Comment from Rachael Prokop - Oceana

As someone who cares deeply about the health of our oceans and the future of our fisheries, I’m writing to ask that you protect vulnerable fish populations by not weakening current fisheries management law. For more than thirty-five years, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) has helped manage our fisheries after decades of exploitation. As your agency considers revisions to how National Standard 1 (NS1) of the MSA is implemented, I ask that you use this opportunity to uphold the spirit of the law and strengthen the ways in which our fisheries are managed. Healthy, sustainable fisheries depend on the science-based management standards required under the MSA. Tools like annual catch limits and accountability measures have been instrumental in helping to end overfishing and restore depleted fisheries. I support these science-based measures and strongly oppose any efforts to weaken them. Ending overfishing and preventing its ocurrence should be the overall goal. Any changes to NS1 must ensure that fisheries are monitored, managed with scientifically-based limits that are enforced. These changes would help ensure that vulnerable species and their habitats are further protected. We are only now beginning to see success from the implementation of annual catch limits and we must let the law continue to work as intended. While I know many fishing communities are struggling during these tough economic times, weakening current law will only harm the future of our fisheries and the fishermen who depend on them. Signed, 18,170 concerned ocean activists (See attached file)