Access to practical tools & resources to help Canadians better understand and conserve wetlands.

Description

Commercial and recreational fisheries have contributed billions of dollars to the U.S. Gross National Product each year and have long been considered an inexhaustible resource. However, increasing pressures on marine ecosystems from overfishing, non-selective fishing gear, and habitat loss and degradation have jeopardized our nation's fisheries. U.S. Congress recognized these problems in its 1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, now known as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act or the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The newly amended Act calls for the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, to give heightened consideration to fish habitat in resource management decisions. Although this brochure explains the main elements of the U.S.Essential Fish Habitat provisions, it may offer a tool for Canadian resource managers as well.

Additional Information:

Regions: United States

Submitted by: WetlandNetwork