NOAA Releases Latest Edition of "Status of U.S. Fisheries"

  Since 1997, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has released an annual report to Congress that summarizes the status of the United State's 528 federally managed fish stocks based on the best available science. Acoording to NOAA officials the annual report shows steady progress toward rebuilding the nation's fisheries. Scientists announced that in 2010, 84 percent of the stocks examined for fishing activity (213 of 253 stocks) were free from overfishing, or not fished at too high a level, and 77 percent of the stocks with known population levels (159 of 207 stocks) were above the overfished level, that level too low to provide the maximum sustainable yield.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: (taken from a  NOAA Press Release)

• Three fisheries stocks from the Northeast – Georges Bank haddock, Atlantic pollock and spiny dogfish – have now been rebuilt to healthy levels, bringing to 21 the number that have been rebuilt nationwide since 2000,
• Four stocks were removed from the low-population list, all from the Northeast: Gulf of Maine haddock, American plaice, Gulf of Maine cod and southern New England windowpane.
• Two stocks were removed from the list of stocks being fished at too high a level: Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and Southern Atlantic Coast black grouper.

Scientists examined more stocks than ever before in 2010, and findings on these stocks with a previously unknown status were mixed:

• Gulf of Mexico black grouper was found to be free from overfishing, and had a population above the low-population level.
• Southern Atlantic Coast black grouper was found to have a population above the low-population level.
• Pacific bluefin tuna was found to be fished at too high a level, though its population was above the low-population level.
• Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Atlantic wolffish was found to have a low population.

A handful of other stocks were moved onto the overfishing and overfished lists this year:

• Added to the list of stocks experiencing fishing at too high a level were Northwestern Atlantic witch flounder, Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank windowpane flounder, and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder.
• Added to the list of low-population stocks were Northwestern Atlantic Coast witch flounder, Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank windowpane flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, Southern Atlantic Coast red grouper, California Central Valley Sacramento (fall) chinook salmon, and Bering Sea southern Tanner crab.

To view the entire 2010 Status of U.S. Fisheries report visit:
 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/2011/07/docs/report.pdf.