Issues

Healthy Marine Habitat: The Foundation of North Pacific Fisheries

National concern over the health of the oceans has become one of the most important and hotly debated conservation topics in recent years. Concerns over the impacts of fishing on marine habitat feature prominently in this debate. No one is more concerned with the long-term health of the North Pacific and its vast and diverse resources than the people whose lives and livelihoods depend on them. The Marine Conservation Alliance firmly believes we can have sustainable fisheries, good jobs from a healthy seafood industry, and prosperous, livable coastal communities. The cornerstone of all those goals is healthy marine habitat. Throughout the debate regarding oceans conservation, it has become apparent that the most successful governance system is the one closest to the people, the region, and the fishery being governed. National standards and goals established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act provide a useful model for regional decision making, and the North Pacific region has demonstrated how effective coordinated local, state, and regional fishery management systems can be. Recent actions by the North Pacific Council to protect Essential Fish Habitat demonstrate how a transparent, science driven management process can bring diverse interests to the table to craft reasonable conservation measures.

Photo courtesy of Dave Fraser

National concern over the health of the oceans has become one of the most important and hotly debated conservation topics in recent years. Concerns over the impacts of fishing on marine habitat feature prominently in this debate. No one is more concerned with the long-term health of the North Pacific and its vast and diverse resources than the people whose lives and livelihoods depend on them. The Marine Conservation Alliance firmly believes we can have sustainable fisheries, good jobs from a healthy seafood industry, and prosperous, livable coastal communities. The cornerstone of all those goals is healthy marine habitat.

Photo Courtesy of American Seafoods

Throughout the debate regarding oceans conservation, it has become apparent that the most successful governance system is the one closest to the people, the region, and the fishery being governed. National standards and goals established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act provide a useful model for regional decision making, and the North Pacific region has demonstrated how effective coordinated local, state, and regional fishery management systems can be. Recent actions by the North Pacific Council to protect Essential Fish Habitat demonstrate how a transparent, science driven management process can bring diverse interests to the table to craft reasonable conservation measures.

Map of Aleutian Island Essential Fish Habitat by NOAA (.pdf, 226 KB)

Using extensive stakeholder input, an exhaustive scientific analysis, peer review, and a transparent public debate on the merits of several proposals, the North Pacific Council developed a set of habitat protection measures that closed roughly 279,000 sq. nautical miles to bottom trawling. Most of the new closures are in the Aleutian Islands to protect sensitive coral habitats. The Council also established numerous site-specific Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) which include 16 seamounts and several fragile coral gardens, and put in place measures to protect these important habitats as well.

Previous state and federal bottom trawl closures totaled roughly 130,000 sq nm and cover virtually every habitat type in Alaska waters. This equals a 100 mile wide closed area stretching from Mexico to Canada off the U.S. west coast. With the addition of the new closures, roughly 388,000 sq nm are closed to bottom trawling off Alaska to protect sensitive species and habitats - some of the largest Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the country, and perhaps the world.

Most importantly, the Council was supported in its action by both the seafood industry and conservation groups.

Closures, restrictions, and MPAs can serve legitimate management objectives if they are scientifically justified, have clearly articulated goals, and incorporate provisions for continued monitoring to ensure those goals are being achieved. A regionally based, transparent and science driven decision making process, like that used by the North Pacific Council, can ensure success.