herringalliance.org - Pew-led Alliance Calls For Protection of Herring Fishery to Avoid Repeat of the Collapse of the 70s

Pew-led Alliance Calls For Protection of Herring Fishery to Avoid Repeat of the Collapse of the 70s

Herring Alliance seeks science-based reforms of fisheries management to
save "New England's most important fish"

Members of the Herring Alliance, a newly-established coalition of conservation groups led by The Pew Charitable Trusts, will host a press conference this Wednesday to launch a campaign for major reforms on how, when and where Atlantic herring are caught. Fishermen and conservationists alike consider herring to be "New England's most important fish" for the role it plays in the marine food web, supporting everything from recreational and commercial fishing, to the lobster industry and even whale watching.

When:	Wednesday, June 20, 9:30 a.m.
Where:	Maine State Pier, Portland
Who:	Herring Alliance Members: Peter Baker, Pew Environment Group Priscilla Brooks, Conservation Law Foundation Roger Fleming, Earthjustice Ray Kane, commercial tuna fisherman, Chatham, Mass.
Why:	As the New England Fisheries Management Council convenes in Portland to discuss new herring regulations, the Herring Alliance (www.herringalliance.org) will call upon council members to combat the destruction wreaked on inshore herring and their predators by industrial mid-water trawl ships.

The Herring Alliance—which includes the Conservation Law Foundation , Earthjustice , Greenpeace , National Environmental Trust , Natural Resources Defense Council , National Coalition for Marine Conservation , Oceana , US PIRG (the Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups) , Ocean Conservancy , Environment Maine , and The Pew Charitable Trusts —wants to see science play a greater role in determining how best to regulate commercial herring fishing. Working to support New England’s traditional fishing industry, the Herring Alliance aims to reform how industrial mid-water trawling is managed by limiting bycatch, improving monitoring, and basing allowable herring catches on the best available science to leave sufficient herring in the ecosystem as forage. Other national and local organizations are expected to join the group over the coming months.