Earlier this month, NOAA released its 2018 Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries, the agency’s annual requirement to update lawmakers on how our nation’s federal fisheries are faring. For all of us, it’s an opportunity to assess how successfully these crucial marine resources are being managed and what, if any, tweaks need […]
Top photo by John McMurray Here is a post-ASMFC meeting round up and what needs to happen next. In early August, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met and took action on Atlantic striped bass. “The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) approved Draft Addendum VI for public comment. The Addendum was initiated in […]
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia When you hear from residents in your district or state about ocean-related issues, what concerns them most? Why do these issues matter so much to them? The number one issue I hear from constituents on oceans/marine ecosystems issues is marine resource sustainability. As more and more […]
Striped bass; photo via Dave Monti Fisheries management breeds controversy. No matter how badly a management measure is needed, some people will argue against it. Sometimes they challenge the science, and say that a stock is healthier than biologists claim. Sometimes, they allege that the economic harm that a measure may cause outweighs any benefit […]
It has been several weeks since our last View from the Hill post, but much has happened within the halls of Congress, particularly in the House. Much of May and June was focused on marking up and passing annual appropriation bills in the House. The full House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY2020 Commerce, Justice […]
Top Photo: Atlantic Herring Fisheries management is often viewed as a scientific discipline, but science is only one aspect of the management process. Before biologists can determine how a fishery ought to be managed, they need to understand the politics and policies that determine why management measures are needed. These days, we often think of […]
June is National Ocean Month, a time to recognize the importance of our oceans to our nation’s economy, environment, culture and enjoyment. Marine Fish Conservation Network partners have shared why we celebrate our oceans. “The ocean, its beauty, the life it harbors, its incredible power to provide – I am, we all are, inextricably tied […]
Last November, I was up in Connecticut, fishing with an old friend. We had fished together since the early 1970s, mostly in Long Island Sound and in the ocean south of Long Island, but sometimes as far away as Alaska, the Caribbean and Belize. Over that time, we’ve caught a lot of fish, of many […]
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