I am a candidate for an MAFAC appointment this month. If successful I plan to ask for your support in providing the National Marine Fisheries service with information about our sport. The need for quality information about fisheries is great. This is the trend statement for this year report.
TREND: DEMANDS WILL INCREASE FOR ADDITIONAL DATA AND SCIENCE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT. Humans are components of the ecosystems they inhabit and use. Their actions on land and in the oceans measurably affect ecosystems, and changes in ecosystems subsequently affect humans. Understanding and modeling this cycle of sustainability of fisheries and ecosystems at an acceptable level of certainty requires a much broader understanding of appropriate and effective science than has been encompassed by traditional, single-species fishery management. Ecosystem research and analyses will increasingly form the basis for new analytical models and assessments of the factors that influence ecosystem status, and predict environmental and social impacts of various management approaches. Using these tools, techniques, and ecosystem indicators, NOAA Fisheries and state and regional management partners will simultaneously be considering multiple objectives, identifying risk factors and uncertainty, and forecasting the cumulative environmental impact of policy choices.
I am testing our communities waters for concerns and comments.
This year is to me a milestone for fisheries management. Over the last 30 years fisheries policy has been based on Biomass and recruitment capacity estimates vs total fishing effort. Limits and closures were established on a fish by fish basis and did not account for forage species or natural degradation like the loss of marshland spawning areas from storms. Ecosystem Based Management seeks to develop a truer picture of our fisheries that includes all of the forces that shape the populations.
What are your feelings ? I believe we Kayak Fishers are one of the most Ecologically sensitive users of our natural resources.
Sustainable fisheries should be our common goal and I hope to bring our collective voice to the table here in the Mid-Atlantic region
_________________
Hobie Fishing Team Rider
Go Fish, Stay Fit and Have Fun
SpinfisherBob
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]