10 Jan 2010, Is overfishing ended? Top US scientist says yes, but fishermen say cost was too high

CBOnline: Is overfishing ended? Top US scientist says yes, but fishermen say cost was too high
BOSTON (AP) - One of the nation's top fishery scientists says for the first time in at least a century, U.S. fishermen won't take too much of any species from the sea.

Retired Fisheries Service chief scientist Steve Murawski says the new catch data come after a turbulent fishing year that's seen New England fishermen switch to a radically new management system. He calls the end of overfishing a major achievement.

It doesn't mean all species are healthy — just that scientists believe they're now being fished at a rate that will allow them to recover to sustainable levels.

But some fishermen and their advocates say it's come at too high a price. They say fishing levels have been set much lower than they needed to be, driving fishermen out of business and damaging historic fishing communities