US proposes changes in fishing guidelines

A federal agency proposed far-reaching changes in guidelines protecting depleted fish species yesterday, drawing criticism from environmentalists who warned that the proposal would undercut efforts to rebuild struggling marine populations.

The changes proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration appear to give the nation's eight regional fish councils greater flexibility in establishing commercial fishing restrictions to protect beleaguered fish populations.

Currently, federal rules don't take into account the biological differences between species that allow some stocks to rebuild faster than others. The changes would allow each stock of fish to be considered separately, potentially changing the time fishing restrictions are in place.

''We are not changing the law," said Rebecca Lent, deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service under the NOAA. ''We are just using past experience and more sense -- common sense -- in deciding time for rebuilding."

NOAA officials said the proposal published yesterday in the Federal Register was needed to eliminate confusion about how to comply with federal rules that govern fish stocks. They also said it set stricter standards for fishery managers to meet.

But conservation groups said that it would roll back work to protect New England's beleaguered fish stocks, and said that it appeared to put the fishing industry's short-term commercial interests first.

''This is irresponsible. It comes at a time when our oceans are in serious trouble and over-fishing is the biggest threat," said Roger Fleming, senior attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, a Boston-based advocacy group that has sued the federal government, saying it has not been rebuilding fish stocks fast enough.

Under the proposal, which is open to public comment until Aug. 22, fishery councils would end overfishing within the first year of a rebuilding plan. Also, rebuilding plans would remain in effect until the stock is rebuilt. Current rules don't say what should be done if a plan reaches its end and the stock has not been rebuilt.

But the proposal at the center of the changes involved the target times fishery managers set to rebuild fish stocks. The rules now set a target of 10 years when feasible.

Under the proposed guidelines, fishery managers could extend the time for stocks to be replenished if they provide convincing scientific evidence for why it would take longer, NOAA officials said.

Environmentalists say shifting away from the 10-year model would allow overfishing on depleted fish stock to go on longer with less time for rebuilding. ''In the long run this is going to hurt commercial and recreational fishermen and decrease the amount of fish in our oceans," said Matt Rand, director of the marine fish campaign for The National Environmental Trust.

The proposal was not expected to affect current fishing restrictions on New England fishermen who fish for cod, flounder, and other bottom-dwelling fish. However, environmentalists say it could allow fishery managers to put off restrictions as other species of fish become depleted in the future.

''In New England, we have waited so long for stocks to come back, why should we take a step backward?" asked Peter Baker, of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association. His group says the new laws will hurt fishermen who largely fish one stock and need strict rebuilding schedules so they can harvest fish in the future. ''This adds uncertainty."

Others in the fishing industry welcomed the change.

''The longer we can take to rebuild a particular fish stock, the less strain on the industry," Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association. ''What's the use in rebuilding a fish stock if the industry is so strained that there are no fishermen to catch them and no way to get them to the people's plates."

Beth Daley of the Globe Staff contributed to this story, and material from the Associated Press was used.