Starting in 1977, rockfish and similar species were scooped up off the West Coast at unsustainable rates. That stopped in the year 2000, when the federal government declared an economic disaster.
According to a new report by the Marine Stewardship Council, a push to reduce overfishing since then has worked. Rockfish, red snapper, Dover sole and other groundfish are now certified as being environmentally sustainable.
Here’s a key passage from the Associated Press story about this achievement:
“It may come as a surprise for some to learn that commercial fishermen and environmentalists work closely together, but we’ve been doing that successfully here for almost 10 years, and the result is a win-win for fish and fishermen,” said Shems Jud of the Environmental Defense Fund.
Oregon State University marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco, who oversaw many of the changes as chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the certification was recognition of substantial changes.
“This West Coast groundfish fishery has really turned around and is on the path to sustainability and profitability,” she said.
Being officially labeled as sustainable should boost sales of these local fish.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife has detailed information about all local species of fish, including a page about saltwater fish in the Evergreen state and another section on the bottomfish of Washington.