The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. First passed in 1976, the MSA fosters long-term biological and economic sustainability of our nation’s marine fisheries. Key objectives of the MSA are to: Prevent overfishing. Rebuild overfished stocks. Increase long-term economic and social benefits. Ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.

1. Magnuson-Stevens Act
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2. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is the primary law governing marine
fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. First passed in 1976, the MSA fosters long-term biological and
economic sustainability of our nation’s marine fisheries.
Key objectives of the MSA are to:
•Prevent overfishing.
•Rebuild overfished stocks.
•Increase long-term economic and social benefits.
•Ensure a safe and sustainable supply of seafood.
Under the MSA, U.S. fisheries management is a transparent and public process of science, management, innovation, and
collaboration with the fishing industry.
As a result, the United States is ending and preventing overfishing, actively rebuilding stocks, and providing fishing
opportunities and economic benefits for both commercial and recreational fishermen, as well as fishing communities and
shoreside businesses that support fishing and use fish products.

4. History of the MSA:
Before the MSA, international waters began at just 12 miles from shore and were fished by
unregulated foreign fleets. The 1976 law extended U.S. jurisdiction to 200 nautical miles and
established eight regional fishery management councils with representation from the coastal
states and fishery stakeholders.
The councils’ develop fishery management plans that comply with the MSA’s conservation
and management requirements, including 10 national standards—principles that promote
sustainable fisheries management.
Congress has twice made significant revisions to the MSA, first in 1996 with the passage of
the Sustainable Fisheries Act and in 2007 with the MSA Reauthorization Act.

5. Sustainable Fisheries Act:
•Strengthened requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild overfished fisheries.
•Set standards for fishery management plans to specify objective and measureable criteria for determining stock status.
•Added three new national standards to address fishing vessel safety, fishing communities, and bycatch.
•Introduced fish habitat as a key component in fisheries management.
2007 MSA Reauthorization Act:
Established annual catch limits and accountability measures.
Promoted market-based management strategies, including limited access privilege programs, such as catch shares.
Strengthened the role of science through peer review, the scientific and statistical committees, and the Marine Recreational
Information Program.
Enhanced international cooperation by addressing illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing and bycatch.
Under the MSA, we are ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks, which strengthens the value of
fisheries to the economy, communities, and marine ecosystems.

6. International Provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act:
The Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of
2006, which amended the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act, directs
the United States to strengthen international fisheries management organizations and to
address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and bycatch of protected living
marine resources.
The Moratorium Protection Act was further amended in 2011 by the Shark Conservation
Act to improve the conservation of sharks domestically and internationally.

7. Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act
On December 31, 2018, the Magnuson-Stevens Act was amended by the
Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act.
The Modern Fish Act focuses on improvements to recreational fishing data and
management of mixed-use fisheries.
The law includes requirements for new reports, studies, and guidance related to
fisheries management and science.

8. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

9. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species:
Highly migratory species (HMS) travel long distances and often cross domestic and international boundaries.
NOAA Fisheries manages HMS fisheries—tunas, sharks, swordfish, and billfish—in U.S. Atlantic Ocean, Gulf
of Mexico, and Caribbean waters. We:
•Develop and implement fishery management plans in cooperation with the HMS advisory panel.
•Monitor commercial and recreational catches to ensure compliance with domestic and international quotas
and/or catch limits.
•Issue permits for commercial and recreational HMS fishing and scientific research.
•Implement domestic requirements of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna
(ICCAT) and support international negotiations for ICCAT, the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations.