NOAA Fisheries recently released the 2023 Status of U.S. Fisheries Report to Congress. The annual report to Congress provides details on managed stocks or stock complexes in the U.S.
The report lists stocks as subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.
2023 Status of Stocks Highlights:
- The number of stocks on the overfishing list decreased by three stocks, reaching an all-time low number of 21 stocks on the overfishing list
- The number of stocks on the overfished list decreased by one stock, to 47
- 94 percent of stocks were not subject to overfishing, an all-time high.
- 82 percent were not overfished
- Since 2000, 50 stocks have been rebuilt
Status of Stocks Terms:
- Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) – The largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions.
- Overfishing – A stock having a harvest rate higher than the rate that produces its MSY.
- Overfished – A stock having a population size that is too low and that jeopardizes the stock’s ability to produce its MSY.
- Rebuilt – A stock that was previously overfished and abundance is now at the target population size that supports its MSY.
NOAA Fisheries manages 506 stocks or stock complexes in 45 fishery management plans. At the end of 2023, the overfishing list included 21 stocks, the overfished list included 47 stocks, and one stock was rebuilt, bringing the number of rebuilt stocks to 50 since 2000.
A stock assessment is a scientific analysis of the abundance and composition of a fish stock, as well as the degree of fishing intensity.
The full report is available on the NOAA website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/status-stocks-2023
source: NOAA Fisheries