State of the Ecosystem Reports
The State of the Ecosystem reports provide a synthesis of the current status of the Northeast Shelf marine ecosystems (Georges Bank, Gulf of Maine, and the Mid-Atlantic Bight). They are developed for the New England and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. These annual, collaboratively produced reports inform the councils about ecological, oceanographic, and socioeconomic aspects of the ecosystem—from fishing engagement to climate conditions.
View the 2025 Summary report New England (PDF, 5 pgs)
View the 2025 Summary report Mid-Atlantic (PDF, 4 pgs)
View the complete 2025 Mid-Atlantic report (PDF, 46pgs)
View the complete 2025 New England report (PDF, 55pgs)
View the technical documentation
2024 Highlights
2024 global sea surface and air temperatures exceeded 2023 as the warmest year on record, but water temperatures in the Northeast U.S. shelf were colder than or near the long-term average. Oceanographic and ecological conditions in the Northwest Atlantic were markedly different in 2024 compared to recent years. Observations included inputs of colder and fresher northern water, delayed migration of many species, and redistribution of some species.
Fishing Observations
Members of the fishing community reported unusual fishing conditions during 2024 including:
- Low abundance of some species, such as longfin squid, in traditional fishing areas.
- Observations of some species, such as Atlantic mackerel, outside of the typical fishing grounds and in higher abundance compared to recent years.
- Some delayed fishing due to multiple species migrating into fishing areas later in the season.
Environmental Change and Ecosystem Risks
Climate and ecosystem change can directly and indirectly create risks to meeting fisheries management objectives by affecting the distribution, seasonal timing, productivity, and physiology of marine species.
Risks to Managing Spatially:
- Observations: Species distributions for many fish and marine mammals are trending to the northeast along the continental shelf and into deeper water.
Potential Impacts: Spatial mis-allocation of quotas within and across jurisdictions, leading to unmet quotas and/or increased discards. Specification of gear management areas may not utilize quotas and minimize bycatch.
Risks to Managing Seasonally:
- Observations: Seasonal timing of spawning has changed for some managed species. Migration timing of some tunas and large whales has changed.
Potential Impacts: Spawning closures are less effective if peak spawning occurs outside the seasonal closure. Seasonal openings of exemption areas may be inconsistent with species presence. Seasonal quota allocations may be misaligned with availability.
Risks to Setting Catch Limits:
- Observations: Productivity and fish condition has changed for multiple fish species.
Potential Impacts: Changes in environmental conditions can affect stock reference points and short-term stock projections. When productivity changes are not accounted for, they can lead to misspecified quotas and rebuilding plans.
Report Format
The Northeast U.S. Shelf is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. The ecosystem is changing and these changes are affecting the ecosystem services it provides. These reports synthesize ecosystem information to better meet fishery management objectives. The reports are organized into three sections:
- Performance measured against ecosystem-level management objectives
- Potential risks to meeting fishery management objectives such as climate and other ocean uses, including offshore marine development
- Highlights of current and recent observations
Additional information on the indicators and data used in the report can be found in the online indicator catalog, and methods and meta data are available in the technical documentation.
Characterizing Ecosystem Change for Fishery Management
We use three overarching concepts in the report, all of which influence the structure and function of this complex ecosystem:
- Multiple system drivers
- Regime shifts
- Ecosystem reorganization
- Physical, chemical, biological, and human factors comprise the multiple system drivers that influence each component of the ecosystem and the services it provides. Changes in those drivers can lead to regime shifts—large, abrupt, and persistent changes in the structure and function of an ecosystem. Regime shifts and changes in how the multiple system drivers interact can result in ecosystem reorganization, as species and humans respond and adapt to the new environment.
- We are working to better characterize ecosystem changes and identify the early warning signs of future changes to understand the implications and improve management advice.
Multiple Ecosystem Drivers
Multiple competing factors cause change in an ecosystem. Numerous environmental drivers influence the quality and distribution of habitat in the ocean, which affects the amount and diversity of fish in the system. These environmental drivers, combined with social and economic drivers, influence the range of fishing opportunities and the seafood, recreation, and other services we derive from the ocean. Not all drivers are changing at the same rate, thus the effects on different parts of the ecosystem are not uniform. We are working to show both how systems are changing and what factors are driving those changes.
Regime Shifts & Ecosystem Reorganization
Ecosystem change can happen rapidly, resulting in large, abrupt and persistent changes in the structure and function of an ecosystem. It is important to identify these “regime shifts” because our historical knowledge of how the system works may not apply under the present conditions. Ecosystem reorganization occurs as species and humans respond and adapt to the new environment. Changing habitat conditions influence the range and distribution of resident species and create the conditions for new species to take up residence.
Performance Relative to Fishery Management Objectives
To evaluate fishery management performance, we examine indicators related to broad, ecosystem-level fishery management objectives. We also provide hypotheses on the implications of these trends—why we are seeing them, what’s driving them, and potential or observed regime shifts or changes in ecosystem structure. Identification of multiple drivers, regime shifts, and potential changes to ecosystem structure can help managers make changes to meet objectives and to prioritize upcoming issues and risks.
Ecosystem-scale Fishery Management Objectives
Objective categories in bold and the indicators used to evaluate performance
Provisioning and Cultural Services
- Seafood production: landings; commercial total and by feeding guild; recreational harvest
- Profits: revenue decomposed to price and volume
- Recreation: days fished; recreational fleet diversity
- Stability: fishery and ecosystem diversity
- Social & Cultural: community engagement and reliance status
- Protected Species: bycatch; population (adults and juveniles) size; mortalities
- Supporting and Regulating Services
- Biomass: biomass or abundance by feeding guild from surveys
- Productivity: condition and recruitment of managed species; primary productivity
- Trophic Structure: relative biomass of feeding guilds; zooplankton
Habitat: estuarine and offshore habitat conditions
Risks to Meeting Fishery Management Objectives
The fishery management section of the report focuses on trends and status of indicators that are directly related to the management objectives. We are also looking at indicators that can affect our ability to meet the management objectives. Changes in climate, oceanographic conditions, habitat, food resources, and human uses can be a risk to fisheries. We are monitoring these indicators to assess how multiple changes in the ecosystem and its uses could lead to regime shifts or ecosystem reorganization.
Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
These reports are part of a larger, iterative Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach, a component of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management. The approach integrates physical, biological, economic, and social components of the Northeast Shelf marine ecosystems into the decision-making process. This allows managers to balance trade-offs and determine what is more likely to achieve their desired goals. The reports are produced by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center with collaborators from academic research institutions, non-profit organizations, and state agencies.
Archived Reports
Mid-Atlantic State of the Ecosystem Reports: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
New England State of the Ecosystem Reports: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
