Policy Director Aubrey Church leading a discussion at the annual Fisheries Leadership and Policy Forum hosted by Seafood Harvesters of America in Washington, D.C.
By Aubrey Church
I recently participated in the first annual Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum hosted by Seafood Harvesters of America in Washington, D.C. Industry leaders, scientists, members of Congress, and Administration officials gathered for a half-day discussion focused on the future of American fisheries policy and identifying clear actions to support a resilient, competitive and thriving U.S. seafood industry.
Held during the 50th anniversary year of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Forum focused on building on the U.S. seafood sector’s global leadership in science-based fisheries management while helping chart the course for the next 50 years of American seafood policy and industry growth.
Seafood Harvesters of America is the leading national organization representing the U.S. commercial seafood industry, with members including harvesters, processors, and seafood producers from across the country.
The conversations throughout the forum focused on some of the most pressing questions facing the U.S. seafood industry today: modernizing fisheries science and management, strengthening domestic seafood production, rebuilding infrastructure, improving competitiveness against foreign imports, and ensuring future generations can continue to fish. The event was a success not only because of the strength of the panel discussions and expertise shared, but also because of the candid and honest discussions about the future of the U.S. seafood industry. At this forum, I had the privilege of moderating a panel called “Status of Stocks: Updates on NMFS Survey Enterprise” with Dr. Steve Murawski, fisheries biologist and marine ecologist at the University of South Florida and former Chief Scientist of the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Dr. Evan Howell, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Scientific Programs at NOAA Fisheries.
As Fisheries Policy Director for the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, and as a nominee for the New England Fishery Management Council, the forum reinforced something I have believed throughout my career: sustainable fisheries depend not only on healthy fish stocks, but also on healthy, viable, fishing communities.
Before entering policy work, I served as a federal fisheries observer aboard more than 85 commercial fishing vessels throughout New England. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of both the science and the people behind fisheries management. I saw fishermen who care deeply about the ocean, conservation, and ensuring future generations can continue to make a living on the water. I also saw how disconnected fishermen can feel from the management process, despite being the people closest to the resource every day.
For decades, the United States has been viewed as the global standard for fisheries management. We rebuilt fish stocks once devastated by foreign and domestic overfishing, created science-based management systems, and demonstrated that sustainable fisheries are possible when strong conservation frameworks are paired with accountability. The passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Act fundamentally changed the trajectory of American fisheries. It pushed foreign fleets out of U.S. waters, established regional fishery management councils, and required rebuilding plans for overfished stocks. Those reforms worked and should be recognized.
But today, the fishing industry faces a new challenge. The question is no longer simply whether we know how to rebuild fish stocks. Instead, the question is whether we are prepared to rebuild and sustain the fishing communities, workforce, and infrastructure needed to support the future.
Across every region of the country, fishermen are facing mounting pressures. Rising fuel and operating costs, aging vessels and infrastructure, increasing regulatory complexity, foreign seafood competition, workforce shortages, shifting ecosystems, and delays in management decisions are all creating uncertainty for those who harvest America’s wild caught seafood.
At the same time, the fisheries themselves are changing. Species distributions are shifting northward, ecosystems are becoming more dynamic, and fish populations are responding to changing ocean conditions in ways management systems were never originally designed to address. The era of assuming ecosystems remain relatively static is over.
That reality requires a new era of leadership focused on both fish AND fishermen.
One of the strongest themes throughout the forum was the need to modernize fisheries science and management while rebuilding trust between industry, scientists, and regulators. It was encouraging to hear senior Administration officials note the need for a culture shift that recognizes fishermen not as obstacles to conservation, but as essential partners in stewardship and data collection. The future of fisheries science will depend on integrating fishermen’s expertise and observations into research design, ecosystem monitoring, and management decisions.
That point resonated deeply with me because I have seen first-hand how much information fishermen carry with them every day on the water. Fishermen spend more time observing ocean conditions, species interactions, habitat changes, and fish behavior than almost anyone else involved in the management system. Their observations should not be treated as anecdotal afterthoughts. They should be incorporated into the scientific process in meaningful ways.
We already have many of the tools in our toolbox needed to accomplish this.
Today’s fishing vessels can collect an enormous amount of information through advanced positioning systems, electronic monitoring, catch records, oceanographic sensors, and other technologies. As noted on the science panel I moderated, traditional surveys often provide annual snapshots of ecosystem conditions. Today there is also a need to “make a movie” by creating a more dynamic and real-time understanding of changing ecosystems through modernized observing systems and expanded cooperative research.
The future of fisheries management will depend not only on collecting data, but on processing and applying it faster. Investments in advanced technology, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and workforce capacity can help reduce delays between data collection and management action. During the science panel there was emphasis that better information paired with faster decision-making creates better outcomes for both fish and fishermen.
There was also important discussion about moving fisheries debates beyond stock size and “size of the pie” arguments, and toward how fisheries access and opportunity are distributed fairly and sustainably. As one participant stated, if we can ensure our science is done properly, and we have industry trust and buy-in, then we can eliminate the ‘size of the pie’ argument, and spend more time focused on building resilient fisheries and fishing communities.
From the perspective of Fishermen’s Alliance, this conversation is deeply important. Fishing is not only an industry on Cape Cod, but also part of our identity, culture, economy, and working waterfronts. When a fishing business disappears, communities lose jobs, infrastructure, generational knowledge, and economic activity that cannot easily be replaced.
Working waterfront infrastructure continues to deteriorate in many regions. Seafood processors and support businesses are consolidating. Domestic fishermen compete in a global seafood market that does not play by the same rules. American fishermen operate under some of the most rigorous conservation and labor standards in the world. Yet, imported seafood often enters the U.S. markets with limited transparency regarding environmental practices, labor conditions, or country-of-origin labeling. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing continues to undermine markets and economic stability for American seafood producers.
Perhaps the most urgent question discussed at the forum was this: who will fish tomorrow? Young fishermen face enormous barriers to entry, from the cost of permits and vessels to financing and access to infrastructure. Without deliberate efforts to support the next generation, we risk losing the very people needed to sustain America’s seafood system into the future.
Ensuring the future of commercial fishing requires more than healthy fish stocks. It requires healthy fishing communities, affordable access for new entrants, functioning infrastructure, modernized fleets, and management systems that recognize fishermen as part of the solution.
The United States has already shown the world it can rebuild fisheries. The next challenge is ensuring we also rebuild and sustain the communities, businesses, and workforce that depend on them. That is the kind of balanced, collaborative, and forward-looking leadership I believe fisheries management needs moving forward. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.