Pew Environment Group Leads Campaign to End Overfishing - Add Your Voice by June 8!

From the Editor's Desk

In partnership with Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association and Midcoast (Maine) Fishermen’s Association, the Pew Environment Group is rallying public support for a new 'sector management' approach being developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC)  to replace the current failed fishery management system.

The New England groundfish fishery would be more economically and environmentally sound if the system used to manage the activities of commercial fishermen was changed from regulations based on “days-at-sea” to annual catch limits, according to a report released by the Pew Environment Group. In addition, the new system would give declining populations of the region’s iconic species like cod and flounder a chance to rebuild, providing a sustainable future for the industry.

Under the proposed new sector management system, community-based, fishermen run co-ops (sectors) would follow three simple guidelines:

• They implement science-based catch limits to promote rebuilding of fish populations and prevent overfishing;
• They incorporate monitoring so fishermen and regulators know exactly how much is being caught so that fishing stops once catch limits have been reached; and
• They are allocated their own share of the annual catch limit; while respecting catch limits, sectors provide fishermen with the flexibility to set their own fishing guidelines so they can run their businesses more efficiently and profitably.

On June 23-25, federal fisheries managers will vote on adopting sector management and annual catch limits for the groundfish fishery. The period for public comment, however, ends June 8.

The Pew Environmental Group needs our help to make sure the National Marine Fisheries Service and NEFMC knows that the public supports sector management and annual catch limits that hold all fishermen accountable for their catch.

Your voice counts! Click here to submit your comments supporting sectors, monitoring, and annual hard catch limits for the entire groundfish fleet by June 8, 2009.

(Read more in op-eds from The Boston Globe and South Coast Today.)

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