Status of Stocks 2015

Annual Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to present the 2015 Report 

to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries as managed 

under the science-based framework established 

under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 

and Management Act (MSA). 2016 marks the 40th 

anniversary of the MSA and the federal, state, and 

stakeholder partnership it established through eight 

fishery management councils to sustainably manage 

our nation’s marine fisheries. In 2015, two previously 

overfished stocks were rebuilt, and the number of stocks 

on the overfishing and overfished lists remains near 

all-time lows. Several stocks were assessed for the first 

time in 2015, which resulted in new information about 

the status of these stocks. Continuous monitoring and 

improvement of our knowledge about the status of these 

stocks is key under the MSA process for managing our 

fisheries to be sustainable.

The Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI) provides 

a comprehensive indication of the sustainability of 

U.S. fisheries using information across multiple stock 

status factors. Since 2000, the score has increased 98% 

from 382.5 to 758. The FSSI tracks 199 of the most 

important commercial and recreational fish stocks. 

These stocks account for about 85% of total catch. The 

FSSI reflects information about a stock’s overfishing 

and overfished status, whether the stock has been 

assessed, and indicators of its rebuilding progress. 

The 2015 total FSSI score is an all-time high.

Fish Stock Sustainability Index

Overshing: 313 stocks with known status:

28 (9%) stocks 

are subject to 

overshing

285 (91%) stocks 

are not subject to 

overshing

Status Listings 

Overshed: 233 stocks with known status: 

195 (84%) stocks 

are not overshed

Overshing & Overshed Lists

38 (16%) stocks 

are overshed
Hogsh - Eastern Gulf of Mexico

Puerto Rico Scups & Porgies Complex

Puerto Rico Wrasses Complex

orny skate - Gulf of Maine

Winter skate - Georges Bank/

 Southern New England

Windowpane - Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank

Greater amberjack - Gulf of Mexico

Gray triggersh - Gulf of Mexico

Hogsh - Southeast Florida1

Chinook salmon - Columbia River Basin:

 Upper River Summer

Chinook salmon - Washington Coast:

 Willapa Bay Fall Natural

Chinook salmon - Washington Coast: 

 Grays Harbor Fall

Coho salmon - Washington Coast: Hoh

Swordsh - Eastern Pacic2

Summer ounder

Yellowtail ounder - Southern New England/

 Mid-Atlantic

Winter ounder - Georges Bank 

Bigeye tuna - Atlantic

Blueline tilesh - South Atlantic

Canary rocksh - Pacic Coast3

Hogsh - Southeast Florida1

Yellowtail Flounder - Southern New England/

 Mid-Atlantic

Winter Flounder - Georges Bank

Removed Overshing List Added

Overshed List Removed Added

Rebuilt List

Canary rocksh - Pacic Coast3

Petrale sole - Pacic Coast

The Year in Review

At the end of 2015, 28 stocks were on the overfishing list and 

38 stocks were on the overfished list. The number of stocks 

rebuilt since 2000 increased to 39. NOAA Fisheries tracks 

473 stocks and stock complexes in 46 fishery management 

plans, or FMPs. Each year, assessments of various fish stocks 

and stock complexes are conducted to determine their status. 

These assessments include stocks of both known status and 

previously unknown status. Based on assessments conducted 

by the end of 2015, eight stocks were removed from the 

overfishing list and ten were added. Two stocks came off the 

overfished list, and three were added. As required by the MSA 

management framework, all stocks added to the overfishing 

and overfished lists have management measures being 

implemented to end overfishing and rebuild. Specific changes 

to the status of stocks in 2015 include:

1. Stock status was formerly listed as unknown

2. This stock was previously listed as a Pacific-wide stock, but was reported for the first time as separate Eastern Pacific and Western

 and Central North Pacific stocks.

3. This stock was removed from the overfished list and is now rebuilt.

2014

37 (16%) on

overshed

list

38 (16%) on

overshed

list

37 stocks 

on

rebuilt list

39 stocks

on

rebuilt list

2015

28 (9%) on

overshing list

26 (8%) on

overshing list
40 Years of Sustainable 

Fishery Management

Improving Stocks—Rebuilding Fisheries

U.S. Fisheries Management 

Exceeds International 

Guidelines for Ecolabelling

A recent assessment that compares 

standards under U.S. fisheries 

management to ecolabelling 

guidelines under the United Nations 

Food and Agriculture Organization 

identified key strengths of the 

U.S. system:

• Complying with national and

 international laws

• Developing and abiding by

 documented management

 approaches with frameworks at

 national or regional levels

• Incorporating uncertainty into

 stock reference points and catch

 limits while taking actions if

 those limits are exceeded

• Taking into account the best

 scientific evidence in

 determining suitable

 conservation and management

 measures with the goal of long-

 term sustainability

• Restoring stocks within

 reasonable timeframes

The study showed that U.S. 

standards and framework for 

managing fisheries under the MSA 

exceeded international guidelines 

set by the United Nations, further 

reinforcing the strength of the U.S. 

fisheries management system under 

the MSA.

Read more on this assessment on 

our website.

After World War II, increased pressure and landings by foreign nations 

led to sharp declines in many fish stocks. In response, Congress passed 

the Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976. It established a 

200 mile fishery conservation zone ending the unmanaged, open access 

to fisheries off U.S. coasts by foreign fleets. A second major update came 

in 1996. Recognizing the growth and importance of domestic fisheries, 

Congress added provisions to protect habitat, improve safety, address 

bycatch, and recognize the value of fisheries to coastal communities. 

In 2007, Congress enacted a requirement to use annual catch limits 

(ACLs) to end and prevent overfishing. As of the end of 2015, catch 

was successfully kept at or below 89 percent of ACLs. Management 

measures were implemented to address ACLs overages. Monitoring 

catch levels and keeping them in check annually helps reduce the chance 

of overfishing.

Despite the effectiveness of ACLs in preventing overfishing, some 

challenges remain. NOAA Fisheries has limited ability to control 

overfishing of international stocks, because they are fished in 

international waters and are exempt from ACL requirements. 

More than half of the stocks added to the overfishing list in 2015 were 

international stocks. 

In 2015, NOAA Fisheries added two additional stocks to the list of 

rebuilt stocks. When a stock is determined to be overfished, a council 

must develop a rebuilding plan. A typical rebuilding plan allows fishing 

to continue at a reduced level so that the stock can rebuild to its target 

level and can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY)—the 

largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock under 

prevailing environmental and fishery conditions. This keeps fishermen 

and waterfronts working while rebuilding stocks.

Forty-four stocks and stock complexes are currently under rebuilding 

plans. Under the MSA framework, NOAA Fisheries monitors rebuilding 

stocks and, through the fishery management council process, adjusts 

management measures as necessary to increase stock abundance to a 

target level that supports MSY. When a rebuilding stock increases above 

the overfished threshold, the stock is removed from the overfished list 

but remains under its rebuilding plan until it is fully rebuilt. Eleven of 

the rebuilding stocks are no longer overfished, and they continue to be 

managed under their rebuilding plans. 

Find current information on trends for stocks in rebuilding plans

here.
Western Pacic:

Striped marlin - Western/Central North Pacic1

Seamount Groundsh Complex - Hancock Seamount

Pacic and Western Pacic:

Pacic bluen tuna - Pacic1

Bigeye tuna - Pacic1

Swordsh - Eastern Pacic1, 2

Pacic:

Pacic ocean perch

Yelloweye rocksh

Chinook salmon - Columbia River

Upper River Summer1

Chinook salmon - WA Coast:

 Willapa Bay Fall Natural1

Chinook salmon - WA Coast:

 Grays Harbor Fall1

Coho salmon - Washington Coast: Hoh1

North Pacic:

Blue king crab - Pribilof Islands

on 

overshed

list 

1. Stock is shed by U.S. and international eets.

2. The geographic boundary of this stock extends from Mexico south and west

 to the Palmyra Atoll. This map reects changes that were made after it was

 rst posted on April 20, 2016.

New England: 

Atlantic cod - Georges Bank 

Atlantic cod - Gulf of Maine

Windowpane - Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank

Witch ounder

Yellowtail ounder - Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine

Yellowtail founder - Georges Bank

Yellowtail ounder - S. New England/Mid-Atlantic

Thorny skate - Gulf of Maine

Atlantic halibut

Atlantic salmon

Atlantic wolsh

Ocean pout

Winter ounder - Southern New England

Winter ounder - Georges Bank

Highly Migratory Species:

Blacknose shark - Atlantic

Blue marlin - Atlantic1

Dusky shark - Atlantic

White marlin - Atlantic1

Scalloped hammerhead - Atlantic

Porbeagle shark - Atlantic

Sandbar shark - Atlantic

Bigeye tuna - Atlantic1

Bluen tuna - West Atlantic1

Sailsh - West Atlantic1

South Atlantic:

Hogsh - Southeast Florida 

Red snapper

Blueline tilesh

Speckled hind

Warsaw grouper

Red porgy

Snowy grouper

Caribbean:

Goliath grouper

Nassau grouper

Queen conch

Gulf of Mexico:

Greater amberjack

Gray triggersh

Red snapper

Mid-Atlantic:

Summer ounder

on 

overshing

list 

ia River

er1

st:

tural

1

st:

n Coast: Hoh1

ands

Gulf of Mexico:

Greater amberjack

Gray triggersh

Red snapper

Y

Y

T

A

A

A

O

W

W

H

B

B

D

Stock Status by U.S. Region
The Science Behind 

Stock Status 

Fishery management plans must specify objective and measurable criteria, 

or reference points, to determine when a stock is subject to overfishing or 

overfished. A scientific analysis of the abundance and composition of a fish 

stock and the rate of fishing mortality is called a stock assessment. Typically, 

a stock assessment undergoes peer review by independent scientists before 

it is accepted as the best scientific information available.

The councils use information from stock assessments to develop and 

recommend annual catch limits and other conservation and management 

measures. While catch limits are set annually, assessments are usually 

done less frequently. NOAA Fisheries uses stock assessments to determine 

whether catch limits have successfully ended or prevented overfishing. In 

other cases, if catch exceeds the overfishing limit, the stock is added to the 

overfishing list.

In 2015, NOAA Fisheries released a Stock Assessment Prioritization 

Plan that provides an approach for effectively allocating limited science 

resources to assess appropriate stocks.

Now that the stocks are rebuilt, fishermen can look forward to fewer 

restrictions for both stocks and higher catch limits for canary rockfish.

Find the latest quarterly stock status updates on our website.

Canary Rockfish Petrale Sole

• Management measures to

 rebuild included revised

 catch limits and closures.

• Because canary rockfish are

 found in many different

 places, rebuilding measures

 included reducing fishing

 access to other valuable

 species like Dover sole and

 black cod. 

• Management measures

 included reducing catch levels

 by at least 50 percent in the 3

 years following the overfished

 declaration in 2009. 

• The most recent scientific

 information estimates that

 the petrale sole stock is 

 above the target stock size 

 for the first time since the

 early 1960’s.

Two Pacific coast groundfish stocks, canary rockfish and petrale sole, were 

declared rebuilt in 2015, adding to the list of rebuilding success stories.

2015 Rebuilt Stocks

Overfishing & Overfished

The main concepts related to 

overfishing and overfished covered in 

this report:

Maximum sustainable yield or MSY: 

The largest long-term average catch 

that can be taken from a stock under 

prevailing environmental and fishery 

conditions. 

Overfishing: A stock that has a harvest 

rate higher than the rate that produces 

its MSY.

Overfished: A stock that has a 

population size that is too low and 

that jeopardizes the stock’s ability to 

produce its MSY.

Rebuilt: A stock that was previously 

overfished and that has increased in 

abundance to the target population size 

that supports its MSY.

What’s the difference?

As a harvest rate, overfishing is a 

direct result of fishing activities. 

Allowed to continue unchecked, 

overfishing is associated with many 

negative outcomes, including a 

depleted population. Current 

management practices—such as 

annual catch limits and accountability 

measures—reduce the likelihood of 

this happening.

As a population size, overfished 

can be the result of many factors, 

including overfishing, and also habitat 

degradation, pollution, climate 

change, and disease. While overfishing 

is sometimes the main cause of an 

overfished stock, these other factors 

can also play a role and may affect the 

stock’s ability to rebuild.
Read more about the status of our stocks and how NOAA Fisheries 

helps ensure sustainable fisheries. 

Managing fisheries sustainably is an adaptive process that 

relies on sound science, innovative management approaches, 

effective enforcement, and meaningful partnerships. Fisheries 

management occurs in a dynamic environment and amid 

increasingly changing ocean conditions. U.S. fisheries play an 

important role in the nation’s economy providing opportunities 

for commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing, and 

sustainable seafood for the nation. Sustainably managed 

fisheries also contribute to a healthy and resilient ecosystem. 

NOAA Fisheries and our many partners continue to build on 

this successful approach by advancing policies and plans that 

will help us meet the challenges of today to face the future of 

tomorrow. 

Dynamic 

Fisheries 

Management

2011 2012 2013 2014

5

0

10

15

20

25

Percentage of Stocks

2007 2008 2009 2010 2015

% on overshing

list

% on overshed

list

NOAA Assesses Climate 

Vulnerability of Fish and Shellfish

NOAA scientists applied a new 

methodology to assess the climate 

vulnerability of fish and shellfish 

species. The study included 82 fish and 

invertebrate species in the Northeast. 

Among the results:

• Species were ranked according

 to their vulnerability to changes in

 abundance and distribution as a

 result of climate change

• Results will be used to help decision

 makers assess and manage their

 fisheries accordingly

• Additional species in other regional

 areas are scheduled for future

 assessments using this methodology 

Read more on the climate vulnerability 

methodology on our website.

Stock Trends 2007 - 2015 
Adapting for the Future

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Penny Pritzker

Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Undersecretary of Commerce

Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D.

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries

Eileen Sobeck 

April 2016

www.fisheries.noaa.gov

This report is required by Section 304(e)(1) of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

NOAA Fisheries continues to adapt our science and management process in light of ecosystem factors. In 2015, 

NOAA Fisheries finalized a Climate Science Strategy to improve the production and use of climate-related 

information in fisheries management decisions. The strategy lays out steps the agency can take to increase the 

production, delivery, and use of climate-related information to marine and coastal resource managers, resource 

users, and others at regional and national scales. A key step in the strategy is to assess the vulnerability of fish 

stocks to climate change. NOAA Fisheries completed the first of these assessments in the Northeast and 

reported on the results in 2015.

Climate is just one important underlying ecosystem-related challenge that affects U.S. fisheries management. To 

further strengthen the ability of fisheries managers to account for and anticipate complex ecosystem interactions, 

NOAA Fisheries in 2015 released a draft Ecosystem Based Fishery Management Policy. When finalized, the 

policy will clarify the agency’s direction, focus and priorities for managing fisheries in an increasingly complex 

and changing environment. Recently, we also released a draft National Bycatch Reduction Strategy in recognition 

of the important role that bycatch plays in managing our nation’s fisheries and conserving protected species. 

These efforts are just a few examples of how NOAA Fisheries is looking to the future to ensure the long-term 

sustainability of our fisheries and the communities that depend on them. On the 40th anniversary of the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act, we recognize that our dynamic, science-based management process is proving to be 

successful at ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks, helping us realize significant benefits to the U.S. economy. 

We look forward to working with Congress, the councils, our state partners, and other stakeholders to further 

these efforts and identify other opportunities to strengthen the long-term biological and economic sustainability 

of our nation’s fisheries.