Strengthening Rebuilding Plans: Three Recommendations for Action

Overview

IN OCTOBER 1996, Congress passed amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (“Magnuson-Stevens Act”) that required fishery managers to rebuild depleted populations of marine fish. Despite this strong federal mandate, in too many cases the U.S. has failed to rebuild fish populations and overfishing continues to hamper progress.

In a study funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program, John Wiedenmann and Marc Mangel examined fishery rebuilding plans developed since the rebuilding requirement was adopted in 1996. This study identified three situations in which improvements in the development and implementation of rebuilding plans could enhance the chance of restoring overfished populations. This Lenfest Ocean Program Research Series report is a snapshot of the study’s findings.