Healthy oceans and productive fisheries are crucial for the future of our planet, the survival of our species, and the prosperity of our country. Learn why effective management of U.S. federal fisheries is critical for the long-term conservation of our oceans.
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By any objective measure, the coastal migratory population of Atlantic striped bass has fallen on hard times. In Maryland, the juvenile abundance index (JAI), which has gauged the success of each year’s spawn since 1957, was 2.0 in 2024, far below its long-term average of 11.0. It was the sixth consecutive year of spawning failure […]
Indigenous collaborative co-stewardship will drive management For National Marine Sanctuary Day, the Marine Fish Conservation Network celebrates its newest addition: the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary! On October 11, NOAA announced America’s 17th national marine sanctuary, Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The first Tribally nominated national marine sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles of coastal and […]
This article was originally published in the Wild Oceans Horizon Summer 2024 newsletter and is reprinted with permission. In the Winter 2008 edition of our newsletter, then called the NCMC Marine Bulletin, we published a story titled “River Herring Disappearing”. In this article, we suggested that at-sea bycatch was the likely culprit for the disappearance […]
National Seafood Month has arrived, and we have much to celebrate across America, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. Our region is blessed with an abundance of seafood, from the salmon, halibut, and spot prawns harvested wild in Alaska to sustainably farmed manila clams, oysters and geoduck from Washington. The varieties are endless and the […]
Some words bring very clear pictures to mind. In a fisheries context, the word ‘bycatch’ evokes images of industrial-scale commercial fisheries, where miles-long pelagic longlines take an unintended toll of sharks, billfish, and even marine mammals, while factory trawlers sweep the ocean floor with vast nets that scoop up anything that happens to lie, crawl, […]
The Marine Fish Conservation Network is a coalition of commercial and recreational fishing associations, regional and national conservation groups, aquaria, sustainable seafood suppliers, and marine science organizations dedicated to sustaining abundant fish populations, healthy marine ecosystems, and thriving fishing communities through defending and strengthening U.S. ocean conservation policy, including our primary federal fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Learn more.
