[numbskull]

Absolutely increasing predation (which ASMFC seems to ignore) is an issue. I suspect the poundage numbers are skewed, whales eat a lot of krill and small forage (sand eels/anchovies/etc ) likely constitute most of it.
On the other hand, every available historical record indicates finfish populations (and presumably predator populations as well) where many times more abundant when man (us non-native guys) arrived here than they are now. That makes it pretty hard to sell the argument that fishing is not a major cause of where we are today.

It doesn't matter, however.

People do not like to feel uncomfortable.
Most people do not fish.
Fishing causes some degree of "environmental damage".....meaning depletion of fish.
Damaging the environment makes most people uncomfortable.
Most people are unwilling to be made uncomfortable so we can fish.
Enter Pew trust and fishing restriction legislation stage left.

If we want to continue to be able to fish, we need to minimize (not fight for) our impact on the fish (read environment). We are on VERY thin ice if we don't, and there are far too many of us on that ice for it to hold.

Freshwater fisherman long ago had to adapt their behavior to preserve their resource and "right to fish". Saltwater fishing is 50 years behind, but we are going to have to do the same or be shut down. Fight it and we'll end up like the recreational/commercial migratory bird hunting industry of yesteryear. Wake up and go with the flow and we can end up like the freshwater fisheries of today.

Neither is what we want. One is better than the other.