Little Forage Fish Make a Big Difference on the Pacific Coast

The Pacific Fish Conservation program is asking the Pacific Fishery Management Council to ban fishing on currently unmanaged species of forage fish, such as smelt, saury and sandlance. These fish play a critical role in marine ecosystems, because they feed off plankton before becoming food for predators including marine mammals, sea birds and predator fish. The Pew Environment Group's Paul Shively and Steve Marx explain why everyone benefits from protecting these species.