Fish are a vital ecological, economic, and food resource, but many species are in decline because of habitat loss, pollution, over fishing, and bycatch1. Fisheries management is hampered by incomplete knowledge of fish life cycles, complex ecosystem relationships, population size, natural population fluctuations, and the adverse effects of habitat loss and pollution. Current commercial and recreational fishery practices have contributed to changes in the biological composition of marine ecosystems. Long-term ecological health and sustainability of aquatic biodiversity must take precedence over short-term economic considerations.
All parties, commercial and recreational fishers, consumers, environmental groups, governmental regulators, and the general public, must move towards a policy of recovering depleted fisheries stocks and developing a sustainable fishery management regime.
The Sierra Club therefore urges the state and federal agencies responsible for fisheries management to:
Adopt the precautionary principle to protect the biodiversity and integrity of the coastal and ocean ecosystems;
Move from managing fisheries on a species or species complex basis to an ecosystem approach which would include addressing: (a) the impacts of fishing on non-target species (sea turtles, marine mammals, sea birds); (b) changes in biodiversity of the marine food web as a consequence of harvesting fish; (c) impacts of land-based pollution from all sources and habitat loss/degradation from physical human activities in estuarine, nearshore, and offshore areas; and (d) population structure of target fish species and composition fish communities to avoid fishing down the food chain from larger predator species to smaller species lower in the chain.
Invest in coordinated and expanded research on habitat, fishing and natural fish mortality, climate change, threats posed by biotoxins, bacteria, and viruses, and development of less destructive fishing gear and techniques;
Designate and utilize no-take reserves, time and area closures, and restrictions on fishing effort for protection of breeding, spawning, and nursery areas for fish.
Develop better coordination of fisheries management across jurisdictional boundaries;
Establish and implement programs and policies that effectively reduce habitat degradation by physical disruption and land based pollution sources;
Eliminate government subsidies that support unsustainable fishing operations;
Provide financial aid only for retiring fishing vessels and gear, and for retraining displaced fishermen for new employment opportunities. Support economic incentives to promote the use of gear or fishing operations that are shown to be less damaging to habitats and ecosystems.
Provide greater opportunity for non-commercial fishing constituents, representatives of environmental and consumer groups, and private citizens interested in our public fisheries resources to participate in fishery commissions, councils, and advisory panels that recommend or set fisheries public policy.
Definitions:
Bycatch - Bycatch is the indiscriminate catching of fish and other marine life other than those a fishing vessel intends to capture. This includes fish that are not the target species, sex, size, or quality. It also includes many other fish and marine life that have no economic value, but are ecologically important, such as starfish, sponges, and skates. Primarily, bycatch results from fishing practices and gear that are not selective. In addition to visible mortality, fish and other sea life are sometimes killed or injured when passing through or escaping fishing gear, and through ghost fishing from abandoned or lost gear.
Precautionary Principle - Precaution involves acting in advance to avoid or minimize negative impacts, which implies, in environmental management, that in the face of scientific uncertainity on cause and effects relationships accompanying the potential impacts that the benefit of the doubt is given to the conservation of natural resources and the maintenance of biodiversity.
Adopted by the Board of Directors, September 20, 2002
