Pacific Marine Conservation Council (PMCC) advocates for ecosystem-based management that fosters sustainable fishing communities. The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy was clear in stating, “ U.S. ocean and coastal resources should be managed to reflect the relationships among all ecosystem components, including humans and non-human species and the environments in which they live.” We agree.
As PMCC considers important and controversial issues, we think in terms of benefiting the marine environment and the people and livelihoods connected to the sea. In this spirit, we offer the following position statement regarding gear standards.
PMCC seeks to create incentives for using selective and habitat sensitive methods of fishing and supports the development of gear performance standards for marine fisheries based on these criteria. Protecting critical habitat and managing the fishery with incentives for using selective gear has not been a priority for either the PFMC or NMFS. Selective fishing and protecting critical habitat will result in healthier fish populations.
Information gained from the West Coast groundfish observer program should help fishermen, scientists, and managers approach this task to benefit the groundfish fishery, and to achieve the following:
- Designing and implementing a program that provides economic benefits to fishermen who use selective, habitat sensitive gear and;
- Supporting the comprehensive strategic plan developed by the PFMC, specifically the recommendations to:
- Consider regulatory changes (including incentive programs) that result in modification or elimination of fishing gears or fishing practices that are determined to adversely affect EFH areas of concern such as nearshore and shelf rock-reef habitats.
- Develop and implement gear performance standards for hook and line, pot, set gillnet, and trawl to increase gear selectivity, protect habitat, and/or decrease ghost fishing by lost gear.”
