schooling sardines

A decline in sardine populations could create a demand for currently unmanaged forage fish species.

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press/1998)

Starting this fall, Oregon commercial anglers looking to target a new fish at the bottom of the ocean food chain may first have to prove they can do so sustainably.

Fish managers at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife have crafted a plan to ban all new forage fisheries in state-regulated waters, unless anglers can prove they can target the fish without harming the ecosystem. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to consider adopting the policy at its September meeting.

It may seem like common sense, but it puts Oregon near the forefront of a push to adopt more sustainable ocean fishing practices in an effort to stave off overfishing problems that have long plagued the world's oceans.

In a statement, state marine resources manager Caren Braby said the plan will "allow our existing fisheries to thrive while preventing new forage fish fisheries from forming without thorough consideration and review."

The plan follows a similar move in May by the National Marine Fisheries Service and Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manage federal waters at least three miles off the coast. Oregon's move fills in the regulatory gap in the three miles from the shoreline to federal waters.

If approved, the plan will protect small schooling fish such as saury and sand lance, preventing them from joining sardines, anchovies and herring on the list of commercially-targeted baitfish. These small species play a key role in the ocean ecosystem, serving as a vital food source for larger fish, mammals and birds.

"That three mile strip up and down the Oregon coast also happens to be an incredibly important space for a lot of those marine wildlife," said Gilly Lyons, a fisheries advocate with the Pew Charitable Trusts. "We're wonderfully encouraged that the state is moving to protect it."

When they suffer as a result of overfishing or climactic shifts that can decimate baitfish populations, the havoc often ripples up the food chain. The ongoing collapse of Pacific sardine populations, for example, has been blamed for a wave of starvation among other species including sea lions and shorebirds.

--Kelly House

khouse@oregonian.com

503-221-8178; @Kelly_M_House