The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch programme in the US is moving 21 species of west coast fish to sustainable status because of the success of a fisheries management programme championed by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
Nearly forty species of west coast rockfish, flounder, sole and other species have now been labelled as either a “Best Choice” or “Good Alternative” in terms of sustainability, excellent progress considering the fishery was declared a federal disaster back in 2000.
Shems Jud, Pacific coast director oceans, EDF, said that the general public and corporate seafood buyers can “Now feel good” about buying west coast seafood.
“Trawl fishermen should be commended for embracing conservation and supporting smarter regulations,” he said.
The fisheries management programme started back in 2011 by EDF put in place a new catch share scheme to help rebuild and manage fish stocks off the west coast. Because of the incentives inherent in the programme, bycatch and discards are plummeting in the area.
The scheme takes the science-based catch limit for the fishery and divides the total sustainable amount of fish that can be caught into individual quotas that each fisherman can catch throughout the year.
EDF said that fishermen are also now using innovative ways to avoid catching overfished species and protect the marine habitat. Some trawlers are using gear that has a reduced impact on the sea floor.
They are also sharing information with one another about where overfished species are congregating so they can be avoided and entering into joint agreements to voluntarily stop fishing in certain areas.
