U.S. fisheries management involves scientists, researchers, managers, fishermen, and local communities working together to ensure the future of our fisheries resources, marine habitat, fishing businesses, and coastal communities.
The U.S. has a 4.4 million square mile zone that extends from 3 to 200 nautical miles off our coast. This area is referred to as our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Generally, individual states manage waters from their coastline out to 3 miles and the federal government manages U.S. waters, and the activities that take place in those waters, between 3-200 nautical miles.
The word fishery can mean several things, but primarily is used to refer to an area of ocean where fish are caught, or the business of catching fish. In the U.S. there are three types of use of fisheries: commercial, recreational and subsistence for personal use, family or community consumption.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (the MSA), first passed in 1976, created a framework for domestic fisheries management that puts science and the health of the resource first. By doing so, the U.S. has become a global leader in fisheries management and has enjoyed healthy fish stocks and thriving fishing businesses and coastal communities for decades.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (the MSA) is the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. First passed in 1976, the MSA fosters the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries. Its goals are to prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, increase the long-term economic and social benefits of commercial fishing, and ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.
The MSA established the regional fishery management council (Council) framework that provides the flexibility for regions to be responsive to their specific needs while still ensuring the long-term sustainability of their fisheries resources and fishing businesses. The MSA also established the 10 National Standards, principles that must be followed in all fishery management plans (FMP) to ensure sustainable and responsible fishery management.
The conservation measures mandated by the MSA, like rebuilding timelines, accountability measures, and annual catch limits, are the reason our fisheries are so healthy. It is critical that the core conservation principles enshrined within the MSA are not eroded if we are to continue to be a global leader in sustainability.
Regional Fishery Management Councils
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (the MSA) created eight regional fishery management councils (Councils). Councils are responsible for the conservation and management of fish stocks and habitat within their geographic jurisdiction.
The U.S. Council system is unique because it is designed to be a collaborative co-management system that incorporates the feedback of fishery participants, scientists, and interested stakeholders. The eight Councils develop fishery management plans (FMPs) based on the best available science and feedback from stakeholders within and outside of the fishing industry. FMPs, FMP amendments, and their associated regulations are initiated, evaluated, and adopted in a fully transparent and public process.
Our collaborative, transparent, public, and science-based Council framework has become a model for fisheries management around the world.
Fishery Management Plans
Each Council produces fishery management plans (FMPs) for fisheries resources within their geographic jurisdiction. FMPs may focus on a single species or incorporate a stock complex. FMPs contain management goals and objectives, status of the stock(s), stock assessments for multi-year species, fishery habitat and water quality considerations consistent with Coastal Habitat Protection Plans, social and economic impact of the fishery to the State, and user conflict, among other things.
FMPs also detail management actions, including conservation and management measures that will provide the greatest overall benefit to the fishery, particularly with regard to food production, recreational opportunities, the protection of marine ecosystems, ending overfishing, and sustainable harvest levels.
Councils develop and adopt amendments that update FMPs with the latest best available science to ensure regulations support the overall management goals and objectives for a stock or stock complex.
The Science of U.S. Fisheries Management
Fisheries management in the U.S. is rooted in strong scientific data collected by scientists and researchers at NOAA and universities (fishery-independent data), as well as scientific data collected from the fishing industry (fishery-dependent data).
Annual stock assessments are a critical piece of our fisheries management system. Stock assessments describe the past and present status of fish stock or stocks and help predict how a fishery will respond to current and future management measures. Stock assessments incorporate fishery-independent and fishery-dependent data, along with other ecological and trophic data, and ultimately help dictate levels of catch, also called annual catch limits (ACLs), that ensure the sustainability of a fish stock or stocks.
Status of U.S. Fish Stocks
Based on the results of stock assessments, NMFS regularly updates the status of fish stocks managed under federal fishery management plans. Stock status determinations include:
If a fish stock or stock complex is found to be overfished or experiencing overfishing, the Council must immediately institute a rebuilding timeline and additional management measures that will help rebuild the fishery (reducing annual catch limits, shortening seasons, etc).
Currently, NMFS manages 460 stocks and stock complexes. We know the overfishing status of 323 stocks* and only 26 are subject to overfishing, which means only 8 percent of our fisheries are experiencing overfishing. We know the overfished status of 251 stocks* and 49 are considered overfished, which means approximately 20 percent are overfished. Together with NMFS, commercial fishermen have helped rebuild 47 stocks--a testament to the success of our management system.
Find more details about NOAA fisheries science-based conservation and management practices here.
*Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is defined as the largest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions.
Useful Links
Understanding Fisheries Management in the United States
NMFS has created a great page answering lots of “Fisheries 101” questions like, “What is a fishery?,” “Why do we manage U.S. fisheries?,” “What U.S. laws relate to fisheries management?” and more. Check it out to learn more!
Fisheries of the U.S. Report
Each year NOAA Fisheries compiles key fisheries statistics from the previous year into an annual snapshot documenting fishing’s importance to the nation. According to the Fisheries of the United States, 2019 report, U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.3 billion pounds valued at $5.5 billion in 2019. You can read the latest report here.
Status of Stocks 2020
Each year, NMFS publishes its annual report to Congress on the status of the stocks they manage. This report includes important information about the number of stocks that are considered overfished and subject to overfishing, as well as the number of stocks rebuilt. You can read the latest report here.
Marine Resource Education program (MREP)
Founded in 2013, MREP is a program that provides training and support for fishermen and fishing industry stakeholders to better understand fisheries science and effectively contribute to the complex fisheries science and management process. MREP hosts regionally tailored programs so that fishermen and fishing industry stakeholders can learn how to participate in their specific region. MREP also provides incredible educational materials for program participants that can be found archived on their website. We recommend checking out their workshop materials if you have questions about science and management in a specific region.