STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE 



19 



NMFS has developed a "Strategic Plan for 

 the Conservation and Wise (Jse of 

 America's Living Marine Resource." It ad- 

 dresses the concerns discussed above. 

 The plan is a fundamental departure from 

 the approaches of the past. In particular, it 

 calls for: 



1) Risk-averse decisions in the face of 

 uncertainty (i.e., erring on the side of con- 

 servation, not resource depletion); 



2) Reduction of uncertainty by greatly 

 expanding the scientific information base 

 upon which decisions are based; 



3) Controlled access to fisheries to re- 

 duce the tendency toward excess fishing 

 capacity, economic waste, conflicts be- 



tween user groups, and industry pressure 

 to make "risk-prone" decisions; 



4) Development of more selective fishing 

 practices to reduce bycatch; and 



5) Implementation of a cohesive strat- 

 egy, built on all applicable legislative au- 

 thorities, to protect and restore the quality 

 of the environments supporting LMR's. 



For the plan to be successful, NMFS will 

 need the cooperation of all those who use 

 and benefit from the ocean's living marine 

 resources. It will also need the support of 

 all Americans concerned about the conser- 

 vation and wise use of our common ocean 

 heritage. 



