1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



China rockflsh. North Pa 

 cific Ocean. 



Resource Conservation and Utilization by the Fishery 



The priman' concern oi hsher\- management is conservation — the protection and 

 wise use ot the Nation's Hving marine resources. Management strategies must consider 

 which stocks are overutiHzed and too low to produce LI FY. lable 3 indicates that 46% ot 

 the stocks under NMFS purview, whose status is known (73 out oi 1 58 stock groups), are 

 below the abundance levels that would produce IH PY. Similar compilations indicate that 

 34% of the stocks (54 out of 160 stock groups) are t)verutili/.ed (Table 4). 



The list of stocks that are overutilized or below the levels required to produce LIPY 

 includes some of otir most valuable fishery resources, such as New England groundfish, 

 Atlantic sea scallops, several pelagic highly migratory fish stocks (incltiding Atlantic bluefin 

 tuna and swordfish), some Pacific salmon stocks, some rockfish off Alaska, and Alaska king 

 crab. Many nearshore stocks (including several ovster populations, bay scallops, abalones, 

 and Pacific striped bass) are also overutilized. 



The Northeast Region presents the worst case ot overutilized stocks (Tibles 3 and 4). 

 C]od, haddock, and yellowtail tlounder, historically the most important groundfish species 

 on Georges Bank off New England, are presentK' among the most depleteci stocks in U.S. 

 ters. By 1994, the Georges Bank haddock and yellowtail flounder stocks had collapsed, 

 nd Georges Bank cod was in danger of collapse. Restrictive controls on fisiiing etiort, and 

 closure of large areas on Cieorges Bank, have been implemented to reduce fishing mortality, 

 and haddock and yellowtail flounder stocks are now improving.^ 



Examples of resource overutilization can also be found in all other regions. In some 

 cases, like Pacific salmon, the main causes for their decline appear to be changing ocean 

 conditions and habitat alterations, although intense fishing pressure from competing user 

 groups has exacerbated the problem. Other stocks are disproportionately impacted by fish- 

 ing owing to their low numbers in relation to more abundant target species. 



wa 

 a 



"On (ieorgcs B,ink, the sp.iwning-stoi;k binni.iss iit li.Rldnck is LiirrentU' .ibout onc-liiiirch to nnc-tliirJ nf the 

 historical average. I he spawning-stock biomass ot yellowtail lloiinder has reboumleLl to its highest level since 

 197.5. 



40 



