Forage species are small, low trophic level fish and invertebrates that play an important role in marine food webs. These species facilitate the transfer of energy to higher trophic levels by consuming very small prey and then being eaten by larger fish, marine mammals, and seabirds. Many forage species are short-lived and undergo substantial cyclic fluctuations in stock size. Abundance of forage species is often sensitive to environmental variables. These factors pose challenges for traditional stock assessment and management approaches.
In 2016, as part of its Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Guidance Document, the Mid-Atlantic Council adopted a policy of supporting the “maintenance of an adequate forage base in the mid-Atlantic to ensure ecosystem productivity, structure and function, and to support sustainable fishing communities.” The EAFM Guidance Document also outlines the Council’s science and management goals and strategies of both managed and unmanaged forage species related to their roles in the ecosystem, the economy, and society more generally.
Managed Forage Species
The Mid-Atlantic Council manages five forage species – Atlantic mackerel, chub mackerel, Illex squid, longfin squid, and butterfish – under a single Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council sets annual catch limits, accountability measures, and other management measures that are intended to prevent overfishing while allowing these fisheries to achieve optimum yield.
The Council is also involved in the conservation and management of river herring (alewives and blueback) and shad (American and hickory). The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has primary management responsibility for river herring and shad (RH/S), as there are no directed fisheries for these species in federal waters. However, the Council sets measures to limit the incidental catch of RH/S in the Atlantic mackerel fishery. The Council also collaborates with NOAA Fisheries and the ASMFC on the Atlantic Coast River Herring Collaborative Forum to help address broader river herring conservation issues. Learn more here.
Protections for “Unmanaged” Forage Species
Unmanaged Forage Amendment
In August 2016, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council took final action on the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment (Forage Amendment). This amendment established a 1,700 pound possession limit for over 50 forage species which were previously unmanaged in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters. These species were designated as ecosystem component (EC) species in all the Council’s FMPs. The possession limit applies to combined landings of all EC species.
The goal of the Forage Amendment was to prohibit the development of new and expansion of existing directed commercial fisheries for unmanaged forage species until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to assess the scientific information relating to any new or expanded directed fisheries and consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the marine ecosystem. See the Forage ID guide linked below for a list of taxa designated as ecosystem components by the Council through the Forage Amendment. The federal regulations at 50 CFR 648.2 further enumerate this list to the species level.
