A Guide to Marine Fisheries Mike Nussman CEO, American Sportfishing Association Presentation for the TRCP Saltwater Media Summit October 23rd, 2013
Striped Bass Population
Fishing Trips
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
Most Popular Outdoor Activities in 2011 by Participation Rate
Most Popular Outdoor Activities in 2011 60
50
40
Participants Age 6+, in millions
30
20
10
0
Running
Bicycling
Hiking
Hunting
Canoeing
140 million Americans participate in outdoor recreation $646 billion in outdoor recreation spending Supports 6.1 million jobs
Source: The Outdoor Recreation Economy, Outdoor Industry Association
Sportfishing Facts and Figures
46 million anglers $115 billion in economic activity annually Supports 828,000 jobs $634 million in fishing license sales $650 million to Sport Fish Restoration Program >90% approval rating
Total U.S. Anglers 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 1991
Source: USFWS
1996
2001
2006
2011
Total U.S. Saltwater Anglers 9.6 9.4 9.2 9 8.8 8.6 8.4 8.2 8 1991
Source: USFWS
1996
2001
2006
2011
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
Fishing down food webs, Pauly et al, 1998
Pauly et al. (1998)
Nature, 2003 “The global ocean has lost more than 90% of large predatory fishes.�
1743 Citations
Science, 2006 Global collapse of all taxa currently fished by 2048
1389 Citations
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
Fishing down food webs, revisited (2010)
Branch et al. (2010) Nature 468:431-435
NOAA's Fish Stock Sustainability Index 650 616
600 550 500 450 400 357.5
350 300 2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
The Economist “Plenty more fish in the sea” May 26, 2012
“For American fish, this is a good time to be alive. On May 14th the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that a record six federal fisheries returned to health last year. After a decade of similar progress, 86% of America’s roughly 250 federally monitored commercial fish stocks were not subject to overfishing; 79% were considered healthy.”
How is good fisheries management achieved? Worm et al 2009 suggests the existing “toolbox” is sufficient There is no “silver bullet” Neither MPAs or catch shares were either necessary or sufficient Management success was derived from a broad range of tools including catch and effort limitation, temporary or seasonal closed areas, and effort restrictions
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
History of Magnuson-Stevens Act 1976 – Established EEZ and ended foreign overfishing 1996 – Addressed overfishing, bycatch and habitat 2006 – Focused on overfishing
U.S. Saltwater Fishing Statistics Total Saltwater Landings in the U.S. Recreational; 2%
Jobs
455,000 381,000
All Recreational
All Commercial
Commercial Finfish; 98%
Source: Southwick and Associates, data from Fisheries Economics of the United States 2011, NOAA Fisheries
Top 10 Recreational Species, by Landings Striped Bass Spotted Seatrout Red Drum Bluefish Yellowfin Tuna Dolphinfish Atlantic Sheepshead Summer Flounder Atlantic Cod Black Drum 0
5000
10000
15000
Thousand Pounds
Source: Fisheries Economics of the United States 2011, NOAA Fisheries
20000
25000
30000
Top 10 Commercial Species, by Landings Pollock Menhaden Salmon Flatfish Cod Hakes Crabs Squid Shrimp Herring 0
500000
1000000
1500000
2000000
Thousand Pounds
Source: Fisheries Economics of the United States 2011, NOAA Fisheries
2500000
3000000
Outline Recreational
fishing, big picture The oceans in crisis Well, maybe not Recreational vs. commercial fishing Where do we go from here?
History of Magnuson-Stevens Act 1976 – Established EEZ and ended foreign overfishing 1996 – Addressed overfishing, bycatch and habitat 2006 – Focused on overfishing 201? – ?????????