Commercial fisherman Ryan Kapp of Bellingham, Washington, argues that the West Coast sardine, anchovy and herring fisheries are already managed quite conservatively.

"Seeing that none of these stocks are overfished or even approaching overfished, I’d just as soon leave it alone," says Kapp. "We have enough regulations to keep track of as it is."

Environmentalists worry that rising global demand for seafood and fish meal will put pressure on small fish. At the Pew Environment Group, Paul Shively urges what he calls a precautionary approach.

"We don't need to wait until there is a crisis in our oceans to address an issue. For so many years, we've looked at our oceans and we wait until there is a collapse of a fishery before we take action. We're saying it doesn't hurt to have a new paradigm where perhaps we take some precautionary measures."

Shively has made that case to federal fishery advisors including Bob Emmett, a marine biologist with the federal oceans and atmosphere agency, NOAA. Emmett says it's premature to come down with a hard, regulatory hand.

"There are still a lot of data needs," Emmett says. "If you are actively managing these fishes, that means you have a lot of information. We don't believe at the time that we really have it."

The fortunes of small fish are also surfacing at the state level. The California legislature is considering a law to promote ecosystem-based management in nearshore state waters.