Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

2020 Annual Report

Status of the Stocks

Forging Knowledge Into Change: Commemorating 75 Years of Cooperative Sustainable Fisheries Management

ASMFC Compact, Rules & Regulations

ISFMP Charter (revised August 2019)

ASMFC Technical Support Group Guidance and Benchmark Stock Assessment Process and Fishery-independent Data Use Policy

WWII played a significant role in the proceedings of the Commission's 1st Annual Meeting in 1942. The U.S. government believed that "food would win the war" and any limits or restrictions that would inhibit short-term food production were inconsistent with this outlook. President Roosevelt established a temporary Office of the Coordinator of Fisheries to ensure the greatest possible fish production, and each fisheries organization, including ASMFC, was directed to appoint a liason to that office. This spurred the Commission into instant action to coordinate, gather scientific knowledge, and conduct experiments all in the name of winning the war. Discussions at the Annual Meeting included setting aside the year's pack of salmon, sardines, Atlantic herring and mackerel for the government, and the development of a menhaden cannery especially for wartime consumption.