Fisheries managers are finally paying attention to forage fish, the myriad species of small fish, squid and crustaceans that the predators need to survive. At the federal level, the Pacific Fishery Management Council got the ball rolling with its Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1: Protecting Unfished and Unmanaged Forage Fish Species. That Amendment would prevent the […]
Well, it’s official, what I had suspected might happen in the future, is actually already underway: the strong possibility of a collapse of the very base of the food chain. Reading this article in the Seattle Times made me realize I’m already behind the curve. Now being a former full-time (now part-time) fishing guide and […]
Some good indications that things may be on an upswing, but it certainly isn’t time to loosen the reins I hesitate to say it’s over, because for a lot of us along the striper coast, to say such a thing would be blasphemy! Yeah, “it ain’t over till it’s over,” but for sure, most of […]
On Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine, cod stocks have collapsed. A stock assessment update released in October 2015 found that the Gulf of Maine stock was experiencing a fishing mortality rate five times the sustainable level, while abundance had fallen to just 5% of the biomass target. The Georges Bank stock is […]
This blog post appears as part of our “Focus on Forage Fish” series, which highlights the importance of managing prey species for ocean ecosystems. For those who think allocating Atlantic menhaden and other key prey species between fisheries and predators, without the use of highly-complex ecosystem models, would be “arbitrary,” think of it instead the […]
This blog post appears as part of our “Focus on Forage Fish” series, which highlights the importance of managing prey species for ocean ecosystems. In September 2015, I attended the Pacific Fishery Management Council in Sacramento to celebrate the Council’s completion of their first ecosystem-based amendment, three years in the making, which will protect unmanaged […]
This blog post appears as part of our “Focus on Forage Fish” series, which highlights the importance of managing prey species for ocean ecosystems. Well into fall, the sun is setting sooner, the nights are getting colder and the fish are getting fewer. Winter is not far away, and with it, ecosystems start to dramatically […]
A series of articles on MFCN’s “From the Waterfront” blog highlighting the importance of managing prey species for the needs of marine ecosystems. Pass the Menhaden, Please, by Ken Hinman (11/23/2015) Pacific Council Finishes Precautionary Plan to Protect Unmanaged Forage, by Theresa Labriola (11/20/2015) The Grocery Store is Closing: Managing Forage Fisheries for Winter, by […]
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