Oceanic Conservation Acts and Strategies Tatiana Kenny, Daniel May, Sarah Proudfoot Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

Fishery Conservation and Management Act Approved by Congress April 13, 1976 Various amendments Protect our waters and our fishing resources – Both foreign and domestic threats – Overfishing

Goals of the Initial Act 200 mile fishery conservation zone – Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) Regional Fishery Management Councils – Federal, State, Fish and Wildlife Service Management of resources and foreign fishing

Driftnet Act Amendments of 1990 Approved November 28, 1990 Dangers of Driftnets – Marine Mammals – Nontarget Fish – Sea Birds Driftnets beyond the EEZ – Economic Sanctions and Port Closures

Restoration of New England Groundfish Amendment October 29, 1992 Groundfish – Cod, Pollock, Halibut Secretary of Commerce Reimbursement of Sates Commercial Fisheries and Underutilized Fisheries – Northwest Atlantic Ocean Fisheries Reinvestment Program – New England Fishery Management Council

Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Largest Amendments – enacted October 11, 1996 National Fishery Conservation Standards – Participation of fishery dependent communities – Minimize economic impact on fishery dependent communities – Minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality Modifies Fishery Management Councils Fishing Capacity Reduction Program

Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Identification of overfished species and rebuilding Identification of essential fish habitats Research on fisheries and their effects – Conservation – Economic – Social – Incidental Harvest of Other Species

Criticism Mostly ignored until Magnuson Stevens amendment Fishery Management Councils not well regulated Failure to slow overfishing – Only three species back to maximum sustainable yield – 72% of species are still below reference levels Failure to minimize bycatch – Continue dangerous fishing practices Generally perceived as a failure because of previous apathy

Coral in Alaska: Distribution, Abundance, and Species Associations Photo Alberto Lindner, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Copyright © 2006 TerraNature Trust. All rights reserved.

Coral in Alaska: Distribution, Abundance, and Species Associations Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) – Living substrates – Corals Alcyonacea (Soft Corals) Gorgonacea (Gorgonian Corals) Scleractinia (Cup Corals) Stylasterina (Hydrocorals) Antipatheria (Black Corals) ©2005 California Academy of Sciences Hawaii Undersea Research Lab, via Dr. Scott France’s Web site at the University of Charleston. The Washington Post Marine Conservation Biology Institute Tree of Life Web Project

Coral in Alaska: Distribution, Abundance, and Species Association National Marine Fisheries Service Trawl Data – Commercial Fish Survey Areas Surveyed – Gulf of Alaska (GOA) – Aleutian Islands – Bering Sea Figure 1. Location of NMFS bottom trawl hauls off Alaska,

Coral in Alaska: Distribution, Abundance, and Species Association Figure 3. Relative abundance within a taxonomic group of corals off Alaska based on CPUE in NMFS trawl surveys, Within a taxonomic group, CPUE was scaled relative to the largest value.

Background for Coral Reef Conservation Rich in natural resources $375 billion in services annually 1 Human actions harm coral reefs 10% beyond recovery 1 30% in critical condition 1 1 U.S. National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs

U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Established by President Clinton (1998) U.S. National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs (2000) – Themes: 1.Understanding healthy reef maintenance 2.Reducing adverse impacts of humans on reefs

Local Action Strategies Ordered by Task Force in 2002 Goals from National Action Plan Six threat areas: 1.Overfishing 2.Land-Based Pollution 3.Recreational Overuse 4.Public Awareness 5.Climate Change and Coral Bleaching 6.Disease Source: Report on the Status of Local Action Strategies to Conserve and Protect Coral Reefs for Years

Fisheries Local Action Strategy Overfishing – Definition – Selection of larger fish – Decline of herbivores – Overgrowth of algae Destructive Fishing – Damage by fishing gear – Cyanide fishing Source: Florida Department of Environmental Protection Source: University of Hawaii

LAS Successes and Future Work $24 million raised 2 Aquatic Invasive Species Team in Hawaii – Gracilaria salicornia Fisherman outreach program $37 million deficit 2 Develop control techniques for invasive algae/plant new seagrass Assess distribution of boat hull paint and its impact on photosynthesis 2. Report on the Status of Local Action Strategies to Conserve and Protect Coral Reefs for Years Source: Hawaii DAR

Contrasts in density, size, and biomass of reef fishes between the northwestern and the main Hawaiian islands: the effects of fishing down apex predators Alan M. Friedlander 1, Edward E. DeMartini 2 1 The Oceanic Institute, Makapuu Point/ Kalanianaole Highway, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795, USA 2 National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu Laboratory, 2570 Dole Street, Honolulu, Hawaii , USA

Introduction Purpose: To contrast fish stocks in the remote NWHI to the urbanized MHI. Hypothesis: The heavily-fished MHI will contain fewer apex predators than the NWHI. Source: Friedlander & DeMartini (2002)

Materials and Methods Study dates – MHI: May 2000 – May 2001 – NWHI: September – October 2000 Underwater visual belt transect survey methods Length of fish measured Length converted to weight using W=aSL b Species grouped into trophic levels

Results Source: Friedlander & DeMartini (2002)

Results (cont.) Source: Friedlander & DeMartini (2002) *

Discussion Higher biomass in NWHI – Reflection of productivity potential Higher predicted productivity in MHI – Greater nutrient input, estuaries Lower herbivore biomass in MHI – Impact of overfishing on trophic levels

National Marine Sanctuary Act Northwestern Hawaiian Islands managed by this act What is it? Why was it enacted? What does it entail?

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands When did they become a Marine Sanctuary? Why? How? What?

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (continued) What can or cannot be done in a marine sanctuary? Where is the sanctuary located and how big is it? Main purpose of it being a marine sanctuary How will it be maintained?

Marine debris accumulation in the northwestern Hawaiian islands: An examination of rates and processes Oliver J. Dameron a, Michael Parke b, Mark A. Albins a, Russell Brainard b a Joint Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Research and NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 1125B Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96814, USA b Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, 1125B Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96814, USA

Introduction Methods – Used to maintain amount of debris found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Calculations Results – The estimated amount of debris accumulated after the clean up Discussion

References Coral in Alaska: Distribution, Abundance, and Species Association