Why cap current fishing efforts?
During the public visioning sessions on the future of the NWHI, many people expressed concern that growth in fishing efforts in the NWHI could harm the coral reef ecosystem. While the commercial fisheries of the NWHI are not overfished, some believe that capping fishing at current levels is a sound management step both to provide long-term protection of the ecosystem and to allow for some continued extractive use of the area through fishing. NOAA will develop the caps based on the Executive Order and publish them for public input.
