U.S. Marine Fisheries Management

1. U.S. Marine Fisheries Management Dr. Louis B. Daniel III Director N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

2. 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

3. Governing Legislation • Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 (state) • Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (federal) • Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (federal)

4. 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

5. Marine Fisheries Commission“Deciders” • Rulemaking authority for coastal waters out to three miles • Approve fishery management plans • Authority laid out in Fisheries Reform Act

6. 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

7. 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

8. National Marine Fisheries Service • Federal fisheries councils (Exclusive Economic Zone) • Protected Resources • Highly Migratory Species • Enforcement in the Exclusive Economic Zone

9. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Protected Resources • Anadromous Species • Hatcheries

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

11. Public Involvement • Marine Fisheries Commission • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission • Federal councils • Highly Migratory Species • Protected Resources

12. Process Example

13. 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 planprocesses • Set forth public outreach procedures for federal and interstate issues • Improvements • Sustainable stocks • Summer flounder • Spiny Dogfish • Bluefish • Challenges • Weakfish • Snapper-Grouper • Sheepshead Interjurisdictional (23 Species) Completed: September 2002 Amended: June 2008 Initial Status: Varies by Species Current Status: Varies by Species

14. 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 Red Drum Completed: March 2001 Amended: November 2008 Initial Status: Overfished Current Status: Recovering

15. 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 areasurvey • Migration impediment survey • Expanded juvenile sampling, commercial pound netsurvey, water quality monitoring • Challenges • Impacts from harvest closure still unknown 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)

16. Prognosis?