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Hagan requests study on fishery stock assessments
Story Date: 3/8/2013
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 3/7/13
U.S. Senator Kay Hagan signed a bipartisan letter this week asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the fishery stock assessment data that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses to establish catch limits in the South Atlantic and the Gulf.
“This letter reflects my longstanding position that fishery rules and regulations must be based on sound scientific data,” said Hagan. “The fishing industry is a vital part of North Carolina’s coastal economy and these stock assessments are crucial to making sure regulations accurately reflect the current state of our fisheries.”
Stock assessments provide official estimates of crucial information such as the size of the stock’s population, the size of the spawning population and fish mortality. These estimates provide the scientific basis used to recommend a maximum, or total allowable catch, in a particular fishery.
The letter reflects concerns that NMFS has not placed a high enough priority on conducting robust, peer-reviewed assessments in gathering this data. The bipartisan group of Senators urged the GAO to conduct a study that will review the frequency with which the NMFS conducts stock assessments and whether adequate resources are being allocated for such assessments.
Since coming to the Senate, Hagan has been an advocate for policies important to North Carolina’s fishermen. In 2011, she cosponsored the Flexibility in Rebuilding Fisheries Act that worked to givefishery managers additional flexibility while balancing environmental concerns.
For a copy of the letter please click here.
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