NOAA working to end over-fishing by 2010 </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 8:19 PM on Wednesday, February 21, 2007

NOAA working to end over-fishing by 2010

NOAA Fisheries Service has begun the process of developing new guidance to assist regional fishery management councils in developing measures to end over-fishing in all U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries by 2010. This deadline is a new requirement under the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2006. NOAA provides guidelines to facilitate consistent application of the law’s 10 national standards among the nation’s fishery managers. This action would modify the guidelines for National Standard 1 of the Act, also known as the “over-fishing standard.”

Over-fishing still occurs at various levels in 48 fisheries in U.S. waters, although NOAA states that it has significantly improved the situation in recent years. The highest priority in the MSA reauthorization was to strengthen the act to ensure an end to over-fishing. The U.S. Ocean Action Plan also called for expansion of market-based management systems, improved recreational data and the use of peer-reviewed science in resource management decisions. Initial funding for these activities is included in the 2008 budget request for NOAA Fisheries Service.

“The President is determined to stop over-fishing and rebuild the nation’s marine fisheries to sustainable levels to maximize their economic and environmental benefit to the nation,” Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service, said in a press statement. “We are pleased that Congress gave us new tools to end all over-fishing and we look forward to continued support in the 2008 budget process.”

To end over-fishing and prevent it from occurring in the future, the new law requires all fisheries to be regulated under annual catch limits, with accountability measures to ensure that catches do not exceed the limit. The new law also elevates the importance of following scientific advice in fishery management decisions, so the new guidelines for National Standard 1 will address the role of science in establishing annual harvest caps.

The public is offered this opportunity to discuss these issues and provide comment on how the nation can meet the law’s new mandates.

Upon consideration of public input that NOAA receives during this scoping period, the agency will develop a proposal for specific regulations, and then will hold another public comment period. The agency aims to finalize the modified National Standard 1 guidelines by the end of 2007.

An initial public scoping meeting will be held March 9, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at 1315 East-West Highway, Room 4527, Silver Spring, Md. Additional public scoping meetings will be set in the near future. Written comments may be emailed to annual.catch.limitDEIS@noaa.gov; faxed to (301) 713-1193; or mailed to Mark Millikin, NOAA/NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway; Silver Spring, MD 20910. The deadline for comments is April 2.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reopened the comment period for the Interim Final Rule for mandatory country of origin labeling for fish and shellfish covered commodities, or COOL.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Ser-vice reopened the comment period to request general comments on the costs and benefits of the IFR. Comments addressing implementation costs, maintenance costs, benefits and net economic impact are of special interest. Now that the IFR has been in effect since April 4, 2005, affected retailers and their suppliers should have considerable experience in complying with its requirements and the economic impacts associated with those practices. USDA will review the comments and information received as it promulgates a final rule for mandatory COOL for fish and shellfish.

Details of the comment period reopening were published in the Nov. 27, 2006, Federal Register. Comments may be sent via e-mail to cool@usda.gov; by mail to Country of Origin Labeling Program, Room 2607-S, Agricultural Marketing Service, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Stop 0254, Washington, DC 20250-0254; or by fax to (202) 720-1112, no later than Monday. Additional information on this and the COOL program can be found at http://www.ams.usda.gov/cool/.

Cristy Fry has commercial fished in Homer since 1978. She also designs and builds gear for the industry. She currently longlines for halibut and gillnets salmon in upper Cook Inlet aboard the F/V Realist. She can be reached at cristy-fry@excite.com.