It's not too often that the results of a research paper about the world's fisheries winds up making front page news.

That happened last week when 21 international fisheries scientists and ecologists from academia and government published a consensus paper in the journal Science showing that measures being taken to end overfishing are beginning to work.

And, the authors caution, there is still much more work to be done.

"Rebuilding Global Fisheries," a two-year study by Boris Worm, Ray Hilborn and 19 other scientists, including Dr. Michael Fogarty of NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, is cautiously optimistic about the state of the world's fisheries. But, the paper's overall message is clear: When we set firm fishing limits, fish and habitats can and do recover.

According to the paper, the best successes result when fishermen and fishing communities take bold actions and use an array of innovative tools to reduce fishing pressure and rebuild fish populations and their habitats. These tools include strong national laws such as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which mandates an end to overfishing by 2010.

Another tool recognized by the researchers was the catch shares system, which gives fishermen a stake in the benefits of a well-managed fishery and, therefore, greater incentive to ensure effective management. Other measures include closing areas to help rebuild stocks, gear modifications to protect vulnerable species, monitoring, and enforcement.

The study team offers a sobering assessment that in too many areas of the world, fisheries are suffering because people are unwilling or unable to make the tough choices needed for the long-term prosperity that comes from rebuilt stocks and healthy marine ecosystems.

They acknowledge what fishermen in Gloucester and throughout New England know well — that rebuilding fisheries is not easy. It involves tough choices and strong political will to withstand short-term pain for long-term gains. The future of fishing communities depends on taking such steps today to continue rebuilding fish stocks.

The paper itself is a metaphor for one of its own messages: when people from differing perspectives work together, they can find sound solutions to pressing problems. In fact, three years ago, Dr. Worm, of Canada's Dalhousie University, co-authored another paper that made big headlines. It predicted a global collapse of all species currently fished by 2048, if fishing continued at the then-present pace.

Scientists at NOAA's Fisheries Service and others, including Dr. Ray Hilborn from the University of Washington, strongly disagreed with the paper's methodology, noting that high-quality data, such as that used in the northeastern United States, were not included.

Instead of continuing their debate, Drs. Worm and Hilborn put aside their differences and joined a broad array of the world's leading fisheries scientists and ecologists to mine a much broader and deeper set of fisheries data. The resulting paper published last week represents science at its best, a coming together of minds to address real problems and provide solutions.

There is an important message here for Gloucester too. We all need to work together - fishermen, scientists, regulators and concerned members of the public - for the long-lasting health and vibrancy of our fisheries, our fishing communities and our ocean ecosystems.

Bold action has already been taken in Gloucester by NOAA's Fisheries Service, the science center in Woods Hole, the New England Fishery Management Council and fishermen, and we're seeing positive signs of recovery. The study authors noted substantial declines in fishing pressure on the U.S. Northeast Continental Shelf and say that fish biomass has recently been increasing.

The large reduction of cod fishing in New England has contributed to a tripling of Gulf of Maine cod population since 1994 and a doubling of Georges Bank cod population since its low point in 2005. These stocks are expected to continue to rebuild as a result of sustained low fishing rates and successful fish reproduction.

"Rebuilding Global Fisheries" notes that scientific research has a way to go in understanding the larger picture of how ecosystems adapt to depleted fish stocks and the negative effects of climate change. The study has shown that restoring stocks and moving toward sustainable fishing rates benefit the overall health of the marine ecosystem. This is our challenge for the future: how do we maintain healthy oceans that sustain not only a robust supply of seafood, but also the fishermen and coastal communities who depend on them?

I am optimistic that the tools the New England Fishery Management Council is putting in place will continue this rebuilding effort in the northeast. As the study in Science suggests, the nation and world can look to the northeast as a model of how sound fisheries management can preserve the livelihoods of fishermen, the vibrancy of coastal communities and the health of marine ecosystems.

I welcome your comments. Please send them to me at public.concerns.groundfish@noaa.gov.

Dr. Jim Balsiger is acting assistant administrator for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service.