Science-Based Fisheries for Healthy, Productive and Resilient Marine Ecosystems, Now and for Future Generations

Science-Based Fisheries for Healthy, Productive and Resilient Marine Ecosystems, Now and for Future Generations

This article was originally published on The Ocean Project blog and was reprinted with permission. View more articles by The Ocean Project. Photo: Allen M. Shimada, NOAA Photo Library “All management should be for the generation coming, not for the generation that’s here today. If all you can think about is your own next year’s […]

Should the ASMFC Rebuild Striped Bass?

Should the ASMFC Rebuild Striped Bass?

Top photo by John McMurray Over the past few years, it was pretty clear to anyone who regularly fishes for Atlantic striped bass that the stock was declining badly, even before the latest benchmark stock assessment, released in 2019, confirmed what most serious fishermen already suspected—that the stock was overfished and suffering from overfishing. What’s […]

Navigating Toward Healthier Oceans and More Productive Fisheries Requires a Climate Change Response in Management

Navigating Toward Healthier Oceans and More Productive Fisheries Requires a Climate Change Response in Management

By Linda Behnken and Kevin Scribner, MFCN Policy Council co-chairs For the two of us, climate change is top of mind. It impacts the way we do business, the way we think about the ocean resources we depend on, the way we see our communities surviving into the future. We’re going to have to adapt; […]

Bluefish: “Either We Have a Risk Policy Or We Don’t”

Bluefish: “Either We Have a Risk Policy Or We Don’t”

Bluefish photo by John McMurray On Tuesday, June 8, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Bluefish Management Board (Management Board) finalized their joint Atlantic Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment (amendment). When the amendment process began in 2017, it only addressed allocation, but after a 2019 operational stock assessment […]

Supporting Fisheries and Working Waterfronts with Infrastructure Improvements

Supporting Fisheries and Working Waterfronts with Infrastructure Improvements

As our country slowly recovers from the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent economic shutdown, the Biden administration has chosen to focus its attention on our nation’s infrastructure, with good reason. Historically, large-scale infrastructure projects with their influx of manufacturing and construction jobs have successfully helped the U.S. rebound after economic recessions. Although the word “infrastructure” […]

Striped Bass Management Demonstrates Why Stakeholders Are “Losing Faith” in the ASMFC

Striped Bass Management Demonstrates Why Stakeholders Are “Losing Faith” in the ASMFC

Top photo by John McMurray Striped bass are one of the United States’ most important recreational fish. Between 2010 and 2019, anglers landed more striped bass (measured in pounds) than any other saltwater fish. The bass has paid for its popularity. A benchmark stock assessment released in April 2019 found that female spawning stock biomass […]

AFFTA Report Offers Recommendations for the Health and Sustainability of America’s Marine Fisheries

AFFTA Report Offers Recommendations for the Health and Sustainability of America’s Marine Fisheries

Top photo by John McMurray As the Biden administration and Congress begin to tackle the challenges of fisheries management, especially the impacts of climate change, they will find recommendations and actions for federal fisheries management and marine conservation efforts in a new report released by the American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA). The Network’s National […]

Executive Order on Climate Change Takes Inclusive Approach to 30×30 Initiative

Executive Order on Climate Change Takes Inclusive Approach to 30×30 Initiative

President Biden’s recent Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad is a welcome sea change when it comes to addressing this increasingly urgent global challenge. As President Biden’s fact sheet notes, his administration’s actions will address climate change while, “creating good-paying union jobs and equitable clean energy future, building modern and […]