The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, (renamed the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act when amended on October 11, 1996) established a U.S. exclusive economic zone which ranges between 3 and 200 miles offshore, and created eight regional fishery councils to manage the living marine resources within that area. The Act was passed principally to address heavy foreign fishing, promote the development of a domestic fleet and link the fishing community more directly to the management process.
The eight regional fishery management councils are as follows:
- Caribbean Fishery Management Council
- Gulf Fishery Management Council
- Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
- New England Fishery Management Council
- North Pacific Fishery Management Council
- Pacific Fishery Management Council
- South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
- Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
Council Web Pages
New England Fishery Management Council - Northeast Division
The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) manages fisheries in federal waters off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council - Southeast Division
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is headquartered in
Charleston, S.C., and is responsible for the conservation and
management of fish stocks within the 200-mile limit of the Atlantic off
the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and east Florida
to Key West.
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Northeast and Southeast Divisions
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is responsible for
management of fisheries in
federal waters which occur predominantly off the Mid-Atlantic
coast. States with voting representation on the Council include
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
and North Carolina. (North Carolina is on two Councils,
Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils )
North Pacific Fishery Management Council Alaska and Northwest Division
The North Pacific Council is composed of 15 members; 11 voting and 4
non-voting. Seven of the voting members are appointed by the Secretary
of Commerce upon the recommendation of the governors of Alaska and
Washington.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Southeast Division
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) is one of eight
regional Fishery Management Councils which were established by the
Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 (now called the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Magnuson Act). The Council meets every two months at various locations around the Gulf coast.
Pacific Fishery Management Council Northwest and Southwest Divisions
The Pacific Council has developed fishery management plans for salmon, groundfish and coastal pelagic species in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, and recommends Pacific halibut harvest regulations to the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
Caribbean Fishery Management Council Pacific Islands Division
The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC) is one of eight regional fishery management councils, established under PL 94-265, known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act (the Act) or Sustainable Fisheries Act as amended in 1996, for the conservation and orderly utilization of the fishery resources of the United States of America.
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Pacific Islands Division
The Western Pacific Council is the policy-making organization for the
management of fisheries in the EEZ around American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii,
the Northern Mariana Islands and other US possessions in the Pacific,
an area of nearly 1.5 million square miles.
