When it comes to fisheries management, we far too often look at things from the top down, rather than down up. I guess this is understandable, seeing the way the human mind operates. For instance, size and slot-size limits have been conservation tools used to protect game fish for a long time now, but the majority of the time we fail to recognize the critical role smaller “less desirable” fish play in the ecological system. These lesser species support the bigger, more desirable species.

Thankfully, fisheries managers and scientists have begun to place more focus in recent years on protecting forage fish such as herring, shad, mullet, and menhaden. Getting our arms and minds around how baitfish are in the ocean, and how many should be left in the ocean is a difficult task.

Today’s researchers and policy makers want and need precise data to help them guide decision makers toward wise and responsible fisheries management choices. Unfortunately, this endeavour will take both a significant investment of time and money to accomplish. 

However, not all is doom and gloom. I recently attended an Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meeting. The commission was considering using ecological reference points (looking at how one species connects with all of its environment) as management tools in the menhaden fishery.

In my opinion, to properly manage our fisheries we will need to adopt a new approach to fisheries management. It should be a process where we look at the value of each species to the overall system, and not only its value on the dock or in the cooler.

By using ecological reference points and concise and updated fisheries data, we can continue to rebuild stronger and more abundant recreational fishing opportunities for all of us.