Highly Migratory Fish Results
Highly migratory fish travel long distances and often cross domestic and international boundaries. These pelagic species live in the water of the open ocean, although they may spend part of their life cycle in nearshore waters. Highly migratory species managed by NOAA Fisheries include tunas, some sharks, swordfish, billfish, and other highly sought-after fish such as Pacific mahi mahi.
These highly migratory species are targeted by U.S. commercial and recreational fishermen and by foreign fishing fleets. Because they migrate long distances and live primarily in the open ocean, only a small fraction of the total harvest of these species is taken within U.S. waters.
In the United States, NOAA Fisheries sustainably manages highly migratory species under the Magnuson-Stevens Act in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans:
- Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean)
- West Coast Highly Migratory Species
Responsible management also requires international cooperation through a number of agreements and regional fishery management organizations (or RFMOs) including the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, Commission on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Species News
School of yellowfin tuna. Credit: Jeff Muir
Kellogg Creek Dam (Photo: Jodie Robinson/NOAA)
Heather Moncrief-Cox and researchers from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center examine the body of a deceased white shark. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Meaghan Emory
Washington coast coho migration (Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Wild Salmon Center)
Multimedia
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette off Maui in 2004. Homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette is a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel that conducts fisheries assessments, physical and chemical oceanography research, marine mammal and marine debris surveys. The ship operates throughout the central and western Pacific Ocean. Credit: NOAA/Ray Boland.
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada during 2010 Pacific Hake Inter-Vessel Calibration off Eureka, California. Credit: NOAA
Research
Dolphinfish Management Strategy Evaluation in the U.S. Atlantic
NOAA Fisheries is designing a new management approach for dolphinfish, also known as mahi mahi. We are working with fishing communities to maximize the benefits of this fishery management approach across multiple user groups and regions.
Celebrating Reliable Shark Tagging Citizen Scientists
Meet some of the people who exemplify what it means to be a reliable tagger for NOAA’s Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.
Commercial Fishing Business Cost Survey
Our survey seeks to better understand the costs associated with commercial fishing in the Northeast.
Fisheries Ecology in the Northeast
We study the relationship between marine life and their environment to support sustainable wild and farmed fisheries on the Northeast shelf, creating opportunities and benefits for the economy and ecosystem.
International Collaboration
Fish and other marine animals travel beyond national boundaries.
