NOAA UNVEILS NEW NORTHEAST
FORAGE FISH POLICY

1/2/12  In yet another sign that the National Coalition for Marine Conservation’s call to preserve the northeast’s forage base is being heard, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration made protecting forage species a prominent objective of its recently released “Saltwater Recreational Fishing Action Agenda.”

The agenda, prepared in November 2011 by NOAA’s Northeast Regional Office, pledges the agency to work with the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils to make certain Atlantic herring, mackerel, squid and butterfish stocks are “maintained at healthy levels, that bycatch of recreationally important species is minimized, and that the important role they play within the ecosystem as forage for important recreational species is considered.”

“We applaud NOAA for elevating the importance of conserving herring, mackerel and other species as forage and recognizing the need for all federal management bodies to work together to monitor, assess and manage these species for the benefit of all fishermen and the ecosystem,” said NCMC executive director Pam Lyons Gromen. Pam, who leads NCMC’s forage fish campaign, is a co-author of the 2011 report, Preserving the Northeast Forage Base.

Industrial trawl fisheries for herring, mackerel and squid operate from Maine to North Carolina. The status of these resources is of concern, given their low abundance and the numerous fish, marine mammals and seabirds that depend on them for food. The trawl fisheries also have a high bycatch of river herring and shad, which are also an important component of the forage base and support fisheries valuable to recreational and commercial fishing.

“Encouraging an ecosystem approach to manage these fisheries will help maintain fishing opportunities on these species, and other higher level recreational fish species that depend on them as a food source,” says NOAA.

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HERRING AND OTHER LITTLE FISH
NEED YOUR HELP

click and select "Conserving Marine Ecosystems" in the program drop down menu

Be sure to check our publication released August 2006:  Taking the Bait -- Are America's Fisheries Out-Competing Predators for their Prey?

Download our Forage First! Fish File, an educational fact sheet.

Learn more about our efforts to Save the Stripers, and their food supply, menhaden.