Fisheries Management – New England

Current understanding

NMFS, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), manages fishery management plans (FMPs) for species in the New England region. A proposed Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment would standardize administrative provisions and add procedural flexibility across all NEFMC FMPs, without introducing new conservation measures or scientific assessments.

Evidence log

• 2026-07-08 — Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment to New England Fishery Management Council Fishery Management Plans: NMFS proposed an Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment that would let the New England Fishery Management Council modify its specifications process, in-season adjustment authority, and reporting requirements across all its FMPs — administrative streamlining with no 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: NMFS implemented 2026 fishing year measures for the Northeast multispecies fishery, allocating zero trips to the Closed Area II Yellowtail Flounder/Haddock Special Access Program and closing the Regular B Days-at-Sea Program for common pool vessels to prevent quota overages. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-05-14 — Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment to New England Fishery Management Council Fishery Management Plans: cross-connection with fisheries-management-northeast-skate: The Northeast Skate Complex FMP is one of the NEFMC-managed plans that would be affected by the Omnibus Management Flexibility Amendment’s standardized administrative provisions. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

Related