REPORT TO CONGRESS

STATUS OF FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES

PREPARED BY

NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

JANUARY 2001

Report on the Status of Fisheries of the United States

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Appendices

REPORT TO CONGRESS ON STATUS OF FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), Public Law 104-297 of October 11, 1996, reauthorized and amended the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The reauthorized MSA requires the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress annually on the status of fisheries within each Council's geographical area of authority and identify those fisheries that are overfished or are approaching a condition of being overfished. This is the fourth annual report.

The SFA requires the identification of overfished stocks to be based on the current overfishing definitions found in Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). The SFA also defined "overfished" and "overfishing," and required that FMP definitions, amended to be consistent with the new statutory definition, be submitted to the Secretary by October 11, 1998. Many of the new definitions contained in FMPs have been submitted and approved consistent with the National Standard Guidelines (50 CFR 600.305), and additional stocks have been identified as overfished.

This report covers 905 stocks in the U.S. EEZ. Based on the criteria in the MSA, the Report on the Status of Fisheries finds that 72 stocks were found to have overfishing occurring (the harvest rate was above a prescribed threshold), 92 were determined to be overfished (the stock size was below a prescribed threshold). Of those stocks, 57 were found to have both overfishing occurring and to be overfished.

The number of stocks that were experiencing overfishing declined from 77 in 1999 to 72 in 2000. Coincidentally, the stocks for which there was no overfishing increased from 159 in 1999 to 210 in 2000. In terms of being overfished, the stocks for which the biomass was below the prescribed threshold increased from 64 in 1999 to 92 in 2000. Of the 37 additional stocks identified as overfished this year (9 were removed from the overfished list), 23 were so classified because of a change in the overfishing definition utilized rather than a decline in the size of the stock. While the stocks that are overfished increased this year, 148 stocks were determined to be not overfished, compared to 122 in 1999. Five stocks were determined to be approaching an overfished condition, the same as in 1999.

In order to provide information on the most important stocks, this year's report separates the stocks into major and minor categories. This division was based on whether a stock had annual landings of more than 200,000 pounds. In 2000, 287 stocks that were classified as major accounted for the vast majority of landings, totaling more than 8 billion pounds, compared to only 9 million pounds for the 618 minor stocks. Forty-seven major stocks were determined to have overfishing occurring; 139 stocks had harvesting rates below the approved threshold. Fifty-six major stocks were determined to be overfished and 106 were not overfished. The five stocks that were approaching an overfished condition were major stocks.

Also of note is that the status of a large number of stocks continues to be classified as either unknown or undefined, i.e., an overfishing definition was not available. Of the 905 stocks in the report, the status of more than 600 was either unknown or was classified as undefined. The vast majority of these unknown or undefined stocks are classified as minor stocks. Minor stocks, in fact, accounted for 83 percent of the stocks whose status were either unknown or undefined, while only 17 percent of the unknown and undefined stocks were categorized as major.

This report identifies 75 rebuilding programs that are either currently implemented or approved. To enhance understanding of the rebuilding programs in effect, this year's report includes 31 rebuilding programs that were implemented prior to the enactment of SFA. Forty-four of the programs were approved after enactment of the SFA, however, 27 of those have not been implemented, pending international agreement on management programs. There are two rebuilding programs under Secretarial review and two under development. Five overfished stocks have not had rebuilding programs submitted, and one program was disapproved.

INTRODUCTION

This report to Congress responds to section 304(e)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) on October 11, 1996

(1) The Secretary shall report annually to the Congress and the Councils on the status of fisheries within each Council's geographic area of authority and identify those fisheries that are overfished or are approaching a condition of being overfished. For those fisheries managed under a fishery management plan or international agreement, the status shall be determined using the criteria for overfishing specified in such plan or agreement. A fishery shall be classified as approaching a condition of being overfished if, based on trends in fishing effort, fishery resource size, and other appropriate factors, the Secretary estimates that the fishery will become overfished within two years.

This is the fourth annual report on the status of stocks and overfishing that NMFS has provided to Congress and the Regional Fishery Management Councils (Councils). It serves not only to describe the status of stocks in regards to overfishing, but also contains information on the status of rebuilding plans.

As is explained in more detail below, the format and content of this year's report have been changed, in response to comments received on previous reports from the Councils, NMFS Regions and Science Centers, and the public. More detail is provided on each stock and the basis for its classification, new tables summarize whether stocks are major or minor, and detailed sections on methodology for classification of stocks have been moved to appendices to improve overall readability.

This year's report is arranged around six tables. The first two provide summary information and the last four provide more detailed information on each listed stock and fishery management plan (FMP).

Table 1. Summary of stocks by Council area, compared for 1999 and 2000.

Table 2. Description of major and minor stocks by Council for 2000.

Table 3. Stocks in a management unit identified in an FMP.

Table 4. Stocks in an FMP, but not the management unit.

Table 5. Stocks not in an FMP.

Table 6. Stocks in an FMP under development.

The tables are followed by five appendices that provide greater detail on methodology and overfishing definitions, as well as a guide to acronyms used in the tables.

Appendix 1. Report format and policy changes; methodology for defining overfishing.

Appendix 2. Overfishing definitions in FMPs.

Appendix 3. Overfishing definitions for non-FMP stocks.

Appendix 4. Overfishing definitions for FMPs under development

Appendix 5. Overfishing definitions for Alaska groundfish fisheries.

Appendix 6. Acronym guide.

Listing of Stocks

As in past reports, a substantial portion of a domestic stock must occur within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for it to be identified in this report. Most stocks are managed under a Council or joint Council FMP. There are 40 approved and implemented federal FMPs, eight federal FMPs under development, and numerous other EEZ fisheries under no federal FMP. Some FMPs contain only one or a few stocks in the management unit, while others contain more than 100 stocks. To the extent possible, individual stocks for each fishery or FMP were assessed separately.

This year's report includes 14 new stocks. Some are in FMPs under development or are not within an FMP, while others have resulted from separating one stock into two or more stocks for separate analysis. Also, last year's report listed seven stocks of skates not contained in FMPs. The same seven stocks are now in an FMP under development, and three, Brier Skate, Leopard Skate, and Smooth-tailed Skate, are referred to now as Clearnose Skate, Rosette Skate, and Smooth Skate, respectively. Gulf of Mexico Rock Shrimp and Seabob Shrimp are no longer contained in the management unit, even though they are in the FMP. American Lobster is now managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is no longer under a Federal FMP.

Thirteen stocks have been removed from the report. Eulachon, Capelin, and Rainbow Smelt in the Gulf of Alaska Groundfish and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Groundfish FMPs are now classified as forage fish and no longer contained in the groundfish management unit. Little Tunny was inadvertently listed twice in two separate tables, and is now listed only with the Coastal Migratory Pelagics of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic FMP. Gulf of Mexico Pigfish, Grass Porgy, Tomtate, Jolthead Porgy, Gulf of Alaska Bering Flounder, and Gulf of Alaska Kamchatka Flounder are no longer contained in the FMP or the management unit, and have been deleted from this report.

Major and Minor Stocks

This year's report distinguishes major from minor stocks, in terms of their importance to U.S. fishermen and the industry. Stocks are classified based on landings data that include published and unpublished commercial and recreational catches from various sources. The use of landings allows both commercial and recreational sectors to be readily incorporated into this evaluation. The amount of landings reflects the size of the stock and the value assigned by the marketplace (limited landings may indicate a lack of a market for the stock). Based on landings for all stocks, 200,000 pounds appeared to be a suitable, albeit approximate, dividing line for separating major and minor stocks. The separation of major from minor stocks represents an initial attempt to highlight species important to domestic fisheries, but for which the status remains unknown. It also could serve as a useful guide on where to place new research funds as they become available.

Format Changes

Several format changes have been made to help avoid some of the confusion experienced with the 1999 report. They are summarized below and detailed in Appendix 1.

• Information is presented more clearly on necessary management actions and progress in rebuilding overfished stocks. Determinations are presented separately for those stocks where overfishing is occurring (fishing mortality rate is above a prescribed threshold), and for those stocks that are overfished (biomass is below a prescribed threshold).
• The column (titled overfished) from last year's tables has been deleted, that provided a combined determination of the findings of the biomass column and the fishing mortality rate column. This was done to avoid confusion stemming from situations in which a stock had a fishing mortality rate exceeding the prescribed threshold and had a biomass that was above the prescribed minimum stock size threshold (MSST), but, nonetheless, was listed as overfished. The remaining two columns clearly distinguish between when a stock is overfished and when overfishing is occurring.
• Last year's report did not distinguish between fishing mortality rate and stock size in determining if a stock was "approaching an overfished condition." This year, the determination is based on criteria in the FMP. For some stocks, proxies for maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and MSST are used to determine if a stock is approaching an overfished condition as defined in Appendix 2.
• This year's report divides the overfishing and overfished columns into pre- and post-SFA overfishing definitions to clarify the basis for making the determinations.
• This year's report provides additional information about those stocks for which rebuilding programs are required. Required management actions are identified and progress in rebuilding is indicated with numbers of years the program has been in place and how long it is expected to last.
• A complete description of the methodology used for determining status of stocks is available as part of Appendix 1.

RESULTS

Overfishing

The number of stocks for which harvest rates exceed the overfishing threshold declined from 77 in 1999 to 72 in 2000. The number of stocks found to have no overfishing increased from 159 in 1999 to 210 in 2000. The number of stocks for which harvest rates were unknown or for which overfishing thresholds were not defined declined from 665 in 1999 to 623 in 2000. This pattern generally held for stocks contained in FMPs of most Councils, although the stocks for several Councils remained unchanged from 1999. For stocks contained in FMPs of the New England Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, there was a slight increase in 2000.

Overfished

The number of stocks determined to be overfished rose from 64 in 1999 to 92 in 2000. This resulted primarily from a technical change in the report rather than a sudden decline in the biomass of the stocks. In 1999, 23 stocks were listed as undefined because the biomass portion of the definition under the SFA had been disapproved. However, pre-SFA definitions remain in the FMP, and, in accordance with MSA requirements, should have been used in the determination of whether those stocks were overfished. This situation was primarily noted in the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Council areas.

While the number of overfished stocks increased in 2000, the number of stocks determined to be not overfished also increased. Stocks found not overfished increased from 122 in 1999, to 148 in 2000. Except for slight declines in Mid-Atlantic and Highly Migratory Species stocks, this increase was spread across all other Councils. Overall, the number of stocks for which the biomass was either unknown or undefined, declined by 56 to 660. In addition, there was a significant shift from stocks that were listed as undefined in 1999 to a listing of unknown in the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Council areas this year. Most of the stocks in this group were included in definitions adopted prior to the SFA, but their biomass status was unknown.

Approaching an Overfished Condition

Five stocks were found to be "approaching an overfished condition," the same as in 1999. The criterion for determining whether a stock can be placed in this category has been changed. Last year, a stock could have been placed in this category based on either the harvest rate or biomass. After reviewing the criteria this year, it was determined that essential parts of the determination were the status and trend of the stock. Unless the status of the stock was known, a determination that the stock would become overfished within two years could not be made with any certainty. Therefore, the definition for the biomass component in the FMP should be the determining criterion in evaluating whether a stock was approaching an overfished condition. In some cases, the pre-SFA definition remained in the FMP and was used as the basis for the determinations. It should also be noted that the number of stocks in the "Approaching Overfished Condition" column for 2000 should always be added to the "Overfished" columns to arrive at a final total, because all determinations are based on the stock size or equivalent.

Major and Minor Stocks

In 2000, major stocks accounted for the vast majority of landings, totaling more than 8 billion pounds, compared to only 9 million pounds for minor stocks. Forty-seven major stocks were determined to have overfishing occurring; 139 stocks had harvesting rates below the approved threshold. Twenty-five minor stocks were experiencing overfishing; 71 stocks had harvest levels below the approved threshold. Fifty-six major stocks were determined to be overfished and 106 were not overfished. In contrast, only 36 minor stocks were overfished and 42 were not overfished. The five stocks that were approaching an overfished condition were major stocks.

Minor stocks accounted for 83 percent of the stocks whose status were either unknown or undefined, while only 17 percent of the unknown and undefined stocks were categorized as major. Thus, there appears to be considerable information about the fishing rates and biomass size for most major stocks, i.e., those with significant landings and economic value. NMFS and the Councils have appropriately targeted these stocks with their data collection and assessment efforts, and most of the remaining major stocks where information is limited are those just above the 200,000-pound landings threshold. Additional effort to fully assess these stocks may not be justified at this time.

Rebuilding Programs

This report identifies 75 rebuilding programs either currently implemented or approved. To enhance understanding of the scope of rebuilding programs, this report includes 31 rebuilding programs that were implemented prior to SFA. Forty-four of the programs were approved after enactment of the SFA, including two stocks in the New England Multispecies fishery that are listed as unspecified. Of these 44 rebuilding programs, 27 have been approved, but not implemented, pending completion of a peer review required by a legal settlement. In addition, two rebuilding programs are under Secretarial review and two are being developed. Five overfished stocks have not had rebuilding programs submitted, and one program was disapproved. Finally, there are 10 stocks for which formal rebuilding programs were not required to be submitted because no fishing is allowed in these fisheries. Because this is the maximum management restriction possible, no further action was required. However, should fishing be allowed at some point, a formal rebuilding program would have to be submitted for approval.

Specific Stock Determinations

Changes from 1999

Last year, 34 stocks were listed as overfished because the fishing mortality rate exceeded the established MSST, not because the biomass was below the established minimum biomass threshold. For 23 of those stocks, the biomass determination was listed as undefined because this component of the overfishing definition had either been disapproved or was not available for consideration. Upon review, NMFS determined that a pre-SFA definition remained in effect in the FMPs for these stocks, and this should be used to make a determination this year. Therefore, the change in status determination was made because of the availability of the pre-SFA definition rather than a change in the biomass.

For 2000, the following 23 stocks are now listed as overfished based on the pre-SFA definition in the FMPs:

• South Atlantic: Jewfish, Nassau Grouper, Vermilion Snapper, Red Porgy, Gag, Red Snapper, Speckled Hind, Snowy Grouper, Warsaw Grouper, Golden Tilefish, Yellowtail Snapper, Red Grouper, Black Grouper, and Red Drum.
• Gulf of Mexico: King Mackerel, Red Snapper, Red Grouper, Nassau Grouper, Jewfish, and Red Drum.
• Caribbean: Nassau Grouper, Jewfish, and Queen Conch.
 

Spiny Dogfish and Atlantic Bigeye Tuna are now listed as overfished based on the fully approved overfishing definition contained in their respective FMPs. Seven of the 34 stocks (Atlantic Sea Scallop - Middle Atlantic, Gulf of Maine Cod, Georges Bank Cod, Gulf of Maine/Northern Georges Bank Silver Hake, Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Windowpane Flounder, South Atlantic Black Sea Bass, and Pacific Bank Rockfish) are now listed as not overfished, and one is listed as approaching an overfished condition (Pacific Darkblotched Rockfish). For the remaining two stocks, American Lobster was revised to "undefined," and Pacific Silvergrey Rockfish was determined to be "unknown."

For nine additional stocks listed as overfished in 1999 based on the biomass level (Cape Cod Yellowtail Flounder, American Plaice, White Hake, Georges Bank Winter Flounder, Loligo Squid, Coho Salmon, (Strait of Juan de Fuca), Chinook Salmon (Snohomish River, Summer / Fall), Bering Sea Snow Crab, and Weakfish), the most recent assessments based on the current overfishing definitions support removing them from the overfished list.

A number of stocks are now classified as not overfished because the biomass level exceeds the MSST, but they have not been rebuilt to levels consistent with producing MSY as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Therefore the Councils must continue their rebuilding programs until they are rebuilt. The stocks include Atlantic Sea Scallops (2 stocks), Cape Cod Yellowtail Flounder, White Hake, Georges Bank Winter Flounder, Georges Bank Cod, Gulf of Maine Cod, Gulf of Maine/ Northern Georges Bank Silver Hake, South Atlantic Black Sea Bass, and Bering Sea Snow Crab.

Thirteen stocks have been removed from the overfishing list because recent analyses have determined that the fishing mortality rates are now below the established thresholds. The stocks include Georges Bank Cod, Gulf of Maine Haddock, Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Windowpane Flounder, Georges Bank Winter Flounder; South Atlantic Jewfish and Nassau Grouper; Gulf of Mexico King Mackerel, Nassau Grouper, Jewfish, and Red Drum; Caribbean Nassau Grouper and Jewfish; and Bank Rockfish.

There are five stocks whose status has changed from unknown to both "no overfishing occurring" and "not overfished" because enough information is now available to make reliable assessments. They include Pribilof Islands Blue King Crab, Pribilof Islands Red King Crab, Arrowtooth Flounder (Pacific), Black Rockfish (North), and Little Skate.

Finally, the listing of two stocks has changed from "not overfished" to "unknown" because recent assessments conclude that not enough information is available to make a valid conclusion regarding their status. Those stocks are Gulf of Alaska Eastern Walleye Pollock and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands Bogoslof Walleye Pollock.

2000 Determinations

The 2000 report identifies eight additional stocks for which overfishing is occurring: Middle Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder, Monkfish (separate stock), Gulf of Mexico Red Grouper, Gag, Vermilion Snapper; Yelloweye Rockfish, Tautog, and Winter Skate.

Thirty-seven additional stocks are identified as being overfished:

• New England / Middle Atlantic Georges Bank Haddock, Southern New England Yellowtail Flounder, Middle Atlantic Yellowtail Flounder, Monkfish (separate stock), Spiny Dogfish, Winter Skate, Barndoor Skate, Thorny Skate, Smooth Skate.
• South Atlantic Jewfish, Nassau Grouper, Vermilion Snapper, Red Porgy, Gag, Red Snapper, Speckled Hind, Snowy Grouper, Warsaw Grouper, Golden Tilefish, Yellowtail Snapper, Red Grouper, Black Grouper, Red Drum.
• Gulf of Mexico King Mackerel, Red Snapper, Red Grouper, Nassau Grouper, Jewfish, Red Drum.
• Caribbean Nassau Grouper, Jewfish, Queen Conch.
• Pacific Chinook Salmon (Columbia River, Lewis River, Fall), Canary Rockfish, Cowcod
• Atlantic Bigeye Tuna
• Other Atlantic Sturgeon.

Three additional stocks are identified as approaching an overfished condition: Loligo Squid, Darkblotched Rockfish, and Widow Rockfish. Five stocks were listed as approaching an overfished condition in 1999, and Gulf of Mexico Gag and Northern Shrimp remain on the list. Sea Bass (Main Hawaiian Islands) has been removed from the list because it is no longer approaching an overfished condition, Gulf of Mexico Vermillion Snapper is now listed as unknown, and Canary Rockfish is now listed as overfished.

For American Plaice, last year's status determination was based on an error contained in Amendment 9. This year's assessment is based on the correct value cited in the Overfishing Definition Review Panel Report, which concluded the stock is not overfished. In addition, the ambiguity of the three-column approach to listing overfished stocks led to Loligo Squid inadvertently being listed as overfished by the assessment panel. It should have been assessed as approaching an overfished condition and is listed correctly in this year's report.

The Councils and the Secretary are required to submit measures to end overfishing and rebuild stocks that are overfished, and to prevent overfishing for those stocks that are approaching an overfished condition, managed under these FMPs and FMPs under development, within a year of being notified. For those stocks that have been removed from the overfished list, but are not at levels consistent with producing MSY, rebuilding plans must continue until rebuilding targets are met.

Table 1. SUMMARY OF STOCKS BY COUNCIL AREA, 1999 AND 2000

* Determination based on fishing mortality rate

** Determination based on stock level

1. This total does not include the species designated as Approaching an Overfished Condition to avoid double counting