Guidelines released by the Bush administration last week provide a good framework for improving the nation’s fishing policies, which are scheduled to be updated this year. Although controversial, the administration’s push to privatize fisheries by limiting access and catches provides a new way to solve the decades-old problem of overfishing.

The administration’s proposal is far from perfect. It allows too long for some fish stocks, especially those that are long lived, to rebuild and it sidesteps the problem of bycatch, catching cod, for example, when going after haddock. However, its emphasis on ecosystem management and a flexible quota system provide a good starting point for new national fishing regulations.

The proposed new rules come as Congress prepares to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act, national fishing rules that were developed in 1976 and last updated in 1996. The Senate Commerce Committee, which includes Sen. Olympia Snowe, is working on its own version of a new bill.

It is clear that the current system of limiting the number of days that fishermen can spend at sea and putting large sections of the ocean off-limits isn’t working. Last month, with only one day’s notice, the National Marine Fisheries Service announced it was closing a portion of Georges Bank to all groundfishing because it believes that 90 percent of the cod there has already been caught although the fishing season is only one-third over.

This is further evidence for the need for strict catch limits for entire fisheries. One way to do this is through what are called dedicated access privilege (DAP) programs, which limit the number of fishermen who can catch a specified amount of fish. The idea is to encourage fishermen to spread their catch throughout the year to stop the current practice of fishermen racing to catch as much as they can as quickly as possible before the overall catch limit is reached.

An extreme example of the problem was the Alaska halibut fishery in the 1990s. Because boats had become so efficient, the halibut season shrank to two days, with fishermen working 48 hours straight despite the weather. Fishermen then dumped their hurried catch on an already glutted market, minimizing their profit. Limiting access solved this problem.

The administration’s plan would double the number of fisheries covered by DAPs by 2010. It rightly did not specify what types of DAPs should be used for specific fisheries. DAPs include individual and community quotas.

Fishermen worry that quotas will allow large vessels to put small ones out of business. This is a valid fear, but legislation sponsored by Rep. Tom Allen could eliminate such dangers. His Fishing Quota Standards Act would ensure that fishermen have

a voice in developing quota systems.

The bill would also require that any proposed quotas meet national standards that limit consolidation – the buying up of fishing rights by large vessels – encourage young people to join the industry and reward the use of environmentally friendly gear.

With such revisions, the Magnuson-Stevens Act can be a powerful tool to promote improved fisheries management that will benefit fishermen and ocean ecosystems.