Fisheries Management

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Fisheries Management Sustainability is our
business BELL Conference 19 July 2003
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NOAA Fisheries

• Oldest conservation agency in the nation
• Part of NOAA/Department of Commerce
• Approximately 3,000 employees
• Regionally-based agency

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Mission

• Stewardship of living marine resources for the
  benefit of the Nation through their science-based
  conservation and management and promotion of the
  health of their environment

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Constituents

• Commercial and Recreational fishermen and
  related industries
• Subsistence fishermen
• Environmental groups
• Farmers, energy producers, timber industry,
  gravel miners, etc.
• General public

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NMFS Field Structure
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People, Dollars, Food

• 170,000 commercial fishers
• 17 M recreational anglers
• NMFS budget approx 800 M
• Commercial fisheries 29 B
• Recreational fisheries 25 B exp

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and Food

• Per capita seafood consumption 16 lb/yr
• Total landings 4.3 M tons (4.3B)
• Total imports 10 B
• Total exports 3 B
• Aquaculture production 1 B

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Florida Fisheries Commercial fishing

• Nearly 8 thousand vessels
• Over 10 thousand jobs
• 260 thousand fishing trips
• Landings of 100 m pounds
• Over 700 m ex-vessel value

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Florida Fisheries
Recreational Fishing - 25 million trips - Over
5 million anglers - 59 m pounds landed - 2,600
jobs - Nearly 100 m sales

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Stewardship Authorities

• Magnuson-Stevens Act (Sustainable Fisheries Act)
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
• Endangered Species Act
• Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act
• Implementing legislation for international
  treaties, RFMOs

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Regional Fishery Management Councils
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The Regulatory Process

• Council process
• Public input
• Documentation for regulatory package
• - NEPA analyses
• - Small business impacts
• - Benefit-cost analysis
• - Protected species consultation

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Where do businesses fit in?

• MSA call for sustainable fisheries
• MSA National Standard 8
• Analyses under NEPA
• Regulatory Flexibility Act
• Benefit-cost analyses for EO 12866

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Challenges Overfishing, Overcapacity, Bycatch

• Fundamental changes of 96 reauthorization
• Multiple mandates
• Complex regulatory process
• Litigation and consumer boycotts

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International Fisheries Management

• Mostly delegated to NOAA Fisheries, HQ and
  Regions
• Numerous Regional Fishery Management
  Organizations
• Numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements
• Scientific work with other countries and
  organizations

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Regional Challenges

• Turtle/finfish bycatch in the shrimp fishery
• Slow growth in the recreational fishery
• Time/area closures for small swordfish

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Challenges Ahead

• Pew Report, Nature article
• Presidential Ocean Commission
• MSA and MMPA reauthorization
• International management of seamounts
• Growing interest in Marine Protected Areas
  (MPAs) and Ecosystems

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Thank you!