Don’t Risk Overfishing and Our Ocean Legacy

A proposed rule from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if finalized, would weaken U.S. fisheries management and undermine our nation’s legacy of preventing overfishing and creating healthier oceans.

The rule, known as the National Standard 1 guidelines, provides direction to regional fisheries managers on carrying out the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the nation’s primary ocean fishing law. As proposed, the rule will:

• Make overfishing more likely.
• Allow the continuation of flawed and ineffective rebuilding plans.
• Deny vulnerable fish populations the conservation measures they need.

The proposed rule also misses a critical opportunity to advance a big-picture approach to fisheries management that recognizes fish as part of the larger ocean environment.

In June, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted comments on ways to fix the rule, and more than 100,000 Americans joined us in voicing their concern about how it was written.

Read more about NOAA’s proposed rule in the Lowering the Bar brief, and learn why we need big-picture fisheries management. View our comment letter here.