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MFCN Report Compiles Latest Sobering Science on Myriad Threats to America's Oceans

(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association March 2004 Newsletter)

Peer-Reviewed Body of Evidence Quick Reference to Over 75 Papers and Journal Articles;Provides One-Stop Resource for Upcoming U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report

WASHINGTON (January 27, 2004) ­– A new report from the Marine Fish Conservation Network (Network) released today to governors of coastal states and members of Congress offers a stark and sobering review of the most recent scientific findings on the health of America’s oceans. As the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy prepares to release its recommendations for reform of America’s ocean management system, the Network issues this report to policymakers as a central resource for understanding the severity of the problems facing marine wildlife and the need for correcting the current course of ocean management.

Body of Evidence, subtitled The Fragile State of America’s Oceans – A Review of Recent Science and a Framework for Recovery, compiles the work of more than 75 recent scientific papers that have examined in great detail the many challenges facing marine life. While the conclusions are grim, Body of Evidence also offers a clear and compelling set of common-sense recommendations for reform that hold the promise of recovery.

 

“The facts are in and the science speaks for itself. We are quite simply killing fish and other ocean life faster than they can reproduce,” said Lee Crockett, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, a coalition of over 160 commercial and recreational fishing groups, aquariums, marine science groups, and environmental organizations. “The word ‘crisis’ is perhaps used too loosely at times, but there’s simply no other way to describe what’s happening.”

 

In thorough detail, Body of Evidence compiles scientific studies that chronicle the devastating effects of overfishing, indiscriminate fishing practices that kill non-target ocean wildlife (or bycatch), and the use of destructive fishing gear. One study published in the journal Nature finds large predatory fish biomass to be at a mere 10 percent of pre-industrial levels. Another study from the generally staid Scientific American states, “If we don’t manage this resource, we will be left with a diet of jellyfish and plankton stew.”

 

Other studies cited in the report found that:

The amount of non-target ocean wildlife caught in a shrimp trawl fishery can outweigh the shrimp by four to ten times, equaling an estimated total of 9.5 million tons of bycatch each year.

Overfishing and habitat destruction have decimated grouper populations so much that four grouper species are candidates for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and 37 of the 85 species (43%) are considered threatened.

In the past decade, more than 231,000 square miles of seafloor along the United States’ continental shelf and slope had been trawled, an area greater than the state of California.

 

[“The data has quite frankly proven alarming.” said (Dr. Reg Watson), one of the scientists who reviewed Body of Evidence. “The value of this particular report is that it compiles an enormous volume of work into one easily referenced source. The footnotes alone serve as one of the most comprehensive and easy to use bibliographies available on current marine science.”]

 

Crockett stressed that Body of Evidence is more than a mere chronicle of decline. It also offers a blueprint for recovery, based on a fundamental structural overhaul of the way the U.S. regulates its ocean resources. “The simple truth is that the solutions aren’t particularly complicated. We need to end the days of managing for maximum harvest, and begin a new era of putting the conservation of marine ecosystems first to build a sustainable future,” he said. “The same science that has crystallized the problem also points to a clear set of solutions.”

 

Editor’s Note: Key findings and a framework for recovery from Body of Evidence are attached. To view the complete report, visit www.conservefish.org/??.

 

Key Findings and Recommendations for Reform fromBody of Evidence

The Fragile State of America’s Oceans – A Review of Recent Science and a Framework for Recovery

 

REVIEW OF LATEST SCIENCE

Body of Evidence is a peer-reviewed report that summarizes the most recent ocean health studies that

have been published in scientific journals. Key findings include:

 

 

 

FRAMEWORK FOR RECOVERY FROM THE PEW OCEANS COMMISSION

 

Redefine the principal objective of American marine fishery policy to protect, maintain, and restore marine ecosystems. Fish managers have dual mandates to promote the fishing industry and conserve the resource. This mandate should be clarified to emphasize conservation of marine ecosystems.

 

Enact a National Ocean Policy Act (NOPA). To effectively carry out a mandate to conserve marine

ecosystems, new legal authority is required. Laws must be created to conserve marine ecosystems with a requirement that only allows exploitation of marine resources when it is consistent with the long-term

conservation of marine ecosystems.

 

Establish an independent national oceans agency. Elevating ocean resource management to an independent agency will ensure better visibility, adequate funding, and closer coordination of feder alactions.

 

Establish regional ocean ecosystem councils. Regional involvement in the implementation of a mandate to conserve marine ecosystems will ensure that regional differences are considered and stakeholders are involved in the process.

 

Separate conservation and allocation decisions. The councils have a role to play in gathering information about the fisheries and the allocation of resources, but their composition and decision-making procedures must be changed to better reflect the public interest. Separating scientific determinations of ecosystem health from decisions on how to exploit those resources would significantly improve conservation and management.