The nefmc is one of eight regional fishery management councils in the united states

Councils recommend fishery management measures to the secretary of commerce through the national marine fisheries service. Over the five-year project period, as prescribed under the MSA, the nefmc will participate in fishery management plan development, amendments and monitoring activities. The nefmc currently manages fisheries under nine fmps, including twenty-nine species and forty-one separate stocks or resource components. Approximately 2,000 vessels participate in these fisheries, which provide annual commercial landings valued at over $1 billion dollars, recreational trip expenditures valued at over $500 million, and supports shore-side communities from maine to north carolina. In addition, the councils must meet the unprecedented challenges associated with climate drivers and the rate of change in species distributions and productivity. Implement enhanced ecosystem approaches to fishery management, leadership-level engagement with regional marine spatial planning efforts, increased cross-jurisdictional governance consultations, and requirements for educational outreach to council members and the public on ongoing and emergent issues.