The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) praised NOAA Fisheries for updating the guidelines it and the regional fishery management councils use for developing fishery management plans for the nation’s federal marine fisheries.
The final revisions to National Standard 1 and related guidelines of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) address several challenges that have arisen in marine fisheries management over the last decade due to requirements in the law and the agency’s interpretation of them.
“We commend NOAA Fisheries for making meaningful improvements to the National Standard guidelines, which should improve recreational fishing opportunities for federally managed marine fisheries while ensuring the nation is still achieving our strong fisheries conservation standards,” said Mike Leonard, ASA’s conservation director. “Many of the proposed changes address issues identified through the engagement that NOAA Fisheries has made with the recreational fishing community in recent years, and more specifically the recommendations of the Commission on Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Management, more commonly known as the Morris-Deal Commission.”
The revised guidelines address many of the recommendations offered by ASA and others in the recreational fishing community, including:
- Allowing changes to catch limits to be gradually phased in over up to three years, as long as overfishing is prevented.
- Increasing latitude, based on the biology of the fish stock, in setting timelines for rebuilding programs.
- Providing flexibility for better managing data-limited stocks while adhering to conservation requirements.
- Allowing for greater stability in fishing regulations through guidance on considering multiple years when determining overfishing status.
The ASA is a sportfishing industry trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community.
