The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is comprised of the 15 Atlantic coast states. It was created in 1942. The Commission is a deliberative body, coordinating the conservation and management of the states shared fishery resources for sustainable use.
Structure
Member states are: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Each state is represented by three commissioners, designated at follows: the director for the state’s marine fisheries management agency; a state legislator; and an individual appointed by each state’s governor. The commissioners participate in the deliberations concerning the group’s five main policy topics: Interstate fisheries management, research and statistics, fisheries science, habitat conservation, and law enforcement. The one-state one-vote concept allows commissioners to address stakeholder-resource balance issues at the state level.
The commission regulates marine fisheries resources. It serves as a forum for the states to collectively address fisheries issues together than as individual states. Officially and in theory, the ASMFC does not promote a particular state, region or a particular stakeholder group. However, to say that politics or individual agendas do not occur is simply unrealistic.
Goals
Officially, ASMFC exists to “promote the better utilization of the fisheries, marine, shell and anadromous, of the Atlantic seaboard by the development of a joint program for the promotion and protection of such fisheries, and by the prevention of physical waste of the fisheries from any cause.” In complianse with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Act, they are required to have a healthy, self-sustaining population for all Atlantic fish species - or have a successful restoration plan well in progress - by 2015.
Methodology
Their goals are achieved via the commission's Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP), which began in 1981, by signing a cooperative agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The ISFMP was built upon data collected by the cooperative State/Federal Fisheries Management Program that began in 1971, and the Regional Fishery Management Council system, which was established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Thus, the system has its origin tied to the early 1970s, around the same time as the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. The ISFMP operates according to the standards and procedures set by the commission.
The program’s objective is to promote cooperation between the states in order to better manage marine, estuarine, and anadromous fisheries in state waters throughout the northeast coast. In order to do so, the ASMFC must, according to its own policy:
Recommend to states, regional fishery management councils, and the federal government management measures to benefit these fisheries;
Provide an efficient structure for the timely, cooperative administration of the ISFMP; and Monitor compliance with approved fishery management plans
Fisheries
The ASMFC regulates the conservation and management of 22 Atlantic coastal fish species. These are listed below:American Eel,American Lobster,Atlantic Croaker, Atlantic Herring, Atlantic Menhaden, Atlantic Sturgeon, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Horseshoe Crab, Northern Shrimp, Red Drum, Scup, Shad, and River Herring, Spanish Mackerel, Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Bass, Summer Flounder, Tautog, Weakfish and Winter Flounder
When a particular species has significance in both state and federal waters, such as the Atlantic herring, summer flounder and the Spanish mackerel), the commission works with the relevant East Coast Regional Fishery Management Council, (either the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council or the New England Fishery Management Council) to compose a fishery management plan. ASMFC must also work with theNational Marine Fishery Service to develop regulations for the federal waters of the exclusive economic zone.
The Commission produces a wide range of publications, raking it a reliable source of fishing data and reports. Their most recent and relevant plans include “ASMFC: A Five-Year Strategic Plan (2009 - 2013)” and their “2011 Action Plan”. They also publish newsletters including ASMFC Fisheries Focus, a monthly newsletter, and Habitat Hotline Atlantic, a quarterly newsletter.
