From Collapse to Comeback: How Sustainable Fisheries Are Built

Not long ago, the race to catch fish was pushing some U.S. fisheries toward collapse. Fishing seasons became shorter, boats went out in dangerous conditions, and fishermen, scientists, regulators, and conservationists often saw one another as enemies. So how did they begin working together?

Amanda Leland, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of Sea Change, tells the story of the unlikely coalition that helped transform American fisheries management. Using Gulf red snapper as a case study, she explains how catch shares helped replace the race to fish with a system that gave fishermen greater flexibility and a direct stake in healthier fish populations. The conversation explores science, monitoring, livelihoods, trust, and the early mistakes that shaped better programs, offering a hopeful but hard-won lesson: lasting ocean conservation often begins by working with the people who depend on the resource most.

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Episode Guests: Amanda Lealand

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Hosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Jomiro Eming