Each year, thirteen million anglers enjoy the sport of saltwater angling in the United States, generating an estimated $30 billion in sales and supporting nearly 350,000 jobs. Recreational saltwater fishing, however, can significantly impact species of concern-species overfished or experiencing overfishing. Traditional angling controls-bag and size limits and restricted seasons-have fallen short in controlling fishing impacts and reducing conflicts among fishing and non-fishing interests.

Economic losses in marine fisheries resulting from poor management, inefficiencies, and overfishing add up to US50 billion per year. Taken over the last three decades, these losses total over US2 trillion, a figure roughly equivalent to the GDP of Italy.The Sunken Billions: The Economic Justification for Fisheries Reform argues that well-managed marine fisheries could turn most of these losses into sustainable economic benefits for millions of fishers and coastal communities.According to this...