California's fisheries appear to be on the comeback. But some in Congress are looking backward.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-fish-20130318,0,2856085.story

After years of depletion, California's fish populations appear to be bouncing back. A study this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that hauls by fishing boats, which had been down as a result of years of overfishing, have been growing, along with earnings. The agency credits catch limits that were mandated by law in 1996 and slowly implemented over the next 15 years.

A February report by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that of 44 severely depleted stocks of fish nationwide that were under federal oversight, 48% had rebounded to target levels and an additional 16% had shown significant progress — a total of nearly two-thirds.

There's even more encouraging news. A preliminary study by California marine scientists indicates that the populations and average physical size of several key species of fish have grown in the six years since the state established a patchwork of marine reserves off the central coast; in many of these areas, no fishing is allowed. There now are similar protected areas all along the coast.