By Lee Crockett The United States has the largest Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world, containing 3.4 million square
miles [8.8 million square kilometers] of ocean and 90,000 miles
[145,000 kilometers] of coastline.[i] Throughout this vast
underwater realm, fish play an essential role in the
interconnected web of life on which we depend. In fact, they are
one of America’s most valuable natural resources, adding
billions to the U.S. economy and supporting millions of jobs
through fishing and recreation. Unfortunately,
overfishing—taking fish from our oceans faster than they can
reproduce—has plagued U.S. oceans for decades and continues
today. This squanders valuable fish populations and weakens
ocean ecosystems, making them more vulnerable to problems like
pollution, natural disturbances and climate change. The good
news is that we have a strong law in place in the United States
governing how fish are managed in federal waters, and serious
efforts are underway to end overfishing and rebuild depleted po