Government proposes changes in fishing regulations

WASHINGTON – New guidelines aimed at preventing overfishing were proposed Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The proposal is designed to guide the local and regional fishery councils that set the rules to prevent overfishing and help rebuild fish stocks in various parts of the country ranging from New England to the Gulf Coast and Pacific Ocean.

The proposal, which will be open to public comment until Aug. 22 before being made final, drew prompt criticism from conservationists who contend the changes would weaken fish protections.

Among the proposed changes:

. Fishery councils would end overfishing within the first year of a rebuilding plan, except under certain conditions specified by law in the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Current rules don’t specify how soon overfishing must be halted.

. A target catch for a species would be set at less than the maximum sustainable yield. Currently, councils can set an optimum yield anywhere within the range between optimum and maximum yields, even equal to the maximum sustainable yield.

. The target time to rebuild a fish stock would be changed. The rules now set a target of 10 years when feasible. Under the new rules, if a fishery could rebuild in five years with no fishing, and that species takes an average of six years to mature, the new guidelines would set the maximum time to rebuild at five plus six, or 11 years. Then the target time would be set midway between the calculated minimum and maximum times to rebuild, or eight years.

. Under the new rules, rebuilding plans would remain in effect until the stock is rebuilt. Current rules don’t say what should be done if the plan reaches its end and the stock has not been rebuilt.

. The term “overfished” would be replaced with “depleted” to reflect that fish population declines are not wholly dependent on fishing.