Help Prevent an Empty Ocean

Don't let whales and people go hungry

Thousands of animals and millions of people rely on a healthy and abundant ocean for food and work. Overfishing threatens the day-to-day life for marine animals and coastal communities.

In recent years, after centuries of overfishing, Congress stepped up to manage fisheries more carefully and some previously overfished populations are coming back. But now Congress is thinking about erasing all this progress by weakening laws that combat overfishing.

We've just started to bring our oceans back from the brink. We should be combating overfishing more than ever, not turning a blind eye. Tell Congress to fight overfishing, for the sake of the animals and communities who rely on a healthy ocean.

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Dear Congress,

After decades of overfishing and poor management, many U.S. fisheries continue to show little sign of recovery.  Some species, however, have recovered in recent years because of sound management and a clear legal requirement for fisheries managers to take action to end overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations.  Unfortunately, some in Congress believe that the best way to repair the damage done by decades of overfishing is to weaken the very law that has helped address it.  They want to allow continued overfishing and delay the recovery of these species for decades when the job can be done in a much shorter time.  In order to conserve fish species, ensure sustainable commercial and recreational fishing industries that provide thousands of jobs to coastal communities, and protect our oceans for generations to come, I ask that you oppose efforts to weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

Congress passed the Magnuson-Stevens Act in 2006 to reauthorize this long-standing fisheries law.  This update added measures to help halt overfishing and work to rebuild depleted fish populations.  Specific science-based measures intended to stop overfishing, including a strict timeline for implementing annual catch limits and accountability measures, were designed to ensure that each overfished stock could adequately rebuild.

These protective measures are now being implemented and we are starting to see signs of real success.  The vast majority of federally-managed stocks are not overfished and those that remain depleted have clear plans for rebuilding.  Some populations have been successfully rebuilt, with the result that fisheries managers have been able to increase annual catch limits.

All of the evidence suggests that the Magnuson-Stevens Act is working and we must allow it to continue to do so.  I ask that you oppose legislation that weakens important fisheries management policies just as we are starting to see success.  Specifically, I ask that you oppose these bills, which threaten to roll back years of progress rebuilding vulnerable fish species:

H.R. 2304 and S. 1916, the Fishery Science Improvement Act of 2011 (Rep. Robert Wittman, Sen. Bill Nelson): Eliminates the requirement to establish annual catch limits for particular stocks, thus weakening a pillar of the MSA and jeopardizing still-vulnerable fish populations.  H.R. 2304 would also extend the deadline for rebuilding certain stocks, thereby kicking the fisheries management can further down the road

H.R. 3061, the Flexibility and Access in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011 (Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.) and S. 632, the Flexibility in Rebuilding American Fisheries Act of 2011 (Sen. Charles Schumer): Weakens the requirement to end overfishing as soon as possible by requiring each regional management council’s scientific advisers to consider non-scientific factors when creating fishery management recommendations; also authorizes suspension of annual catch limits under certain circumstances.

H.R. 1646, the American Angler Preservation Act (Rep. Jon Runyan): Similar to H.R. 3061 and S. 632, H.R. 1646 weakens the requirement to end overfishing as soon as possible and use the best available science.  H.R. 1646 also requires the scientific advisers to consider non-scientific factors in their recommendations, and it prohibits closing a fishery if it would have a significant economic effect on small businesses.

Now is not the time to weaken the Magnuson-Stevens Act.  We need a continued robust fisheries management policy, one of strict science-based standards that will ensure the rebuilding of still-fragile stocks and will protect vital ocean ecosystems.  This is the only way to ensure that our oceans are healthy for future generations to enjoy.

Oceana | Protecting the World's Oceans

Help Prevent an Empty Ocean