US Sets Fish Catch Limits

The United States is becoming the first country to implement restrictions on every species that it oversees in the commercial and recreational fishing industries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is in the process of finishing 46 fishery-management plans that will control limits on all federally managed stocks, which include 528 different types of fish. Prior to this measure, regional councils were responsible for authorizing limits, resulting in widespread overfishing of many species. The NOAA noticed in 2011 that populations such as cod had declined by as much as two-thirds since 2008. According to The Washington Post, the European Union is considering adopting a similar law mandating stricter catch limits.