Preserve New England's 400-Year Industry and Bring an End to Overfishing

New England's groundfish fishery has driven the region's economy and culture for centuries. But today it is in serious trouble. Decades of overfishing and mismanagement have led to severe declines in fish populations, continued restrictions on fishing effort, decreases in revenue, and the loss of our traditional fishing fleet.

With the support of forward-thinking commercial fishing organizations, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is developing a new approach called sectors to replace the current failed fishery management system. Sectors are community-based, fishermen run co-ops. Sectors follow three simple guidelines:

They implement science-based catch limits to promote rebuilding of fish populations and prevent overfishing;
They incorporate monitoring so fishermen and regulators know exactly how much is being caught so that fishing stops once catch limits have been reached; and
They are allocated their own share of the annual catch limit; while respecting catch limits, sectors provide fishermen with the flexibility to set their own fishing guidelines so they can run their businesses more efficiently and profitably.

On June 23-25, federal fisheries managers will vote on adopting sector management and annual catch limits for the groundfish fishery.

We need your help to make sure the National Marine Fisheries Service and NEFMC knows that the public supports sector management and annual catch limits that hold all fishermen accountable for their catch.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: DEIS Amendment 16

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to ask you and your agency to take immediate action to end overfishing and help restore New England's historic groundfish fishery. Groundfish stocks have been undergoing fishing for decades, with overall groundfish abundance at only one-third the level needed to support healthy and sustainable populations.

By implementing sector management, the NMFS and NEFMC can take an important step to successfully end and prevent overfishing in New England and rebuild depleted groundfish populations.

However, for this new management system to work, it will require that all vessels, whether participating in a sector or not, adhere to the same rules on how much fish can be sustainably taken from the ocean.

I strongly recommend that the following measures be adopted and implemented across the entire groundfish fleet by 2010:

1. Science-based annual catch limits on all managed fish stocks

2. Strong accountability measures that ensure fishing ceases once limits are reached and that correct overages if they occur

3. A comprehensive monitoring and reporting system that provides accurate estimates on all fish caught (landings and discards of all species)

Full implementation of these measures will not only bring groundfish management into compliance with the new requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act but will also help create a fair and level playing field for all groundfish fishermen.

You and the Council have worked tirelessly to develop effective sector management in the New England groundfish fishery. I hope you will protect the investments of sector members and strengthen their ability to work together by ensuring all the above measures are adopted for all groundfish vessels by 2010.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 28, 2009

Background Information

Background

New England's original economy was built on cod, yet today, marine fisheries in New England are among the most depleted and poorly managed fisheries in the nation. Because of their historical importance, however, New England's fishing industry has had a disproportionate political significance, heavily influencing national fisheries policies set by Congress.

Overfishing continues on 13 depleted groundfish stocks, including signature species such as Atlantic cod and many of the flounders - restaurant favorites .

Bycatch, fish caught unintentionally while targeting another species, is poorly monitored, largely unlimited, and results in enormous quantities of dead fish being dumped overboard.

These problems worsen every year because the National Marine Fisheries Service has refused to set catch and bycatch limits, instead relying on input controls — limiting time at sea and how much fish can be kept per trip. This has led to dramatic declines in fish stocks and revenue and fishermen leaving the industry.

The Near Future

There is hope on the horizon: for fishing year 2010, the New England Fishery Management Council is planning to implement a new management system called sector allocation, which operates on three simple premises:

It implements science-based catch limits to rebuild fish populations and prevent overfishing.
It incorporates monitoring so fishermen and regulators know exactly how much fish is being caught, and as a result, fishing stops once catch limits have been reached.
It establishes community-based, fishermen-run co-ops, called sectors. Each sector receives its own share of the annual catch. While respecting catch limits, the co-ops provide fishermen with the flexibility to set their own fishing guidelines so they can run their businesses more efficiently and profitably.