Welcome!
Welcome to the Lenfest Ocean Program Web site. We support scientific research on living marine resources that will help decision makers both understand the causes and consequences affecting the global marine environment, and design and implement policies that will sustainably manage ocean ecosystems.
NEW!
June, 2009 – Study looks at global conservation status of 64 shark species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group, made up of 15 experts from government agencies, universities, NGOs and institutions from around the world, has released a report that finds that 32 percent of the shark species they examined are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing. Click here to learn more about the study.
June, 2009 - New England Fisheries Enforcement A new study published in Marine Policy examines fisheries enforcement compliance rates in the Northeast multispecies groundfish (NEGF) fishery. The study, conducted by Drs. Dennis King and Jon Sutinen, finds that given the conditions in the fishery and current levels of enforcement, there are high economic incentives for fishermen to violate regulations and that these violations are undercutting the biological and economic health of the fishery. Click here to learn more.
May, 2009 - Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force Launched
The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, a team of 13 preeminent scientists from around the world, held its first meeting May 18-20 in Alexandria, VA. It is the first scientific team to comprehensively address the management of forage fish globally. Click here to learn more.
March, 2009 - Implementing effective fisheries management practices in the United States
An Expert Working Group was convened in January by MRAG Americas, Inc. to develop methods of calculating productivity and susceptibility scores for close to 150 fish species. Click here to learn more about the methodology and the Expert Working Group's results.
February, 2009 - Whales & Fish Interactions: Are Great Whales a Threat to Fisheries?
A new paper in the journal Science finds that culling whales will not increase fisheries catches in tropical waters. The scientists used global and regional data, validated through scientific workshops in Senegal and Barbados, to determine whether competition was occurring. To view information about the research, both the Senegal and Barbados Workshops and to download high resolution whale pictures, click here.
October, 2008 - Atlantic Sharks at Risk: An Expert Working Group Report
An expert working group convened by the Lenfest Ocean Program in the summer of 2008 develops recommendations for limiting or prohibiting catch for the pelagic shark and ray species caught in International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) fisheries.
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