On Tuesday, West Coast fisheries managers voted to adopt an important vision and set of prescriptions for managing fisheries more sustainably, including the small “forage fish" that nourish seabirds and other marine wildlife. The Council also voted to initially focus on ensuring that no new fisheries develop on currently unfished species such as sand lance and smelts - critical prey for seabirds- without first ensuring that catch levels will leave an ample supply in the water for wildlife. (Photo of Short-tailed Albatross by Ron LeValley)

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council, is responsible for setting catch levels for fish in federal waters off of Oregon, Washington, and California - the offshore domain of hundreds of spectacular species of seabirds, pinnipeds, whales, sharks, turtles and economically important large fish such as salmon and tuna. The new Fishery Ecosystem Plan will help fisheries managers transition to true ecosystem-based management of our marine resources. This means moving away from single-species fisheries management, to a more holistic approach which considers the needs of seabirds and the whole marine food web when setting catch levels.

Stakeholders from the conservation, fishing and business communities helped develop the Plan and provided letters of support or testimony. Audubon California and the Audubon Society of Portland will continue to participate in a broad coalition working at the federal level to secure the ocean food web on the West Coast. Read more about Tuesday''s action here.