Tiny fish play a major role in sustaining a productive marine environment, but their importance can be easily overlooked. That’s why they need your help right now.

Small species that you may never have heard of, such as saury, sand lance, and smelt, eat microscopic plants and animals drifting near the ocean’s surface. The fish are then eaten by larger animals, converting plankton into protein for other marine life. These prey species, which often are not well understood by scientists, occupy a critical position in the middle of the marine food web. Right now, fishing for them is unregulated, making it possible for new fisheries to spring up before the science is in place to manage them sustainably.

Ask the Pacific Fishery Management Council to hold off on opening any new fisheries for forage species until management plans are in place.