Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, commonly referred to as the Magnuson–Stevens Act, is the legal provision for promoting optimal exploitation of U.S. coastal fisheries. Enacted in 1976, it has since been amended in line with sustainability policy.

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

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.