Fishery Management Councils Make Mixed Progress Vol. January 1999 Fishery Management Councils Make Mixed Progress America's eight regional fishery management councils have made some progress toward implementing the 1996 Sustainable Fisheries Act's tough requirements to reverse the decline in marine fish populations.
Marine reserves are key to protecting reef fish.
Some councils missed the Act's October deadline, however, and most plans fall far short of the Act's mandate to end overfishing. None of the councils proposed adequate ways to minimize bycatch, the huge unintended catch of unwanted fish. The New England Council's plan is a good start that could eventually end overfishing and replenish depleted stocks. The question is whether we will be able to enforce the plan year after year. But none met the Act's requirement to propose actions to reduce the harmful effects of fishing activities that can scour the ocean bottom, destroy rocky reefs, and otherwise damage these sensitive habitats.