CFP Fisheries Policy & Regulation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which entity has primary authority to prepare fishery management plans for federal waters?
- State fish and wildlife agencies
- Regional Fishery Management Councils (Correct answer)
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- The Environmental Protection Agency
Correct answer: Regional Fishery Management Councils
The eight Regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Act are responsible for preparing FMPs for fisheries in their respective regions.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) under the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization of 2006?
- To maximize short-term fishing revenue
- To prevent overfishing by setting science-based harvest caps (Correct answer)
- To allocate catch shares among competing user groups
- To replace the need for environmental impact assessments
Correct answer: To prevent overfishing by setting science-based harvest caps
ACLs are catch limits set at or below the Acceptable Biological Catch to prevent overfishing as required by the 2006 MSA reauthorization.
Question 3: Which federal law requires that a biological opinion be issued before a federal action that may jeopardize a listed species can proceed?
- Clean Water Act
- National Environmental Policy Act
- Endangered Species Act Section 7 (Correct answer)
- Marine Mammal Protection Act
Correct answer: Endangered Species Act Section 7
ESA Section 7 mandates formal consultation and a biological opinion when a federal action may affect listed species or critical habitat.
Question 4: The Lacey Act primarily addresses which fisheries management concern?
- Setting total allowable catch limits
- Prohibiting trade in illegally taken fish and wildlife (Correct answer)
- Regulating bycatch in trawl fisheries
- Establishing marine protected areas
Correct answer: Prohibiting trade in illegally taken fish and wildlife
The Lacey Act makes it a federal offense to trade in fish or wildlife that has been taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of any law.
Question 5: What does the term 'Maximum Sustainable Yield' (MSY) represent in fisheries policy?
- The largest catch that can be taken indefinitely without depleting the stock (Correct answer)
- The total weight of fish that can be sold at maximum market price
- The minimum population size needed to avoid extinction
- The catch level that maximizes short-term profit
Correct answer: The largest catch that can be taken indefinitely without depleting the stock
MSY is the theoretically largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock without reducing its future productivity.
Question 6: Under the Clean Water Act, Section 404 permits regulate which activity relevant to fisheries habitat?
- Commercial fishing vessel discharge
- Dredge and fill operations in waters of the U.S. (Correct answer)
- Point-source pollution from fish hatcheries
- Thermal pollution from power plants
Correct answer: Dredge and fill operations in waters of the U.S.
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires permits from the Army Corps of Engineers for discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S., including wetlands critical to fish habitat.
Question 7: Which management approach sets a cap on total fishing mortality and then allocates individual shares of that cap to participants?
- Effort controls
- Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs) (Correct answer)
- Pulse fishing
- Minimum size limits
Correct answer: Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs)
IFQ systems allocate a percentage of the total allowable catch to individual fishers or vessels, incentivizing stewardship of the resource.
CFP Fisheries Policy & Regulation 2
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which entity has primary authority to prepare fishery management plans for federal waters?