Our Living Oceans 6th EDITION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service OUR LIVING OCEANS • REPORT ON THE STATUS OF U.S. LIVING MARINE RESOURCES • 6th EDITION Our Living Oceans Front cover photographs, clockwise from top left: black rockfsh, Steve Lonhart, Monterrey Bay National Marine Sanctuary; nesting leatherback sea turtle, Canaveral National Seashore, U.S. National Parks Service; giant trevally, Pacifc Islands Fisheries Science Center, NMFS; spotted seal, Brent Stewart, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. Our Living Oceans th Report on the status of U.S. living marine resources • 6 edition October 2009 U.S. Department National Oceanic and National Marine of Commerce Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service Gary Locke Jane Lubchenco James W. Balsiger Secretary of Commerce Under Secretary of Commerce Acting Assistant for Oceans and Atmosphere Administrator for Fisheries John Butler, SWFSC Foreword This new edition of Our Living Oceans serves eries Research, published in 2007, describes the as a major yardstick to measure the success of agency’s research priorities for the next 5 years managing our Nation’s living marine resources and provides a framework for targeting NOAA’s since the last report was released in 1999. In ad- resources to best meet science and management dition to detailing the status of the Nation’s living needs. The NOAA Fleet Recapitalization Plan, re- marine resources, this report also focuses on the leased in October 2008, outlines NOAA’s plans to steps that the National Marine Fisheries Service replace its aging feet of sea-going vessels, the pri- (NMFS) has taken to end overfshing and reduce mary platforms for collecting fshery-independent bycatch, and spotlights what is known and what data, which is vital for assessing stocks and man- still remains unknown about fshery stocks and aging fsheries. Updating the NOAA feet will give protected resources. us the tools to build capacity and collect more, The passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Re- and more comprehensive, data to better manage authorization Act of 2006 (MSRA) has changed living marine resources. NMFS is also working the landscape of fsheries management. In ad- with industry and academic partners to develop dition to its requirement to end overfshing by advanced sampling technologies that will further 2010, the Act requires expanded fshery man- enhance data collection and the fsheries manage- agement tools (including market-based manage- ment that depends on those data. ment approaches, e.g. “catch shares”), a larger In order to better meet the Nation’s steward- role for science in the fshery management pro- ship responsibilities for the oceans, coasts, and cess (including improved recreational data collec- Great Lakes, the Obama Administration estab- tion and strengthened peer-review processes), and lished an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force enhanced international cooperation (to address (OPTF) to be led by the Chair of the Council on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fshing and Environmental Quality. On 10 September 2009 bycatch of protected species). The keys to achiev- the Obama Administration released the interim ing sustainable fshery stocks, and local communi- Ocean Policy Task Force report. The OPTF report ties dependent upon them, are ending overfshing provides proposals for a comprehensive national and rebuilding overfshed stocks. The agency and approach to uphold stewardship responsibilities the Nation we serve face new and emerging chal- and ensure accountability. It outlines a more bal- lenges: setting effective and accurate annual catch anced, productive and sustainable approach to limits, conserving and rehabilitating the marine managing ocean resources focusing on an inte- and freshwater habitats needed to sustain fshery grated and science-based approach to ecosystem stocks, recovering endangered species and pro- protection and restoration strategies. It calls out tecting those at risk of becoming endangered, cre- as a priority the importance of the “protection, ating successful limited access privilege programs maintenance, and restoration of populations and that help provide for sustainable and safe fsher- essential habitats supporting fsheries, protected ies, and designing ecosystem-based management species, ecosystems, and biological diversity.” plans that consider multiple uses of marine eco- The United States has some of the strongest systems, including fsheries and a wide range of marine resource legislation in the world, and pas- other societal needs. sage of the MSRA gives NMFS critically needed NMFS has been working to anticipate and tools to effectively manage our Nation’s living ma- meet emerging management and conservation rine resources for the sustainable use and enjoy- challenges. The NMFS Strategic Plan for Fish- ment by this and future generations. This report v serves as a report card to the Nation on the sta- that comparisons of future reports with this one tus of our living marine resources, but it will also will show continued improvements in the status serve as a baseline for measuring future progress and health of stocks, as well as increases in knowl- under the MSRA mandates and meeting the re- edge about those stocks. quirements and initiatives of the OPTF. While we will eliminate known overfshing on Federal- Steve Murawski, Ph.D. ly managed stocks in 2010, we know that it will Director of Scientifc Programs take time to restore those populations—but re- National Marine Fisheries Service cover they will of we are vigilant in keeping fsh- Silver Spring, Maryland ing mortality within sustainable limits. We expect October 2009 Quarterly updates on the status of populations can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/statusoffsheries/SOSmain.htm. vi Preface This is the sixth edition of Our Living Oceans. assessment of the status and health of marine Report on the Status of U.S. Living Marine Resources and coastal habitats important to living marine to be released since the inaugural edition was resources is nearing completion. When Our Living published in November 1991. These publications Oceans: Habitat. Status of the Habitat of U.S. Living serve as a series of National status reviews by the Marine Resources is released in the near future, the National Marine Fisheries Service. The reports are envisioned Our Living Oceans series covering stock neither mandated nor intended to fulfll any legal status, economics, and habitat will be in place. requirement. Instead, the purpose of Our Living Our Living Oceans 6th Edition presents new data Oceans from the beginning has been to provide a analyses focusing on the principal fshery resources, report card to the American public on the biological marine mammals, and sea turtles that are under the health of U.S. living marine resources. Additional management jurisdiction of the National Marine reports in this series were released in 1992, 1993, Fisheries Service. Living marine resources in this 1995, and 1999. Over time, this reporting effort report are discussed in terms of seven regional has evolved from a 1-year cycle to a multiyear ecosystems around the United States: Northeast cycle so as to better refect the extended time Shelf, Southeast Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, Carib- periods often requireds to observe and document bean Sea, California Current, Alaska Ecosystem change in biological populations and the marine Complex, and Pacifc Islands Ecosystem Complex, environment. plus Highly Migratory Species. The information Building on the reception of the biological re- reported is drawn from stock assessment reports, port card, Our Living Oceans. The Economic Status feld surveys, biological and physical studies, and of U.S. Fisheries was released to the American public independent monitoring of recreational, subsis- in December 1996. This companion report defned tence, and commercial fsheries. As with previous and characterized economic sustainability in the editions of Our Living Oceans, this publication and Nation’s fsheries, and presented a preliminary as- the data presented are the result of the collective ef- sessment of their economic health. An update to forts of National Marine Fisheries Service staff from the 1996 Economics report is currently underway. around the country. The principal contributors to Work on a third report that will present an initial this report are listed in Appendix 1. vi i CONTENTS v Foreword vii PreFace x List oF tabLes xii List oF Figures Part 1 NaTiONal OvErviEw 3 Introduction 6 Reauthorization of the Magnuson–Stevens Act 7 Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management 10 Contents 11 Common Terms 13 U.S. Fisheries Production and Status 16 Harvest Rate 17 Stock Status 19 Fishery Resource Status Relative to Fishing Mortality and Biomass Targets 19 Stock Level Relative to BMSY 20 Fishing Mortality and Resource Biomass relative to Target Levels 21 Protected Resource Status 21 Marine Mammals 22 Sea Turtles 23 Regional Ecosystem and Unit Summaries 23 Northeast Shelf 25 Southeast Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea 28 California Current 30 Alaska Ecosystem Complex 33 Pacifc Islands Ecosystem Complex 34 Highly Migratory Species 36 Recent Trends for Fisheries 36 Stock Level 37 Recent Yields 40 Recent Trends for Protected Resources 40 Marine Mammals 41 Sea Turtles 42 Issues of National Concern 42 Stock Rebuilding and Recovery 45 Recreational Fishing 46 Place-based Management 48 Limited Access Privilege Programs 50 Scientifc Advice and Adequacy of Assessments 52 Outlook 53 Literature Cited vi i i Part 2 fEaTurE arTiCLES 57 Prelude to Sustainability: Ending Overfshing in U.S. Fisheries 67 Improving Fisheries Science with Advanced Sampling Technologies 77 Deep-sea Coral Ecosystems of the United States 87 Conservation and the Endangered Species Act: The National Marine Fisheries Service’s Cooperative and Proactive Approaches Part 3 LiviNg mariNE rESOurCES 103 Unit 1. Northeast Demersal Fisheries 113 Unit 2. Northeast Pelagic Fisheries 117 Unit 3. Atlantic Anadromous Fisheries 125 Unit 4. Northeast Invertebrate Fisheries 133 Unit 5. Atlantic Highly Migratory Pelagic Fisheries 137 Unit 6. Atlantic Shark Fisheries 149 Unit 7. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coastal Pelagic Fisheries 157 Unit 8. Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Reef Fisheries 163 Unit 9. Southeast Drum and Croaker Fisheries 169 Unit 10. Southeast Menhaden Fisheries 173 Unit 11. Southeast and Caribbean Invertebrate Fisheries 181 Unit 12. Pacifc Coast Salmon 189 Unit 13. Alaska Salmon 201 Unit 14. Pacifc Coast and Alaska Pelagic Fisheries 211 Unit 15. Pacifc Coast Groundfsh Fisheries 223 Unit 16. Western Pacifc Invertebrate Fisheries 231 Unit 17. Western Pacifc Bottomfsh and Groundfsh Fisheries 237 Unit 18. Pacifc Highly Migratory Pelagic Fisheries 251 Unit 19. Alaska Groundfsh Fisheries 263 Unit 20. Alaska Shellfsh Fisheries 267 Unit 21. Marine Mammals of the Alaska Region 283 Unit 22. Marine Mammals of the Pacifc Region and Hawaii 301 Unit 23. Marine Mammals of the Atlantic Region and the Gulf of Mexico 317 Unit 24. Sea Turtles Part 4 appENdiCES 331 Appendix 1. Acknowledgements 333 Appendix 2. Fishery Management Councils, Their Jurisdictions, and Fishery Management Plans 337 Appendix 3. Principal Facilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service 341 Appendix 4. Stock Assessment Principles and Terms 347 Appendix 5. Common and Scientifc Names of Species 361 Appendix 6. Acronyms and Abbreviations 367 Appendix 7. Species Listed Under the Endangered Species Act ix