At its June 2022 meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) adopted the so-called “Percent Change Approach” (PCA) for managing the recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries; the PCA will also be used to manage the recreational bluefish fishery, once the bluefish stock is no longer subject to its current rebuilding plan. […]
Category Archives: Commercial Fishing
Reintroduced: The Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act
U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) have reintroduced the bipartisan Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act, H.R. 6641. The legislation establishes a Working Waterfront Grant Program to help preserve and expand access to coastal waters for water-dependent businesses, create a Working Waterfronts Preservation Loan Fund to make funds available through state governments for […]
The Myth of “Mid-Water” in the Alaska Pollock Fishery
The following is a summarized version of a scientific paper written by Marissa Wilson, executive director, and Michelle Stratton, fisheries scientist, of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. For a deeper dive into the impacts of pelagic trawl gear in the pollock fishery, read AMCC’s more in-depth scientific paper on the issue. Fisheries management in Alaska […]
Working Waterfront Preservation Act Would Provide Needed Funding to Coastal Businesses
Earlier this month, U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine introduced S. 3180, the “Working Waterfront Preservation Act,” which would establish a grant program to help preserve waterfronts in coastal communities. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island cosponsored the legislation, and it was referred to the Senate Energy and Public Works Committee. The Network’s support for […]
The Changing Face of Sportfishing
When I first started my guide business over 27 years ago, I knew switching professions from a field biologist that strived to conserve salmon, to becoming reliant on the health of a natural resource for consumptive use, was a risk. I was willing to accept that risk because, hey, I was skipping out of work […]
Watch: Waterside Chat with Joel Johnson of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Joel Johnson, the President and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, joined the Marine Fish Conservation Network and host Tom Sadler for an online Waterside Chat on September 22, 2023. The foundation is a leading voice for U.S. protected waters, working with communities to conserve and expand those special places for a healthy ocean, […]
Is Sport Fishing Dying?
About a year ago, I found myself in immediate need of a new boat. Someone at my marina had just put his 32-foot Topaz on the market, and after a quick conversation with my wife and a far longer inspection by a marine surveyor, I made it my own. At that point, I needed to […]
Pacific Council Decisions to Include Climate Science
This piece is reprinted with permission from the latest edition of the Wild Oceans Horizon newsletter. Last year, the Pacific Fishery Management Council recognized that increasing climate variability and changing ocean conditions could adversely affect West Coast fisheries and communities and began Fishery Ecosystem Plan Initiative 4 to incorporate ecosystem information into council decision-making. A […]