April 20, 2016 — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tonight, recreational and commercial fishing representatives, Members of Congress, and key former and current individuals from the administration gathered on Capitol Hill in recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), a first-of-its-kind piece of legislation that established a framework to manage domestic, federal saltwater fisheries.
“We take many things for granted now that were not the case 40 years ago when foreign fishing fleets depleted fish stocks just off our coasts,” said American Sportfishing Association Government Affairs Vice President Scott Gudes. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Sens. Warren Magnuson and Ted Stevens, along with Reps. Gerry Studds and Don Young and their House and Senate colleagues, for their extraordinary leadership in creating this innovative system for managing our marine fisheries for the public good.”
On April 13, 1976, President Gerald Ford signed the “Fishery Conservation and Management Act”, not long after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was created. The Act set into motion internationally recognized territorial boundaries today known as the “exclusive economic zone” between 12 and 200 miles off the coast. Touted as one of its most significant successes, the “200-mile limit” eliminated foreign fleets from fishing nearshore, ensuring United States resources benefited its citizens and industries. It also established eight regional fisheries management councils still in place today. Since that time, the Act has undergone six amendments, primarily addressing sustainable catch limits and rebuilding timelines for fish stocks.