NOAA Celebrates 50 Years of Magnuson-Stevens Act

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act has been the primary law governing marine fisheries management in US federal waters since its passage in 1976. The act aims to achieve the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries. NOAA Fisheries is also taking steps to combat illegal fishing practices globally by training partners in Africa and Southeast Asia. Additionally, NOAA has proposed rules to list two distinct population segments of tope shark as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and has rescinded a regulation prohibiting commercial fishing in the Atlantic Monument Area.