U.S. Marine Fisheries Management

Dr. Louis B. Daniel III

Director

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

Regulatory Bodies • Division of Marine Fisheries• Marine Fisheries Commission• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission• Federal Fishery Management Councils• National Marine Fisheries Service• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Governing Legislation

• Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 (state)• Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (federal)• Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative

Management Act (federal)

Division of Marine Fisheries“Recommenders”

• Director’s proclamation authority to implement rules

• 321 staff to collect and analyze data to make sound recommendations to the various rulemaking bodies

• Very little direct authority• Wildlife Resources Commission• Implement Fisheries Reform Act

Marine Fisheries Commission“Deciders”

• Rulemaking authority for coastal waters out to three miles

• Approve fishery management plans• Authority laid out in Fisheries Reform Act

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

• Compact of all east coast states to manage state coastal waters out to three miles

• Three members from each state cast a single vote

• Member states with a declared interest in a fishery must comply with management measures approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Federal FisheryManagement Councils

• N.C. membership on both the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic councils

• Three members from each state with separate votes

• Manage species from 3-200 miles offshore in the Exclusive Economic Zone

National Marine Fisheries Service

• Federal fisheries councils (Exclusive Economic Zone)

• Protected Resources• Highly Migratory Species• Enforcement in the Exclusive Economic Zone

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Protected Resources• Anadromous Species• Hatcheries

Technical Advice

• Plan development teams• Technical committees • Stock assessment committees• Assessment reviews• Science and Statistics Committee

Public Involvement

• Marine Fisheries Commission• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission • Federal councils• Highly Migratory Species• Protected Resources

Process Example

Plan Development

TeamAdvisory

Committee

Marine Fisheries

Commission

Standing and Regional

Committees

Marine Fisheries

Commission

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Interjurisdictional(23 Species)

Completed: September 2002

Amended: June 2008

Initial Status:Varies by Species

Current Status:Varies by Species

Fishery Management Plan Measures• Adopted federal and interstate plans by

reference to comply with state law• Coordinated state efforts for participation

in federal and interstate plan processes• Set forth public outreach procedures for

federal and interstate issues

Improvements• Sustainable stocks– Summer flounder– Spiny Dogfish– Bluefish

Challenges• Weakfish• Snapper-Grouper• Sheepshead

Red Drum

Completed:March 2001

Amended:November 2008

Initial Status: Overfished

Current Status: Recovering

Fishery Management Plan Measures• Reduced recreational bag limit from

five fish to one• Implemented commercial trip limit• Prohibited harvest over 27 inches

Improvements• Two recent stock assessments show North

Carolina has achieved a stock rebuilding goal set by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2002− N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries in 2007− Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Commission in 2009

Challenges• Management of a recovering fishery

River Herring

FMP Completed: February 2000

Amended: September 2007

Initial Status: Depleted (Albemarle Sound)Unknown (Other Waters)

Current Status: Depleted (Albemarle Sound)Unknown (Other Waters)

FMP Measures• No-harvest provision• Allows discretionary fishery for research

purposes and to benefit cultural festival• Funding for research• Designation of anadromous fish

spawning areas

Improvements• Research - Albemarle Sound

Management Area— Spawning area survey— Migration impediment survey— Expanded juvenile sampling, commercial

pound net survey, water quality monitoring

Challenges• Impacts from harvest closure still unknown

Prognosis?