Fishing limits in Magnuson-Stevens Act rebuild US fish stocks

"For decades, fishing in U.S. waters was a virtual free-for-all, with U.S. and foreign fishermen competing for dwindling resources. As a result, many fisheries became severely overfished, below heathy levels of abundance and overfishing was occurring meaning that fish were being taken out of the ocean at a rate faster than nature could replenish. To prevent more fisheries from collapsing and to protect domestic fishermen from foreign competition, Congress passed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) in 1976 to establish federal management of the nation’s fisheries and restrict fishing activities in U.S. waters. The law put fisheries management largely in the hands of eight regional councils, allowing each region to address its specific needs and giving stakeholders a voice in management of the resource. The law, which has undergone numerous changes since 1976, has reversed the declining trend and helped rebuild dozens of fish stocks . . ."