Posted on: Thursday, August 5, 2004
EDITORIAL
Fish management needs scientific skills
Since 1976, ocean fishing in the federal waters off Hawai'i (from three miles to 200 miles) has been regulated by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Council.
The organization is one of a series of such councils appointed to oversee commercial fishing in federal waters.
Critics of the council say it has been largely ineffective since its membership is dominated by fishing interests. They point to declining stocks of valuable ocean fish despite the efforts of these councils.
To a degree, this is a debate with no conclusion. Supporters of the council can rightly argue that stocks would be even further depleted were it not for its efforts.
And they also note that recent years have seen a rebound in swordfish and tuna fisheries, in part because of regulation and control.
Still, concerns linger that this, as with all management councils, is too closely allied with the industry.
A reasonable attempt to deal with such concerns has prompted a bill in Congress called the Fisheries Management Reform Act. It would require the secretary of commerce to set "ecologically safe" catch levels based on scientific evidence. It would also require that scientists or others with no ties to fishing be added to the councils.
This makes sense. No one would argue that men and women who make their living from the sea should be cut out of the management process.
But adding scientific and environmental expertise to the mix makes good sense.
In fact, that process has already begun with the announcement that two new regional offices under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been established in the Islands.
One office will focus on conservation and management issues. The other is a Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.
The two will report directly to Washington but will also offer support and advice to the local Fisheries Council.
Combined with the reforms envisioned in the Fisheries Reform Act, there is every possibility that our economically valuable and culturally important open-ocean fisheries will be around for a long time.
