INTRODUCTION 



OUR LIVING 

 MARINE RESOURCES 



The living marine resources (LMR's) of the 

 United States are an extremely valuable 

 heritage. In recent years, the marine Fishing 

 industries, both seafood and recreation, 

 and allied enterprises have contributed 

 over $24 billion annually to the U.S. 

 economy. In addition, the opportunity to 

 fish recreationally adds to the quality of life 



for about 17 million Americans. Also, there 

 are economic benefits from subsistence 

 fishing, aquaculture, and recreational 

 viewing (e.g., whale watching) industries, 

 as well as the intangible assets accruing 

 from the protection of marine mammals 

 and endangered species. 



OLDEST FEDERAL 



CONSERVATION 



COMMISSION 



Spencer F. Baird was named the 

 Nation's first Commissioner of 

 Fish and Fisheries in 1871. 



It has long been recognized that conserva- 

 tion and wise use of LMR's require a sound 

 scientific basis. In 1 87 1 , the U.S. Congress 

 established the (J.S. Commission of Fish 

 and Fisheries, predecessor of the NMFS, 

 "... to investigate the reasons for the de- 

 cline in coastal fish stocks off southern 

 New England and to recommend correc- 

 tive measures . . . ." From its inception, 

 the Commission made broad scientific ad- 

 vances in marine biology and oceanogra- 

 phy, building on the vision of its first 

 Commissioner, Spencer F. Baird, an emi- 



nent scientist and also Secretary of the 

 Smithsonian Institution. Today, NMFS car- 

 ries on a 120-year tradition of scientific 

 service to the Nation; however, its mission 

 is more complex than ever. 



In the last 20 years, NMFS' responsibili- 

 ties have increased exponentially as a re- 

 sult of more than 100 legislative acts and 

 international conventions and treaties. 

 NMFS now has management responsibil- 

 ity for most (J.S. living marine resources. 

 In particular, the Agency is responsible for: 

 1) Conservation and management of the 

 fishery resources in the 200-mile (J.S. Ex- 

 clusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the 

 Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and 

 Management Act (Magnuson Act) and 2) 



protection of marine mammals and threat- 

 ened and endangered species under the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) 

 and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 

 respectively. The Magnuson Act estab- 

 lished eight Regional Fishery Management 

 Councils (Councils) which are partners 

 with NMFS in the preparation of Fisheries 

 Management Plans (FMP's). The Councils 

 and FMP's are listed in Appendix 2. 



NMFS prepares many specialized scien- 

 tific reports (about 800 in 1 990) to support 

 Federal management responsibilities and 

 its scientific mission. This national report 

 has the broader purpose of disseminating 

 current information on the status of U.S. 

 LMR's to those interested in it. It can be 

 viewed as a "report card" on how well the 

 Nation is fulfilling its stewardship responsi- 

 bility. In this sense, its intent is analogous 

 to Thomas Jefferson's first report to Con- 

 gress (see Foreword), written two centuries 

 ago. 



This report is presented in three major 

 sections, and the first, which includes this 

 Introduction, provides an overview of the 

 status of LMR's. Additionally, it discusses 

 several issues of national concern (e.g., 

 bycatch, overutilization, etc.) that apply to 

 many (J.S. fisheries. It also provides some 

 background on the scientific content of the 

 remainder of the report. The second sec- 

 tion reviews in greater detail the status of 

 our living marine resources in 24 separate 

 units. These Unit Synopses describe spe- 

 cies that are linked geographically, ecolog- 

 ically, and/or by characteristics of their 

 harvesting operations. Appendices, the 

 third section, list contributing authors and 

 editors, Regional Fishery Management 

 Councils and Fishery Management Plans, 

 and the scientific and common names of 

 the species covered in this report. 



