The Role of Conservation and Fishery Science under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976

The enactment of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which extends United States jurisdiction over fishery resources seaward to 200 nautical miles, constitutes a radical departure from the legal and philosophical foundations of past United States fishery management. The Act incorporates major changes in the distribution of authority to manage fishery resources seaward of the territorial sea and broadens the goals of management to accommodate socioeconomic objectives. Furthermore, it explicitly mandates employment of the best scientific information available in the development of fishery management plans and seeks to establish a comprehensive program of fisheries research to carry out the purposes, policies, and provisions of the Act. It is the purpose of this article to examine and discuss those provisions of the Act which may have a profound impact on the future of fisheries science

Status of world marine fish stocks

Natural Resources Consultants/So

Dolphin Bycatches in Tuna Fisheries: A Smokescreen Hiding the Real Issues

The taking of dolphins in Tuna Fisheries has attracted a lot of attention in both law and science. The problem assumed international significance in the wake of the two General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) panels on imports of tunas. This article addresses the issue of incidental bycatch in fisheries generally and avers that dolphins are but one of the numerous species that are taken incidentally in commercial fisheries. It argues that the bycatch problem should be approached from a broader perspective that takes into account whole ecosystems and diverse interests in fisheries. It then posits possible ways of encouraging more selective fishing techniques that minimize overall bycatches

Principles for the conservation of wild living resources

We describe broadly applicable principles for the conservation of wild living resources and mechanisms for their implementation. These principles were engendered from three starting points. First, a set of principles for the conservation of wild living resources (Holt and Talbot 1978) required reexamination and updating. Second, those principles lacked mechanisms for implementation and consequently were not as effective as they might have been. Third, all conservation problems have scientific, economic, and social aspects, and although the mix may vary from problem to problem, all three aspects must be included in problem solving. We illustrate the derivation of, and amplify the meaning of, the principles, and discuss mechanisms for their implementation.The principles are:Principle I. Maintenance of healthy populations of wild living resources in perpetuity is inconsistent with unlimited growth of human consumption of and demand for those resources.Principle II. The goal of conservation should be to secure present and future options by maintaining biological diversity at genetic, species, population, and ecosystem levels; as a general rule neither the resource nor other components of the ecosystem should be perturbed beyond natural boundaries of variation.Principle III. Assessment of the possible ecological and sociological effects of resource use should precede both proposed use and proposed restriction or expansion of ongoing use of a resource.Principle IV. Regulation of the use of living resources must be based on understanding the structure and dynamics of the ecosystem of which the resource is a part and must take into account the ecological and sociological influences that directly and indirectly affect resource use.Principle V. The full range of knowledge and skills from the natural and social sciences must be brought to bear on conservation problems.Principle VI. Effective conservation requires understanding and taking account of the motives, interests, and values of all users and stakeholders, but not by simply averaging their positions.Principle VII. Effective conservation requires communication that is interactive, reciprocal, and continuous.Mechanisms for implementation of the principles are discussed.</p

Principles for the conservation of wild living resources

We describe broadly applicable principles for the conservation of wild living resources and mechanisms for their implementation. These principles were engendered from three starting points. First, a set of principles for the conservation of wild living resources (Holt and Talbot 1978) required reexamination and updating. Second, those principles lacked mechanisms for implementation and consequently were not as effective as they might have been. Third, all conservation problems have scientific, economic, and social aspects, and although the mix may vary from problem to problem, all three aspects must be included in problem solving. We illustrate the derivation of, and amplify the meaning of, the principles, and discuss mechanisms for their implementation.The principles are:Principle I. Maintenance of healthy populations of wild living resources in perpetuity is inconsistent with unlimited growth of human consumption of and demand for those resources.Principle II. The goal of conservation should be to secure present and future options by maintaining biological diversity at genetic, species, population, and ecosystem levels; as a general rule neither the resource nor other components of the ecosystem should be perturbed beyond natural boundaries of variation.Principle III. Assessment of the possible ecological and sociological effects of resource use should precede both proposed use and proposed restriction or expansion of ongoing use of a resource.Principle IV. Regulation of the use of living resources must be based on understanding the structure and dynamics of the ecosystem of which the resource is a part and must take into account the ecological and sociological influences that directly and indirectly affect resource use.Principle V. The full range of knowledge and skills from the natural and social sciences must be brought to bear on conservation problems.Principle VI. Effective conservation requires understanding and taking account of the motives, interests, and values of all users and stakeholders, but not by simply averaging their positions.Principle VII. Effective conservation requires communication that is interactive, reciprocal, and continuous.Mechanisms for implementation of the principles are discussed.</p