September 30, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council met in Gloucester, MA from September 23 – 25, 2025.
Notable outcomes are summarized below.
COUNCIL FINALIZES RESPONSE TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 14276 ON SEAFOOD COMPETITIVENESS
At its September meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council finalized its response to Executive Order (EO) 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” The letter, developed in coordination with NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), lays out a work plan to reduce regulatory burdens, increase fishery production, improve economic returns, and help prevent unnecessary closures. The Council submitted its recommendations to NOAA Fisheries on September 30, 2025.
To shape its response, the Council sought broad input from all Advisory Panel members and Plan Development Teams. Based on this input, the Executive Committee drafted a list of recommendations for new and ongoing actions and submitted this to the Council for approval. The list contains four key areas:
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Council Actions in the NOAA Fisheries Rulemaking Process: urged timely implementation of Northeast Multispecies Framework Adjustment 69 and the Atlantic Herring 2025–2027 specifications.
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Council Actions Currently Under Development: continue work currently underway related to increases in management flexibility, specifications for monkfish and skates, reduced burdens in the dogfish fishery, and a scallop strategic plan.
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Possible New Council Actions: the Council will consider updates to vessel baseline restrictions, herring slippage rules, monkfish management, accountability measures, gillnet exemption areas, and outdated regulations.
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Non-Council Actions: that call on federal agencies to expand seafood marketing, strengthen science and monitoring, support recreational management tools, invest in climate-ready fisheries, and streamline NEPA reviews.
The full list of recommended actions is available here.