Fisheries Management – New England

Current understanding

NMFS, working with the New England Fishery Management Council, manages fishery management plans (FMPs) covering species such as groundfish, scallops, herring, monkfish, and skates in federal waters off the Northeast. An Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment has been proposed to standardize administrative provisions and add flexibility across all New England FMPs without introducing new conservation mechanisms. Effects on fishermen, consumers, and seafood prices are expected to be modest and procedural.

Evidence log

• 2026-08-27 — Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Monkfish; Framework Adjustment 17: cross-connection with fisheries-management-northeastern-monkfish: Monkfish Framework 17 is developed jointly through the New England (and Mid-Atlantic) Fishery Management Council process. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-08-04 — Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Framework Adjustment 72: cross-connection with fisheries-management-northeast-multispecies: Framework Adjustment 72 is issued under the New England Fishery Management Council’s Northeast Multispecies FMP, linking region-wide New England fisheries management to the multispecies groundfish sub-topic. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-07-08 — Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment to New England Fishery Management Council Fishery Management Plans: 2026 — NMFS proposed the Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment, which would allow the New England Fishery Management Council to modify its specifications process, in-season adjustment authority, and reporting requirements across all its Fishery Management Plans; administrative streamlining without new conservation measures. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-05-07 — Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Common Pool, Accountability Measures, and Regular B Days at Sea Measures Under Regional Administrator Authority for Fishing Year 2026: 2026 — NMFS allocated zero trips to the Closed Area II Yellowtail Flounder/Haddock Special Access Program and closed the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program for fishing year 2026 to prevent quota overages in the Northeast multispecies fishery, using Regional Administrator authority under existing accountability measures. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

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