This year’s World Ocean Day hits a little differently. It falls in the 50th anniversary year of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the law that transformed how this country manages its fisheries and set us on a path toward healthier oceans. The ocean provides food, livelihoods, and a natural infrastructure that supports life […]
April 1976 found me at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, finishing up my senior year. I was wandering around campus, drinking too much beer, sleeping too late and, when time allowed, prepping for final exams. It was warm, at least for spring in central New England, so I often wore my […]
This article was originally published on March 27, 2026 on the Conservation Law Foundation’s (CLF) blog and is reprinted with permission. Top photo: Historic fishing communities are part of the lifeblood of New England. Credit: EcoPhotography. Fifty Years Later, We Look at the Complicated Legacy of this Groundbreaking Fishing Law By the 1970s, the U.S. […]
This article was first published on April 24, 2026 on the Alaska Marine Community Coalition’s Changing Tides Blog and is reprinted with permission. Top photo: Kodiak Harbor Waterfront, Alaska. This month, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) marks its 50th anniversary. In Alaska, it is more than a policy framework. It is the […]
This article was originally published on the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) website and is republished with permission. Top photo: Wild Pacific salmon reef net fishing boats off Lummi Island, Washington. Credit: Edmund Lowe/Getty Images. A half century of progress has been made toward abundant fisheries and thriving coastal communities, but there is still much […]
Theresa Labriola of Wild Oceans joined the Network for a Waterside Chat with the Marine Fish Conservation Network on April 6, 2026. Watch now: Follow on Substack In a wide-ranging discussion, Theresa and host Tom Sadler talked about: How Theresa grew up fishing for striped bass and tuna from her family boat off Rhode Island […]
The following article was originally published on the Alaska Marine Conservation Council’s Changing Tides blog and has been reposted with permission. In federal fisheries management, a lot can depend on one phrase: “to the extent practicable.” It sounds reasonable. But in Alaska, it is often the place where strong conservation actions are softened, delayed, or […]
Top photo by John McMurray Legislation introduced into the House of Representatives on October 8, 2025 represents a real threat to the federal recreational fisheries data collection process, and to how that data will be used in the management process. H.R. 5699, the so-called “Fisheries Data Modernization and Accuracy Act of 2025,” was introduced by […]
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