National Research Council, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Ocean Studies Board, Committee on Ecosystem Effects of Fishing: Phase II a¬&quote, Assessments of the Extent of Change and the Implications for Policy Dynamic Changes in Marine Ecosystems

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Recent scientific literature has raised many concerns about whether fisheries have caused more extensive changes to marine populations and ecosystems than previously realized or predicted. In many cases, stocks have been exploited far beyond management targets, and new analyses indicate that fishing has harmed other species&#8212including marine mammals, seabirds, sea turtles, and sea grasses&#8212either directly through catch or habitat damage, or indirectly through changes in food-web interactions. At the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Research Council conducted an independent study to weigh the collective evidence for fishery-induced changes to marine ecosystems and the implications of the findings for U.S. fisheries management. Dynamic Changes in Marine Ecosystems provides comprehensive information in regard to these findings.