Advancing Fisheries Management Efforts: Regional Council Activities

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NOAA is building on its commitment to help Americans, using supplemental funding to: 
1) prepare, adapt, and build resilience to weather and changing oceans; 
2) improve supercomputing capacity and research on weather, oceans, and environmental changes; 
3) strengthen NOAA’s hurricane hunter aircraft and fleet; and 
4) replace aging NOAA facilities.

Underscoring the importance of state-federal partnerships, NOAA Fisheries is working with the Regional Fishery Management Councils to advance fisheries management efforts. The Regional Fishery Management Councils are critical partners in the development and implementation of conservation and management measures for our nation’s marine fisheries. Funds are distributed across three Councils in the Southeast region. 

The funding is dedicated to actions that support the following objectives:

• Include new tools and information to improve fishery management actions to respond to changing natural and human conditions.  
• Develop and strengthen fishery management planning and implementation efforts to support fishing communities.

Caribbean

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The Caribbean Fishery Management Council projects will use the funds to support priorities included in its Strategic Plan. The approved projects will help equip the Council with information, tools, and resources to effectively respond to environmental challenges, and implement necessary fisheries management actions following participative processes using the best scientific information available.

Specific projects in this region:

• Develop management scenarios for sustainable fishing of red hind and spiny lobster. 
• Summarize current life history information of select Council-managed species and evaluate their vulnerability to environmental changes.
• Collect and analyze information on the current condition of juvenile populations and habitats of queen conch and Nassau grouper.
• Identify movement patterns in dolphinfish (also known as dorado or mahi mahi) to determine effects of environmental changes and fishing pressure.
• Develop a process for community partners to contribute to and use ecosystem-based fishery management tools.

Gulf of America

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The Gulf Council projects will establish processes to incorporate emerging ecosystem concerns into fishery management decisions and identify opportunities to streamline actions for quick responses when new information becomes available. These projects will help the Council become more responsive to rapidly changing conditions and better manage Gulf resources.

Specific projects in this region:

• Develop the Gulf Fishery Ecosystem Plan, which will be centered around stakeholder-driven ecosystem concerns.
• Review Council regulatory processes to identify and implement strategies to improve management efficiency.

South Atlantic

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The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council proposes a suite of projects to improve fishery resilience and management responsiveness. Through these projects, managers, scientists, and stakeholders can collaboratively develop strategies that reduce the impacts of environmental change on fisheries while promoting their long-term sustainability.

Specific projects in this region:

• Identify factors that drive changes in species distribution and habitat relationships.
• Develop new management strategies for the data-limited wreckfish fishery. 
• Evaluate the information, tools, and processes currently used by managers to improve the flexibility and responsiveness to environmental changes.
• Improve communication with local communities to increase understanding and participation in management processes.