September 21, 2005

US proposes new guidelines to prevent overfishing

The US government has proposed new legislation that sought to prevent overfishing, as part of its plan to rebuild domestic fish resources.

Other measures towards the same end included tougher fines and penalties, more peer-reviewed science studies and market-based decisions, the government said.

However, critics said the government ignored important recommendations from the US Commission on Ocean Policy, in order to avoid a long administrative process. One recommendation was for a group of scientists to suggest the total number of allowable catches each year.

Advocacy groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council also quickly denounced the new proposals. The council said the proposals revoked the requirement to rebuild an overfished species within 10 years and allowed overfishing on some species to continue for years before legal protections were implemented.