New England Fishery Management Council
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| New England Fishery Management Council | |
|---|---|
| Name | New England Fishery Management Council |
| Formation | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Newburyport, Massachusetts |
| Region served | New England |
| Leader title | Chair |
New England Fishery Management Council The Council is a regional fisheries management body established in 1976 under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to develop fishery management plans for federal waters off the coast of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. Its responsibilities intersect with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the New England Aquarium, and academic institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The Council's work influences species such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic haddock, Yellowtail flounder, Summer flounder (fluke), Atlantic herring, and Atlantic sea scallop and relates to regional industries including fishing industry in the United States, commercial fishing, recreational fishing, and port communities like New Bedford, Massachusetts and Gloucester, Massachusetts.
History
The Council was created by provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act during the administration of Gerald Ford and was part of a national response alongside the establishment of other regional councils such as the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Early actions addressed stock declines after events like the collapse of the Northern cod fishery and were influenced by international issues including Fisheries Agreement between the United States and Canada disputes and developments in exclusive economic zone policy. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the Council adopted rebuilding plans informed by work at institutions such as the Hollings Marine Laboratory and collaborations with organizations including the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and non-governmental groups like Conservation Law Foundation and Oceana. Recent history has been shaped by federal rulemaking under secretaries of commerce including Wilbur Ross and Gary Locke and by scientific advances from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Organization and Membership
The Council comprises 18 voting members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce representing states in the region, including representatives from Maine to New York, alongside non-voting liaisons from entities such as the U.S. Coast Guard, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the New England Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical Committee. Chairs and vice chairs have included figures with ties to institutions like NOAA Fisheries, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and universities such as University of Rhode Island. Committees include the Groundfish Committee, Herring Committee, Scallop Committee, Habitat Committee, and Protected Resources working groups, coordinating with law enforcement partners like the National Marine Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement and regional bodies such as the Northeast Regional Ocean Council.
Fisheries and Management Plans
The Council develops fishery management plans (FMPs) for key stocks including Atlantic cod, Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank cod, Atlantic haddock, Redfish (ocean perch), Monkfish, Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, Butterfish, Deep-sea red crab, and Sea scallop. FMPs incorporate measures such as catch limits, days-at-sea programs, quota allocations, sector management, size limits, and area closures like those used in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument considerations. Management actions interact with international agreements like the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas when bycatch or shared stocks are implicated, and with port-level programs in New Bedford and Portland, Maine.
Regulatory Process and Enforcement
Regulatory proposals are developed by Council committees, reviewed by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), and submitted to NOAA for Secretarial review and rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act. Enforcement involves the National Marine Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, state agencies such as the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and judicial action in federal courts including rulings that reference the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Compliance tools include observer programs, electronic monitoring pilot projects, vessel monitoring systems (VMS), trip reporting, and dealer reporting enforced with civil penalties, administrative sanctions, and permit actions.
Science, Data, and Research Support
The Council relies on scientific advice from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the SSC, and cooperative research programs with universities like University of Massachusetts and University of New Hampshire, as well as federal laboratories such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NOAA Fisheries Laboratory facilities. Data sources include stock assessments, acoustic surveys, otolith aging studies, genetic analyses by labs associated with NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, observer data from the At-Sea Monitoring Program, and cooperative vessel-based research initiatives supported by entities like the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program.
Stakeholder Engagement and Advisory Bodies
The Council engages stakeholders through public hearings, Advisory Panels, and sector meetings with representatives from the United States Small Business Administration-linked fishing businesses, processor associations such as the New England Fish Dealers Association, environmental NGOs including Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and community groups from ports like Chatham, Massachusetts. Advisory bodies include the Scientific and Statistical Committee, the Groundfish Advisory Panel, the Scallop Advisory Panel, and liaisons from state agencies, tribal organizations including Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and federal partners such as NOAA.
Economic and Environmental Impacts
Council decisions affect regional economies tied to New England fishing ports, seafood markets, and supply chains involving processors in New Bedford and Boston. Economic analyses consider impacts on commercial fleets, recreational anglers, and related industries, drawing on data from the NOAA Fisheries Economics Division and regional studies by academic centers like Sustainable Fisheries Partnership-adjacent research. Environmental outcomes address stock rebuilding, bycatch reduction for species such as Atlantic sturgeon and sea turtles, habitat protection for areas like the Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine and climate-driven shifts documented by researchers at the Northeast Climate Science Center and NOAA.