Leading Scientists Say US Overfishing Has Ended, So Can I Have That Piece of Fatty Tuna?

We got some seriously positive news on the over fishing front from the retired chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service, Steve Murawski. He said that for the first time since 1900, U.S. commercial fleets are not overfishing. "As far as we know, we've hit the right levels, which is a milestone," Murawski, now a professor at University of South Florida, told the AP via Huffington Post.

This is positive for fish populations and the fisherman that fish them, according to Murawski. Fisherman have been hit hard by overfishing. In New England, fleets have been reduced from 1,200 boats to only about 580 since the mid-1990's.

According to the Huffington Post:

About two-thirds into the current fishing year, which ends April 30, federal data indicated New England fishermen were on pace to catch fewer than their allotted fish in all but one stock, Georges Bank winter flounder. But Murawski said he didn't expect fishermen would exceed their quota on any stock.