Earlier this month, over 600 people that know a bit about the world of fishing and fisheries management gathered in Washington, DC at the Managing Our Nation's Fisheries conference to address the current state and future of the United State's domestic fisheries.

The third installment of the Managing Our Nation's Fisheries conference stated a goal of "focus[ing] on how concepts, policies, and practice of fishery sustainability can be advanced to a higher level." According to organizers, the conference planned to address topics of interest to "members of the public, fishery participants, environmental advocates, fishery scientists and managers, policymakers, legislators, and journalists."

The conference has since adjourned and, although the complete proceedings are not yet available, the Pew Environmental Trust has put together a list of the Top 10 Takeaways from the conference. Highlights include the fact that, according to Pew, we are finally turning the corner on curbing overfishing, with dozens of species considered recovered from previous overfishing and hundreds more determined to be under sustainable catch limits.

Also included as one of the most important takeaways from the summit is the importance of small fish species, such as the Atlantic Menhaden, commonly known to fishermen as baitfish. Since these small fish species serve as the primary food source for larger species, they act as a lynchpin in the entire food web of most marine ecosystems.

To read the full list of the Top 10 Takeaways from the conference, visit the Pew Charitable Trust.