1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



each set ot available data is unique in some way, the progress made towards resolving these 

 problems on the whole seems slow. 



Pacific sand lance, Pacific 

 Northwest. 



Not onlv is each situation uniqtie, but the forces giving rise to the problems also seem 

 to grow over time. Ever intensifying fishing effort and deployment of more powerful and 

 sophisticated fishing gear and electronic flsh-fniding equipment have resulted in gross over- 

 capacity and overfishing of resources that were previously considered to be at near-optimal 

 exploitation. The increasing demand for fishery products or for the fishing experience in- 

 creases the pressure on LMR's constantly. Urbanization of coastal zones and population 

 growth also put continuously increasing pressure on the nearshore habitats that many spe- 

 cies depend on as nursery areas. Long-term impacts from causes such as global warming 

 and biophysical changes to ecosystems will likely also affect many LMR's in ways that are 

 difficult to forecast. 



The available scientific information and the ability to implement and enforce effec- 

 tive management regulations have been, in many cases, insufficient to manage LMR's at 

 their maximum potential without incurring significant conservation risks. In the face of 

 such uncertainty, fishing should be allowed to proceed conservatively, setting aside part of 

 the resource potential as insurance against unknown risks. But the many increasing pres- 

 sures acting upon LMR's have given rise to unduK' favoring short-term economic gain at 

 the expense of long-term sustainable utilization, hi fact, in the face of uncertainty, fishing 

 has generally proceeded less conservatively. 



Lhis situation began to be reversed in the early l^^O's, when FMP's were required to 

 contain measurable definitions of overfishing, a conservation threshold or limit to be avoided 

 irrespective of any short-term considerations. Today, FMP's are required to make the defi- 

 nitions of overfishing consistent with avoiding fishing levels higher than those that support 

 MSY. If adequately implemented, the new requirements should result in immediate ac- 

 tions to eliminate overfishing, rebuild depleted stocks, and prevent other stocks from be- 

 coming overfished. However, it is important to realize that stock rebuilding will be slow in 

 many cases, perhaps of the order of a generation or more for some species. 



Parallel to strengthened management measures, there is a need for strengthened sci- 

 ence: If more is known about a stock and the effects of fishing upon it, then it becomes 

 possible to tine-tune its management and protect the stock with less need for conservatism. 



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