West Coast fishery managers on Tuesday approved new protections for small forage fish in a move cheered by advocates as a landmark decision.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council unanimously adopted the plan that reflects a shift toward more broad ecosystem-based management, rather than a species-by-species approach that has characterized previous policy. The years-in-the-making action aims to protect numerous species of forage fish that provide a crucial food source for salmon and other marine wildlife.
Michele Culver, a regional director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and a member of the fishery council, called the move “groundbreaking.”
“I’m really excited about the action that was taken today,” Culver said.
The plan adopted Tuesday in Vancouver would prohibit any new commercial fishery targeting forage fish, unless the operation can first show that it wouldn’t harm the larger ecosystem. The rules would apply to numerous species, including herring, saury and smelt, among others. Many types of forage fish are largely unmanaged now, leaving them vulnerable to unregulated fishing, advocates say.
Some forage fish such as sardines have been fished for decades and are already subject to limits and rules. The new rules wouldn’t apply to existing fisheries.
Tuesday represented the final action on the matter for the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which holds broad jurisdiction off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. But the plan still needs approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service to take effect.
The new proposal represents one facet of the Fishery Ecosystem Plan that the council adopted in 2013. It also represents a victory for the organizations that have pushed to raise the profile of forage fish and their importance to marine ecosystems. Among those organizations is the Pew Charitable Trusts.
“This is a great day for everyone who has a stake in a healthy ocean,” Paul Shively, who manages ocean conservation efforts for Pew, said in a released statement. “This action recognizes the ecological importance of forage fish to seabirds, marine mammals, and the bigger fish many of us love to catch and eat.”
The demand for forage fish is on the rise, raising the possibility of new fisheries on the West Coast, according to Pew. Many of the forage fish that are caught are turned into fishmeal or fish oil.
The species identified in the new rules are among those that have been targeted by fishing operations elsewhere, Culver said. In crafting the plan, managers sought to protect vulnerable species without creating unnecessary regulations, she said.
“We wanted to do something that was reasonable,” Culver said.
The council acted after receiving favorable public testimony Tuesday morning, said Steve Marx, a Pew policy analyst who also addressed the group.
“This action earned support because it’s justified on the science and because it makes sense,” Shively said. “Council members deserve credit for acting with foresight to protect a healthy ocean for generations to come.”
