America’s Fisheries Management

The Magnuson Act and the Fishery Management Councils…

The Magnuson Act established an innovative regional public-private management framework by creating eight regional fishery management councils. The regional fishery management council framework requires public transparency with broad stakeholder representation and participation, including states and tribes. Reflective of each region’s unique environmental needs and social and economic cultures, the councils play a critical role in the success of national fisheries conservation law by tailoring implementation to each region’s unique needs.

Participation by, and the Economies of, Fishing Communities…

We are committed to the tenets of National Standard Eight of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. While cognizant of conservation needs, regulations must take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities. Management measures should utilize the best economic and social data to provide for the sustained participation of fishing communities; and to minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities to the extent possible.

“Conservation and management measures shall, consistent with the conservation requirements of this Act (including the prevention of overfishing and rebuilding of overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities in order to (A) provide for the sustained participation of such communities, and (B) to the extent practicable, minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities.”
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended October 11, 1996

The Best Science and Adequate Science….

We are committed to the principle that fisheries management must be conducted using the best available science, which does not mean the best government science. Further, we believe that when the best available science is deemed, by appropriate technical review panels, to be inadequate for use in informing fisheries management decisions, fisheries managers must carefully balance the precautionary principle with the Federal mandate to consider the economic needs of fishing communities, and the working families who depend on our ocean resources.