Overfishing and Rebuilding Fish Stocks in Federal Waters

This book is a study on ending overfishing and rebuilding fish stocks in U.S. federal waters. Fisherman and fishing communities sometimes suffer from economic and social effects of harvest restrictions needed to satisfy the provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) for overfishing and stock rebuilding requirements. Many question whether these requirements adequately address the complexities and uncertainties associated with managing fish stocks. Often fisherman express doubt over the efficacy of fish population assessments used for developing management measures because of data constraints and inadequate population models. They refer to studies showing that other factors, often outside the immediate control of fisheries managers, such as environmental conditions and the quality of fish habitat, also affect fish population abundance.