NOAA Fisheries Service has ocean stewardship responsibilities under many federal laws. The agency manages ocean fishing under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Pacific Fishery Management Council manages 90 species of groundfish through the policies and regulations of its Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The FMP governs commercial and recreational fisheries in federal waters from three to 200 nautical miles off the Washington, Oregon and California coasts. FMP regulations and management measures are developed by the council in cooperation with federal, state and tribal governments, and in consultation with industry, environmental and academic organizations. These species support a wide range of commercial, tribal and sport fishing interests. They are typically harvested in multi-species complexes, meaning that several different groundfish species may be caught together at the same time.

The United States and Canada manage Pacific halibut in a bilateral commission, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). Each year, the IPHC sets total allowable catch levels for halibut that will be caught in the U.S. and Canadian exclusive economic zones in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The Northwest Regional Office sets regulations for U.S. waters off the states of Washington and Oregon. Halibut in this area are divided among tribal and non-tribal fisheries, commercial and recreational fisheries, and recreational fisheries in different states. The Pacific Fishery Management Council describes this halibut catch division each year in a catch-sharing plan.