Menhaden, 



1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Althoiit;h muLh progress has been made towards eliminating tlie killing ot sea turtles 

 in shrimp and summer flounder trawl gear, there continues to be a problem from longlines, 

 driftnets, and gillnets from other fisheries. 



RECENT TRENDS 



Successive editions of ()t(r Living Oceans have sought to maintain consistency in the 

 way stocks are classified and in the way data are reported, and therefore to provide a basis 

 for examining overall trends in the degree of utilization of fishers' resources. An examina- 

 tion of recent trends is presented here by comparing the data reported in OI.O '92 and 

 OLO '99. Since these editions generally pertain to stock status averaged over 1988-90 and 

 1995-97, respectively, the comparisons provide Mt idea of trends over a 7- to 9-year time 

 frame. Readers wishing to obtain more detailed accounting of iiiterannual changes for 

 stocks of interest should refer to the reference sources listed at the end of each unit. 



Stock Level Status and Degree of Utilization 



The degree of fishery utilization (underutilized, lull}- utilized, or o\-erutilized) shows 

 liow the level of fishing effort exerted on the resource compares to the level necessary to 

 achieve LTI-'Y. In general, management actions should seek to prevent changes that would 

 cause the utilization level to worsen (go from uncferutilized or fiilK' tuilized to o\-eruti- 

 lized), and should encourage changes that would reverse overutilization (go from overuti- 

 lized to fully utilized or underutilized). By 1999 (not counting nearshore resources for 

 which NMFS does not have primar\' monitoring responsiliiiities), the status of 17 stocks 

 improved, changing from overutilized to full)' utilized (+Hi) or underutilized (+1) (Table 

 1 1 ). Those improving were pollock, yellovvtail tlounder, haddock, and redflsh in the North- 

 east Region; Spanish mackerel in the Clulf of Mexico and Atlantic (2 stocks); Atlantic 

 menhacfen; pink, brown and white shrimp in the (lulf of Mexico and Adantic (6 stocks); 

 pink, sockeye, and chum salmon oii the Pacific C'oast; and albacore in the North Pacific. 

 Nine stocks experienced changes m the oppt)site direction, from under- or lulK' utilized lo 

 overutilized: red hake, spiny dogfish, silver hake, wmdowpane flounder, black sea bass, and 



' I he .Rtii.il m.inagcnicnt .ictions taken by the r(.t;iiin,ii lislicrv ni.ui.igciiKiu lihiikiK .nc hnkLiI ni their own 

 technical dehnitions ot t)\erfislinig aiul oNerfishetl st.uus, uhieli do noi al\\'.i\^ eotresponel lo ihe fishery 

 iitili'/ation and Moek level status used in Our i irni" Oiiiiih. 



30 



