According to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke the Arctic Fishery Management Plan was approved. He told that the plan was prompted by changes in the Arctic that have come with global warming and the loss of sea ice. Locke told that the main aim is to come up with a sustainable fishing plan that will not harm the overall health of the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
Locke states that the plan takes a precautionary approach to any development of commercial fishing in an area where there has been none in the past. Obama administration has announced to conduct a public hearing in Anchorage on the nation’s ocean policy. The North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees the management of fish in federal waters, adopted the Arctic Fishery Management Plan in February.
Dave Benton, executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance, opined that the plan will help the United States work more cooperatively with the Canadians and the Russians on a joint decision about fishing in the Arctic. It is informed that the plan would govern all commercial fishing for all stocks of finfish and shellfish in federal waters in Arctic waters off Alaska, except Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut because they are managed under other authorities.
Locke said the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Service will establish procedures before approving any future fisheries.
