Most places especially in the US already have effective regulations on overfishing but the countries that need the regulations the most are the countries whose governments do not but any time or resources into developing strong helpful bans. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management was passed in 1976 and put an emphasis on long term sustainability of the fisheries in the United states. The MSA for short, made the process of managing fisheries a completely transparent and public process so there were no catches going over the set limit that were not being reported and seen by officials. This also allowed smaller fishing communities and shore side businesses to become more successful. The MSA also changed the distance to where international water began. Prior to the MSA the distance to the international waters was 12 miles, Beyond that the waters were fished by irregulated oversea merchants, after the MSA the range was extended to 200 miles off shore and established the regional fishery management council. The regional fishery management council was intended to comply with the MSA’s conservation and management requirements and comply with the 10 national standards put in place.
The sustainable fisheries act helped reduce overfishing and rebuild america’s fisheries. Another very important aspect was the implementation of 3 new national standards to help improve fishing vessel safety. These changes were also addressed bycatch, one of the most serious problems related to the fishing industry. Overall there are many strong restrictions also in place, mostly in the United States, we just need to extend those to countries without strong restrictions and national waters.
John M 