About the Industry
What is commercial fishing in the United States?
Each species of fish that is fished for by humans is called a fishery. There are hundreds of fisheries in the United States, all managed by the state or federal authorities.
The fish under jurisdiction of the United States are considered a common property resource. This means that the fish–as a resource–belong to all citizens of the United States. It is the role of commercial fishermen to provide access to the public resource of fish to the citizens of the U.S.
The nation’s fish resource extends from the shoreline to 200 miles out. The area from the shore to 3 miles out are considered state waters, while federal waters stretch from 3 miles to 200 miles offshore. The area from shore to 200 miles out is called the Exclusive Economic Zone. This zone is exclusively intended for harvest by American vessels, and foreign vessels are not allowed to fish in those waters.
What determines how many fish are caught?
Each species of fish is under management by the Fishery Management Council for that region. In the U.S., there are eight regions that are managed. They are:
- New England
- Mid Atlantic
- South Atlantic
- Gulf of Mexico
- Pacific
- North Pacific
- Western Pacific
- Caribbean
In 1976, the seminal law on the management of our fisheries, called the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, was passed. Before this act was passed, foreign vessels could come into U.S. waters and fish. Now, because of this law they can no longer do that. The act also required that each fishery be managed by the Fishery Management Councils. On each council there are representatives from different agencies and organizations within the region the council oversees. Councils include state representatives, commercial fishing representatives, and recreational fishing representatives. The councils are under the jurisdiction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Each council works on fishery management plans for each species of animal that is fished (fishery). The fishery management plans describe the nature and problems of a fishery, along with recommendations to conserve the fishery. After the plans are approved by the Secretary of Commerce, they become federal law and are enforced by NOAA.
From there, the allowable harvest that a fishery can sustain (called the total allowable catch) is determined, and that number is divided between the interests that would like to fish it: recreational (people who fish for personal pleasure) and commercial. This is called allocation.
