SSB Management Plan Support

Fishery management plans (FMPs) in the Northeast US are primarily developed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils (FMCs). The MAFMC maintains six active FMPs, while the NEFMC maintains eight. SSB staff support the NMFS Northeast Regional Office (NERO) on one FMP as well as on ad hoc Secretary-generated Emergency Action modifications to Council-developed FMPs. Outside of this framework, SSB also supports NERO by providing the economic analysis needs for Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act compliance. Lastly, one member of the SSB sits on the NEFMC’s Science and Statistical Committee.

While the two FMCs operate somewhat differently, SSB contributions to plan development follow roughly similar trajectories. The MAFMC uses Fishery Management Action Teams (FMATs) while the NEFMC employs Plan Development Teams (PDTs). See Table 1 for a detailed list of FMATs, PDTs and associated SSB support.

Management support typically follows a three-step pattern of (1) alternatives development, (2) impacts analysis, (3) certification of compliance. Alternatives development includes all of the initial work to frame a fishery management problem and develop baseline conditions for future impacts analysis. Impacts analysis may be straightforward but more often includes the development of ad hoc tools specific to the alternatives under consideration. For example, analysis of output-based options would require different analytical tools than a similar analysis of input-based options. After the analyses are completed and relevant decision makers have made decisions, SSB staff is then asked to certify the accompanying management documents for compliance with existing law, most notably E.O. 12866 and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.