Measures to Improve the Health of our Oceans
Since 1993, The Pew Charitable Trusts has worked to protect ocean wildlife and ecosystems in the United States. Pew’s early efforts focused on ending overfishing and rebuilding depleted populations by advocating for strong conservation provisions contained in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary federal law governing the nation’s ocean fisheries.
Pew worked with partners to implement the law and establish science-based catch limits for all federally managed fish populations and expand the focus in fisheries management from the health of individual fish stocks to one that recognizes the interdependence of ocean life. This approach, known as ecosystem-based fisheries management, is defined by several principles, including:
- Protecting and sustaining forage fish that support valuable fish stocks and are a food source for marine wildlife.
- Protecting valuable habitat, such as deep-sea corals, from damaging fishing practices.
- Minimizing practices that lead to bycatch—the incidental harm of fish, seabirds, whales, and other species.
- Ensuring a precautionary approach to expanding fishing in new areas or for new species.
- Establishing fishery ecosystem plans that incorporate a broader perspective than the conventional species-by-species approach to fishery management.
Pew continues to work with scientists, managers, fishermen, and conservationists to protect the advances that have been made in fisheries management, advocate for sustainable fishing, and promote an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management regionally and at the federal level.
In 2019, Pew further expanded its commitment to ocean conservation to include safeguarding essential coastal habitats with the new Conserving Marine Life in the U.S. project.
Our Work

Article
December 10, 2018Event Showcases Quality Swordfish, and the Gear That Caught It
More than 100 chefs, scientists, fishermen, sustainable seafood consumers, and wildlife advocates gathered Nov. 14 at a Carlsbad, California, restaurant to celebrate the successful development of gear...
Article
November 30, 2018With Chub Mackerel Plan, Managers Can Get It Right from the Start
For the first time in decades, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is adding a forage fish to its slate: chub mackerel. It will also be the council’s first new fishery management plan since it...
Article
November 8, 2018Fishery Managers Consider Better Ways to Oversee U.S. Caribbean
Humans may be drawn to colorful Caribbean corals for their beauty, but marine animals see much more: places to build homes, breed, and find food.
Article
November 6, 2018Youth Advocate Calls for Improved Management of Anchovies Off West Coast
Arjun Subramanian doesn’t have the typical worries of a high school student. Instead, he’s concerned about northern anchovies, one of numerous small species known as forage fish that are vital to the...