The shrimp fishery of the South Atlantic United States: A regional management plan

Abstract

Abstract Marine fishery resources often have been difficult to manage because no single agency has had effective control over utilization of the resources. Recently, in the United States a State-Federal program has been developed to provide better management of marine fishery resources. One product of this approach has been the development of a regional management plan which joins the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in a partnership to manage the South Atlantic shrimp fishery. The plan presented here describes a regional management system that will allow states to standardize their laws, regulations and enforcement practices; coordinate research and management activities; develop a regional catch and effort statistics program; and better evaluate the impact of management decisions both within states and regionally. The plan has five objectives which account for biological, economic, and institutional factors that affect the fishery. Present management regimes are described and a schematic model of a proposed regional system is given. In addition, two shrimp management models, which will be an integral part of that system, are presented. Capabilities of present and future management systems are described including the present structure of the South Atlantic States Regional Marine Fisheries Management Board. Major recommendations of the plan including their present status are given. A management action program summary concludes the report.