Working on a sea change in New England's fishery management
Ocean health along the U.S. East coast
Atlantic cod has been a mainstay of the New England economy and an icon of regional culture since the early American colonies. Today, 14 of 20 groundfish populations are either overfished or experiencing overfishing, including dinnertime favorites cod and flounder, and this decline is hurting the region’s marine environment and economy. Our work in the region has helped change the way this fishery is managed so that fish populations can rebuild, and in turn, sustain a more productive fishing industry and stronger coastal economies.
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Analysis
Our Work
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Federal Managers Should Act to Reverse Decline of Vital Coastal Fish
Every spring, as part of an annual migration, river herring and shad on the East Coast leave the ocean and run up rivers to spawn. At sea, river herring and shad are food for valuable commercial species, including tuna and cod, as well as whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals. And in rivers, their spawning runs attract not only eagles, osprey, and striped bass but also recreational anglers. Read More
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Atlantic Herring on Fishery Managers’ Agenda
In the coming months, the New England Fishery Management Council will make big decisions about Atlantic herring—a key source of food for many of the region’s popular marine species, including cod, striped bass, puffins, bluefin tuna, and humpback whales—and your voice will be essential to ensuring that the council makes the best choices for the health of our wildlife and coastal... Read More
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New England Fishery Council Votes to Protect Deep-Sea Corals
Less than 100 miles off the New England coast, the seafloor begins to drop steeply, transitioning to a rich deep-sea ecosystem that supports a diverse array of marine life. Slow-growing corals are the vital foundation of that productive offshore habitat—and today the New England Fishery Management Council passed a measure to protect more than 25,000 square miles of the deep-sea floor from... Read More
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Collection
The Magnuson-Stevens Act at 40
Reasons major U.S. fishing law should shift to big picture management