³⁾. Iconic American lobster and Atlantic scallop wild fisheries in the northeastern United States are great examples of how managing resources for sustainability can lead to sustainable returns.

Protecting the United States’ Wild American Lobster

The American lobster (Homarus americanus), also known as the Maine lobster, is a bottom-dwelling, solitary, territorial crustacean that periodically sheds its exoskeleton to grow. Lobsters molt 20 to 25 times (over 5 to 8 years) before reaching legal harvest size and sexual maturity. Maine is the nation’s largest lobster producing state. Fishing is usually done in small boats with a crew of two.

Law to protect lobster resources ^(Four)Regulations such as requiring minimum harvestable size and prohibiting the collection of egg-laying females began dating back to the early 1870s. Other storage methods include:

• Entry limits and trap number limits per vessel.
• Evacuation exit for youth.
• Ghost panels that biodegrade if the trap is lost at sea.
• V-shaped notches are applied to the tail feathers of egg-laying females before they are returned to the sea, creating an easily recognizable mark that remains for up to two molts, protecting proven breeders from harvest.

Fisheries managers manage resources based on scientific data and operate fisheries effectively. Since 1963, surveys of American lobster abundance and distribution have been conducted every spring and fall throughout its range in the United States. The survey is also the world’s longest and most comprehensive standardized measure of trends in the distribution and abundance of commercially harvested seafood worldwide.

Management of scallop resources in the Atlantic Ocean

The U.S. Atlantic scallop fishery is another example of how important science is to managing this resource. Video and still camera images have brought a new level of accuracy and accuracy to scallop abundance estimates. In collaboration with the commercial scallop industry, scientists regularly conduct video surveys of the entire scallop resource (approximately 60,000 km2 of the ocean floor). This is the world’s largest video survey of the ocean floor.

Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) are managed using an approach that combines labor limitations (limits on sailing days and crew size) and rotation of harvest areas, which allows young scallops to You can maximize your scallop yield while protecting your layers. By rotating fishing grounds for five years at a time, scallop harvesters are able to take advantage of scallops’ natural rapid growth between the third and fifth years of life, when they more than double in weight. can. By waiting, the scallop harvester produces more meat per shell, resulting in a more profitable product.

Successful management of scallop stocks has enabled more profitable fishing, reducing the average time of individual fishing trips and allowing fishing vessels to meet their catch quotas faster. . Changing gear to increase selection trends toward larger scallops has helped improve yields, reduce waste, and minimize bycatch of other species. The fishery currently boasts the largest harvest in history, making it the largest and most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. ^(Five).

The U.S. lobster and Atlantic scallop fisheries are global examples of how protecting natural resources creates sustainable profitability and ensures a safe seafood supply for future generations. .

References

1. https://thesustainabilityalliance.us/magnuson-stevens-fisheries-management-conservation-act/
2. https://courses.lsa.umich.edu/healthy-oceans/group-2/group-2-sub-1/
3. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/national-standard-guidelines
4. Fishing failures and successes in the Gulf of Maine: Lobster and groundfish management, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/2212-9790-13-8
5. Atlantic Scallops: A Fisheries Success Story, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5c7e77ff4db0464bb2ea598e766b9764