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Table 4. National Standards to provide for the conservation and management of the fisheries from the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996, Public Law 104-297 October 11th.

1. Conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing while achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from each fishery for the United States fishing industry.
2. Conservation and management measures shall be based on the best scientific information available.
3. To the extent practicable, an individual stock of fish shall be managed as a unit throughout its range, and interrelated stocks of fish shall be managed as a unit or in close coordination.
4. Conservation and management measures shall not discriminate between residents of different states. If it becomes necessary to allocate or assign fishing privileges among various United States fishermen, such allocation shall be
   (a) fair and equitable to all such fishermen;
   (b) reasonably calculated to promote conservation; and
   (c) carried out in such manner that no particular individual, corporation or other entity acquires an excessive share of such privileges.
5. Conservation and management measures shall, where practicable, consider efficiency in the utilization of
   fishery resources; except that no such measure shall have economic allocation as its sole purpose.
6. Conservation and management measures shall take into account and allow for variations among, and contingencies in, fisheries, fishery resources, and catches.
7. Conservation and management measures shall, where practicable, minimize costs and avoid unnecessary duplication.
8. Conservation measures shall, consistent with the conservation requirements of this Act (including the prevention of overfishing and rebuilding of overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities in order to
   (a) provide for the sustained participation of such communities, and
   (b)to the extent practicable, minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities.
9. Conservation and management measures shall, to the extent practicable
   (a) minimize by-catch and
   (b) to the extent by-catch cannot be avoided, minimize the mortality of such by-catch.
10. Conservation and management measures shall, to the extent practicable, promote the safety of human life at sea.