The number of fish on US overfishing list reaches an all

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of fish on the government’s overfishing list sunk to a new low last year in a sign of healthy U.S. fisheries, federal officials said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an updated analysis of American fisheries late last week via its annual “Status of the Stocks” report, which provides an assessment of the populations of the seafood species fishermen catch and customers buy. The report states that 94% of fish stocks are not subject to overfishing, which is slightly better than a year ago.

The U.S. was able to remove several important fish stocks from the overfishing list, NOAA said in a statement. They include the Gulf of Maine and Cape Hatteras stock of Atlantic mackerel and the Gulf of Mexico stock of cubera snapper.

NOAA’s report arrives as international governments and non-governmental organizations have tried to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing around the worldwide ocean. In Europe, the European Commission has worked to prioritze detering unsustainable fishing practices.