Fisheries Management – Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Gulf & Atlantic)

Current understanding

The Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Resources FMP, jointly managed by the Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils under NMFS, covers king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia across the Gulf of America and Atlantic regions. Amendments periodically revise annual catch limits (ACLs) based on stock assessments and adjust accountability measures (AMs) that trigger in-season closures or post-season paybacks. Framework Amendment 14 (2026, proposed) would update the Gulf Spanish mackerel ACL to the latest assessment and switch its in-season closure AM to a post-season AM to help achieve optimum yield.

Evidence log

• 2026-08-24 — Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf and Atlantic Region; Commercial Closure for Atlantic Spanish Mackerel in the Northern Zone: NMFS final rule closes the commercial sector for Atlantic Spanish mackerel in the northern Atlantic zone for the 2026–2027 fishing year upon projected attainment of the zone quota; standard in-season quota-monitoring closure under the CMP FMP. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-07-22 — Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources in the Gulf of America and Atlantic Region; Framework Amendment 14: cross-connection with fisheries-management-gulf-of-america: Gulf Spanish mackerel ACL and AM revisions under CMP Framework Amendment 14 directly affect Gulf of America commercial and recreational mackerel fisheries. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

Related