Improved management is the main driver behind recovery of Northeast Atlantic fish stocks

Decades of intense fishing have not only caused widespread declines in marine fish populations but in recent years have also spurred progress in the development of resource policies, coinciding with reports of positive trends for selected fish stocks in several ecosystems. Anthropogenic pressures and environmental changes affect fish populations, but it is unclear whether improved fisheries management or natural conditions are responsible for the observed recoveries. We show that, for a large set of Northeast Atlantic fish stocks, long-term declines in biomass from 1960 to 2000 were due largely to fishing, suggesting that external drivers caused stock fluctuations at a time when catch regulations were weak or largely absent. After the year 2007, a general pattern of increasing biomass and decreasing catches was observed across most taxa and geographic regions. Implementation of adequate policies to reduce fishing mortality is crucial for overexploited stocks to recover, underlining the positive impacts of science-based management. Because attempts to rebuild Northeast Atlantic fisheries have been only partially successful, and management targets were not fully achieved, policy-making efforts must continue.