CONSERVING WILD FISHERIES

The world's fisheries are in crisis. Years of chronic overfishing, pollution, and habitat
destruction have stripped our seas of much of their vitality and productivity.
Without swift action, ocean ecosystems will continue to deteriorate -- and so too will the
sustenance, jobs, and recreational pleasures they provide.

Many of the most popular fish -- like cod, snapper, and tuna -- are dangerously depleted,
yet continue to be overfished.
More than half of global fish populations are fully exploited and about one-third are
overexploited or collapsed.
Studies estimate that overfishing costs about $50 billion per year in lost fishing
opportunities -- about half the value of the global seafood trade.
It's not too late to get our fishing practices back on track. Using smart laws, policies,
incentives, and market demand, we can help sustain fish populations at healthy levels for
years to come. Countries like the United States have shown that these approaches are
effective at reducing overfishing and rebuilding fish populations. NRDC has been promoting
sustainable fishing practices in the U.S. for nearly two decades, and we're seeing signs of real
progress.
According to a recent NRDC report, 64 percent of once-overfished, monitored fish stocks
nationwide have been rebuilt or made significant progress thanks to additional protections
added to the federal fisheries law in 1996. This has translated into an economic boost to
segments of the fishing industry, with gross commercial revenues for the rebuilt stocks up 92
percent (54 percent when adjusted for inflation).

What We Do
NRDC fights for sustainable fishing by crafting common sense fishing policies, promoting
conservation-minded approaches to how fisheries are managed, and enforcing and defending
laws to stop destructive fishing practices.
Ensuring catch limits are based on science. Our lawyers and policy experts advocate for
strong rules against destructive practices such as overfishing by ensuring that catch limits
(i.e., annual fishing quotas) are based on science -- not politics or industry preferences.
Conservation Makes Economic Sense
Depletion of America's fisheries not only threatens ecosystem health, but also the livelihoods
and recreational opportunities of millions of Americans. According to NOAA studies,
commercial and recreational fishing currently generates $183 billion per year to the U.S.
economy and supports more than 1.5 million full and part-time jobs, and rebuilding U.S. fish
populations would provide an additional $31 billion in annual sales and support 500,000
new U.S. jobs.

Reduced catch levels are frequently necessary to stop the continued decline of depleted
fisheries and to start their recovery. Such reductions in the short term ensure that catch
doesn't continue to decrease and enable higher catches as populations recover. Sustainably
managed fisheries can also provide enhanced predictability and consistency for fishermen
from year to year, which can help business planning.
Simply put, chronic overfishing and serial depletion of valuable fish species is unsustainable.
Without science-based catch limits, more stocks will become overfished and already-depleted
fish stocks will fail to rebuild to healthy levels or even continue to decline. In the end,
sustainable fishing will help keep the fish we love in the water -- and us catching them -- for
years to come.
Summer Flounder Case Study
Summer flounder, or fluke as it's frequently called, is one of the most important recreational
and commercial fish species in the mid-Atlantic. However, its popularity led to chronic
overfishing and severe decline. Average annual catch from 1982 to 1988 was over 48 million
pounds, well above the overfishing level. These unsustainably high catch levels were the
result of significant increases in fishing effort (i.e., more boats and more fishermen pursuing
a dwindling number of fish) and an expansion of the commercial trawl fishery targeting
fluke's winter spawning grounds. In 1988, fishery managers established the first federal plan
for summer flounder, including requiring a modest increase in the minimum size of fish
permitted to be landed. But by 1989, summer flounder biomass had plummeted to just 12% of
a healthy population. And a year later, fishermen were catching about one-third of what they
had been hauling in seven years before.
The first step toward recovery, albeit modest, came in 1993 with the establishment of "soft"
(i.e., non-binding) fishing mortality targets and associated catch levels. Two years later, a
formal rebuilding plan was established with a deadline of a rebuilt population by 2005.
Despite these steps, the actual fishing mortality rate continued to exceed the sustainable rate
by 4 to 7 times.
The rebuilding plan was again amended in 1999, extending the deadline to 2010. However,
that same year, fisheries managers decided to set a catch level with a mere 18% chance of
success in ending overfishing. NRDC, EDF, National Audubon Society and the Center for
Marine Conservation took the National Marine Fisheries Service to court. In 2000, the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals found in our favor, writing:
"Only in Superman Comics' Bizarro world, where reality is turned upside down, could the
[Fisheries] Service reasonably conclude that a measure that is at least four times as likely to
fail as to succeed offers a 'fairly high level of confidence'" of preventing overfishing.
The court decision led to reductions in catch that has helped restore summer flounder
populations to healthy levels after decades of overfishing. The reasons for this success:
disciplined restrictions on fishing in recent years, as required by the nation's marine fisheries
law.

Making sure smart policies are adopted on the water. NRDC works directly with
government agencies, fisheries managers, and scientists to ensure that management decisions

reflect the conservation mandates in the law and that local regulations are tailored to both
biological and socio-economic realities. We use law and science to advocate for ending
overfishing and restoring depleted fish populations. As a result of such conservation actions,
many fish populations are staging a comeback.
Ensuring fishermen and the government abide by the law. Vested fishing interests
seeking short-term gains at the expense of long-term sustainability may push the government
to ignore common-sense requirements in the law. NRDC watchdogs fisheries management to
make sure these requirements aren't ignored -- and if they are, our lawyers take those
responsible to court. Our successful track record in court helps enforce laws requiring
sustainable fishing practices, and enhances our credibility as an effective advocate in
Congress, government agencies, and among the regional fisheries management councils.