Efforts by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to rebuild overfished seafood stocks off the American coast have been successful for six regional stocks, but some stocks, especially off the New England coast, have not yet responded to rebuilding efforts.
In a conference call with reporters today, NOAA unveiled its annual report on the status of stocks in American waters for 2012. A summary of the report indicates positive changes, with the total amount of stocks classified as “overfished” dropping from 21 percent of the total in 2011 to 19 percent in 2012.
In addition, said Emily Menashes, acting director of NOAA’s office of sustainable fisheries, the 2012 figures showed 90 percent of the known stocks are not listed as “subject to overfishing,” meaning on the verge of being overfished. In 2011, the NOAA could only say 86 percent of total known stocks were not subject to overfishing.
Menashes noted that six stocks — Eastern Bering Sea Southern Tanner crab; Gulf of Maine/George’s Bank Acadian redfish; Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder; Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder; Washington Coast Coho salmon and South Atlantic pink shrimp — were declared officially rebuilt.
But problems remain. Menashes acknowledged that despite three of the rebuilt stocks being in New England waters, many stocks continue to struggle, including Atlantic cod, which Menashes said had shown “inadequate progress” in 2012.
“There are still some challenge areas for the northeast,” she said.
Galen Tromble, domestic fisheries division chief, in NOAA’s office of sustainable fisheries, told reporters that quotas would have to remain in place for those stocks, but NOAA will continue to evaluate its recommendations. He also said he understood how painful the quotas have been to fishermen in New England.
“There’s no question that those (quota) decreases have had an economic impact on the industry,” he said.
