Draft Guidance on Preparing Fishery Management Plans for Stocks that May Extend Across Multiple Geographic Areas
August 23, 2023
Draft procedural directive to guide the agency in future application of section 304(f) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
NOAA Fisheries has identified a need to set forth a consistent and transparent plan for applying its authority under section 304(f) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. This draft procedural directive will set forth a process for (1) identifying the geographic scope of fisheries and (2) determining which regional fishery management council(s) will be responsible for fisheries that extend or have moved beyond the geographical area of authority of any one council.