73 



Investing in Fisheries 



Restoring Our Fisheries Heritage 



OUK NATIO^'s fishery re- 

 sources, which are a vital, 

 integral part of our eco- 

 nomic, cultural, and 

 environmental heritage, are being 

 seriously jeopardized. Many significant 

 fisheries have declined or disappeared 

 in recent years, resulting in severe 

 biological, social, and economic hard- 

 ships. Harvest levels for some species 

 are currently 10 percent of the long-term 

 average yield and only 1 percent of 

 historical high yields. Almost 30 percent 

 of native freshwater fish species found 

 in North America are listed as threat- 

 ened, endangered, or sensitive, includ- 

 ing the desert pupfish, Lahontan and 

 Apache trout, and Atlantic and shortnose 

 sturgeons. Examples of depleted marine 

 stocks include American shad, striped 

 bass, a growing number of shark 

 species, and groundfush populations of 

 cod, haddock and flounder. Many 

 species of Atlantic and Pacific salmon, 

 once a symbol of America's rich natural 

 heritage, have been drastically reduced; 

 two stocks are extinct, two are listed as 

 endangered, and five are officially 

 proposed for federal listing as endan- 

 gered or threatened. 



Causes of these declines vary, but 

 overharvest and habitat destruction are 

 chief factors. Overharvest is largely a 

 produa of underfunded, tradition-bound 

 government agencies that manage 

 reactively, rather than proactively — and 

 then only in response to drastic popula- 

 tion declines. Although habitat degrada- 

 tion and watershed loss are widespread 

 and serious contributors to declining 

 fisheries, they rarely receive adequate 

 attention In addition, pollution and 

 toxic contamination have resulted in 

 poor spawning success, disease, stress, 

 and reduced survival rates for both early 

 life stages and adult fish species. 

 In 1992, the National Fish and 

 Wildlife Foundation's Fisheries Conser- 

 vation and Management Initiative was 

 substantially expanded to address the 



growing crisis in the nation's marine and 

 inland fisheries. An extensive three-year 

 plan was developed to target areas 

 where we will focus our efforts. In order 

 to meet the goal of revitalizing America's 

 fisheries, the program was designed to 

 build on past Foundation successes. It 

 also operates on the belief that fishery 

 resources are renewable and sustainable 

 and can best benefit from active partner- 

 ships between the private and public 



and — the single most important issue — 

 reducing overharvest. 



In 1992, the Foundation awarded 

 $1,782,700 in challenge grants to 26 

 grantees to liind 32 fisheries projects. 

 Other donors matched these resources 

 at a 2 to 1 ratio by contributing 

 $3,546,820. Funded projects include 

 smdying the Gulf of California's endan- 

 gered vaquita, creating underwater 

 habitat in Arizona's Lake Havasu, 



sectors. Finally, the program is guided 

 by three primary principles: develop 

 public-private partnerships, support 

 innovative management regimes, and 

 focus on ecosystem-based management. 



To address freshwater fisheries. 

 Foundation efforts target such key issues 

 as water rights, nonpoint source pollu- 

 tion, riparian restoration, and the 

 management of entire watersheds and 

 river lengths. For coastal fisheries, we 

 focus on reducing habitat loss and 

 restoring ecologically significant habitats. 

 The critical issues in revitalizing marine 

 fisheries are the reduction of bycatch 

 and waste, broadened enforcement. 



The "Wild Atlantic" is captured in a 

 print and poster by artist Nils Obelfor the 

 Foundation. 



determining population densities of 

 North Atlantic humpback whales in the 

 West Indies, evaluating protection efforts 

 for the Upper Colorado's endangered 

 fishes, enabling Mexican conservation 

 groups to be involved in Gulf of Califor- 

 nia conservation, and producing a wide 

 variety of educational materials on 

 fisheries issues and policies. 



Since launching its Fisheries Initiative, 

 the Foundation has been successful in 

 umting myriad parties with a stake in 



13 



