Overfishing: New Research, Reports, and Legislation

According to the cover story of the July 27, 2001, issue of Science, the extinction rate of fish species due to overfishing is far greater than ever realized. Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography contend that overfishing is the primary driver of marine ecosystem collapse. SIO press: Mario Aguilera or Cindy Clark, 858-534-3624, email. Contact Science for press copies of the article: 202-326-6440. Media resources on this research from Seaweb.

This news comes as Congress begins to consider legislation to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act: HR 2570, introduced July 19, 2001.

On July 19, 2001, the Marine Fish Conservation Network merged info from a November 2000 AFS report (see TipSheet) with Natl. Marine Fisheries Service classifications of species under the Endangered Species Act to develop a list of 31 managed fish stocks currently at risk of extinction. MFCN: Herb Ettel, 202-543-5509.

Also, in a January 2001 report the NMFS revealed that more than half of the marine species it manages are overfished and continue to be so.