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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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Evaluating the Effectiveness of
Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans
in the United States

Committee on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Stock Rebuilding Plans of the
2006 Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act

Ocean Studies Board

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
                          OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS    500 Fifth Street, N.W.    Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under contract number DG133R08CQ0062. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-29230-6
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-29230-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013956472

Cover art by Ben Miller, “Abstract Fish,” at www.bighousedesign.com.

Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; Internet, http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2014 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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COMMITTEE ON EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STOCK REBUILDING PLANS OF THE 2006 FISHERY CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT REAUTHORIZATION ACT

ANA M. PARMA (Co-Chair), Centro Nacional Patagonico, Chubut, Argentina

PATRICK J. SULLIVAN (Co-Chair), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

JEREMY COLLIE, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett

TROY W. HARTLEY, College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia

WILLIAM HEYMAN, Texas ADM University, College Station

ROBERT JOHNSTON, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts

ANDRE E. PUNT, University of Washington, Seattle

KENNETH A. ROSE, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

JAMES SANCHIRICO, University of California, Davis

MICHAEL P. SISSENWINE, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

GEORGE SUGIHARA, University of California, San Diego

NRC Staff

KIM WADDELL, Study Director

SHERRIE FORREST, Associate Program Officer

HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant

CONSTANCE KARRAS, Postgraduate Fellow

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
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OCEAN STUDIES BOARD

ROBERT A. DUCE (Chair), Texas ADM University, College Station, Texas

E. VIRGINIA ARMBRUST, University of Washington, Seattle

CLAUDIA BENITEZ-NELSON, University of South Carolina, Columbia

EDWARD A. BOYLE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

RITA R. COLWELL, University of Maryland, College Park

SARAH W. COOKSEY, State of Delaware, Dover

CORTIS K. COOPER, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, California

ROBERT HALLBERG, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Princeton University, New Jersey

DAVID HALPERN, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

BARBARA A. KNUTH, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

GEORGE I. MATSUMOTO, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California

STEVEN A. MURAWSKI, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

JOHN A. ORCUTT, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

H. TUBA ÖZKAN-HALLER, Oregon State University, Corvallis

STEVEN E. RAMBERG, Penn State Applied Research Lab, Washington, DC

ANDREW A. ROSENBERG, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Massachusetts

DANIEL L. RUDNICK, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

MARTIN D. SMITH, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

PETER L. TYACK, University of Saint Andrews, United Kingdom

DON WALSH, International Maritime Incorporated, Myrtle Point, Oregon

DAWN J. WRIGHT, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California

JAMES A. YODER, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

Ex-Officio

MARY (MISSY) H. FEELEY, ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

OSB Staff

SUSAN ROBERTS, Director

DEBORAH GLICKSON, Senior Program Officer

CLAUDIA MENGELT, Senior Program Officer

KIM WADDELL, Senior Program Officer

PAMELA LEWIS, Administrative Coordinator

SHERRIE FORREST, Associate Program Officer

HEATHER CHIARELLO, Senior Program Assistant

CONSTANCE KARRAS, Postgraduate Fellow (from September 2012)

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2014. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18488.
×

Acknowledgments

This report was greatly enhanced by the participants of the meetings held as part of this study. The committee would like to acknowledge the efforts of those who gave presentations at the committee meetings: John Brodziak (NOAA Pacific Islands Fishery Science Center), Merrick Burden (Marine Conservation Center), Tony Chatwin (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), Benny Galloway (LGL Ecological Research Associates), Sally McGee (The Nature Conservancy), Bill Gerencer (M.F. Foley Company), Chad Hansen (Pew Environmental Group), Dan Holland (NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center), Chris Kellogg (Northeast Fisheries Management Council), Chris Legault (NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center), Heather Mann (Community Seafood Initiative), Richard Merrick (NOAA Fisheries), Tom Nies (Northeast Fisheries Management Council), Richard Pollnac (University of Rhode Island), Suzanne Russell (NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center), Brad Sewell (Natural Resources Defense Council), Peter Shelley (Conservation Law Foundation), Eric Thunberg (NOAA Office of Science and Technology), and John Walter (NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center). The stock assessment data and management parameters used in this review were assembled thanks to the help of many NOAA scientists and staff from NOAA and the councils. In particular, the committee would like to thank Kristan Blackhart and Richard Methot from NOAA and Tom Nies from Northeast Fisheries Management Council for their dedicated efforts to assemble data and respond to questions by the committee.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Keith Criddle, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Lee Crockett, Pew Charitable Trusts

Josh Eagle, University of South Carolina

Ray Hilborn, University of Washington Ilene Kaplan, Union College

Simon Levin, Princeton University

Andrew Rosenberg, Union of Concerned Scientists

Brian Rothschild, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Andrew Solow, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, appointed by the Divison on Earth and Life Studies, and Bonnie McCay, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Appointed by the Report Review Committee, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

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In the United States (U.S.), the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), was the first major legislation to regulate federal fisheries in the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zone (later designated as the U.S. exclusive economic zone). The re-authorization of the MSFCMA passed by Congress in 2006 included additional mandates for conserving and rebuilding fish stocks and strengthening the role of scientific advice in fisheries management. Approximately 20% of the fisheries that have been assessed are considered overfished according to the September 2012 stock status Report to Congress prepared by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Overfished refers to a stock that is below the minimum stock size threshold, commonly set to half the stock size at which maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is achieved. Under the provisions of the MSFCMA, rebuilding plans for overfished stocks should take no more than 10 years, except when certain provisions apply. Rebuilding mandates have led to substantial reductions in catch and effort for many fisheries, raising concerns about the consequent social and economic impacts to the fishing communities and industry.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States reviews the technical specifications that underlie current federally-implemented rebuilding plans, and the outcomes of those plans. According to this report, fisheries management has evolved substantially since 1977 when the U.S. extended its jurisdiction to 8 200 miles, in the direction of being more prescriptive and precautionary in terms of preventing overfishing and rebuilding overfished fisheries. However, the trade-offs between precaution and yield have not been fully evaluated. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States discusses the methods and criteria used to set target fishing mortality and biomass levels for rebuilding overfished stocks, and to determine the probability that a particular stock will rebuild by a certain date. This report will be of interest to the fishing industry, ecology professionals, and members of Congress as they debate the renewal of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

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