- North Pacific Council
- Pacific Council
- Western Pacific Council
- New England Council
- Mid-Atlantic Council
- South Atlantic Council
- Caribbean Council
- Gulf Of Mexico Council
- Council Contacts
Managing our Nation's Fisheries: Past, Present, and Future
Proceedings of the Conference on Fisheries Management in the Untied States, held
by the Regional Fishery Management Councils
Welcome to the U.S. Regional Fishery Management
Council’s webpage.
The Regional Council system was designed to allow regional, participatory
governance by knowledgable people with a stake in fishery management. The eight Regional Councils develop management plans
for marine fisheries in waters seaward of state waters of their individual
regions. Plans and specific management measures (such as fishing
seasons, quotas, and closed areas) are developed based on sound scientific advice,
and are initiated, evaluated, and ultimately
are adopted in a fully transparent and public process. These plans and measures
are implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Please visit individual regional council websites for
more information about specific programs:
NPFMC;
PFMC;
WPFMC;
NEFMC;
MAFMC; SAFMC;
CFMC;
GMFMC.
Council News
NOAA Fish Fry:
The Regional Councils took the opportunity to participate in the 2009 NOAA
Fish Fry, which was attended by an estimated 2,000 congressional people,
administrators and staff. Chefs from the CFMC region (Juan Carlos Vicens
and Agnes Marrenro) and the WPFMC region (Nico Chaize and Eric Leterc)
served up delicious regional dishes made with their local fishes including
spiny lobster, conch, uku (grey snapper), nairagi (striped marlin) and ahi
(bigeye tuna). Staff assisted the chefs with serving the
hungry crowd and also distributed 500 reusable eco-friendly tote bags
that were printed with Regional Council logos and filled with recipes,
outreach brochures and other information about the Regional Councils.
Regional Council Brochure:
The Regional Councils recently released a new publication that describes
the opportunities and challenges of each regional Council. The Regional
Councils are making remarkable progress in the stewardship of the nation’s
marine resources. Nevertheless, funding limits the ability of the Councils to develop new programs to comply with the law, provide innovative approaches to
conservation, and optimize sustainable economic yield from marine fisheries. This brochure is available electronically in
its entirety here. Paper copies of the brochure can be requested from the NPFMC: (907) 271-2809. Full Print
Brochure
Council Coordination Committee: The Council Coordination Committee met in Boston in May 2009. The NEFMC
hosted the meeting. The Chairs, Vice Chairs and Executive Directors of the
8 regional fishery management councils met with NMFS leadership to discuss
best practices regarding annual catch limits, ecosystem-based management,
catch share programs, standardized management actions, and SSC operating
procedures. A summary of the meeting can be found
here.
Letters were sent to NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco regarding
Regional Council recommendations on
NOAA regulations for implementing NEPA,
NOAA’s Catch Share Task Force,
extension of the National Standard 2
Guidelines proposed rule, and
Outreach and Education initiatives.
Reports of a 2009 and 2008 workshop on developing best practices for Scientific and Statistical Committees. November 10-13, 2009 Workshop AGENDA
The Regional Councils recently produced a special issue of Current: The Journal of Marine Education, featuring: "U.S. Regional Fishery Management Councils: Providing Sound Stewardship of Our Nation’s Fishery Resources" published by The National Marine Educators Associations (NMEA). For more information about the NMEA, please visit their website at www.marine-ed.org . NMEA has granted permission to post the journal electronically in its entirety on this website. Paper copies of the brochure can be requested from the WPFMC: (808) 522-8220. Full Print Journal.