Coral reef ecosystem

Achieving Healthy Oceans and Productive Fisheries

Healthy oceans and productive fisheries are crucial for the future of our planet, the survival of our species, and the prosperity of our country. Learn why effective management of U.S. federal fisheries is critical for the long-term conservation of our oceans.

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On Capitol Hill

Shaping Fisheries Policy

Abundant fisheries begin with the right policies. See how developments on Capitol Hill and in federal agencies affect the people who work on the water. Learn how the Network defends and strengthens federal fisheries policy to work effectively for fishermen, fishing communities, and the oceans on which we all depend.

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Get hooked

Get Hooked

Watch our monthly Waterside Chats or listen to the podcasts. Read our blog, join our email list and follow the Network on Facebook and Twitter to learn what’s stirring the waters when it comes to fisheries management, working waterfronts, recreational angling and much more.

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The Latest From Our Blog

It’s Official: Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Becomes a Reality!

It’s Official: Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Becomes a Reality!

Oct 23, 2024 | No Comments

Indigenous collaborative co-stewardship will drive management For National Marine Sanctuary Day, the Marine Fish Conservation Network celebrates its newest addition: the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary! On October 11, NOAA announced America’s 17th national marine sanctuary, Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The first Tribally nominated national marine sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles of coastal and […]

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River Herring Continuing to Disappear in 2024

River Herring Continuing to Disappear in 2024

Oct 16, 2024 | One Comment

This article was originally published in the Wild Oceans Horizon Summer 2024 newsletter and is reprinted with permission. In the Winter 2008 edition of our newsletter, then called the NCMC Marine Bulletin, we published a story titled “River Herring Disappearing”. In this article, we suggested that at-sea bycatch was the likely culprit for the disappearance […]

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A Fishmonger’s Celebration of National Seafood Month

A Fishmonger’s Celebration of National Seafood Month

Oct 11, 2024 | No Comments

National Seafood Month has arrived, and we have much to celebrate across America, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. Our region is blessed with an abundance of seafood, from the salmon, halibut, and spot prawns harvested wild in Alaska to sustainably farmed manila clams, oysters and geoduck from Washington. The varieties are endless and the […]

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Recreational Bycatch: It’s Real

Recreational Bycatch: It’s Real

Sep 26, 2024 | No Comments

Some words bring very clear pictures to mind. In a fisheries context, the word ‘bycatch’ evokes images of industrial-scale commercial fisheries, where miles-long pelagic longlines take an unintended toll of sharks, billfish, and even marine mammals, while factory trawlers sweep the ocean floor with vast nets that scoop up anything that happens to lie, crawl, […]

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Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Continues to Move Forward

Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Continues to Move Forward

Sep 19, 2024 | One Comment

Top photo: View of Cojo Anchorage in the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. (Image credit: Robert Schwemmer/NOAA) On September 6, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the final environmental impact statement (EIS), outlining the environmental impacts of the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The final EIS is an important and necessary […]

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About the Marine Fish Conservation Network

The Marine Fish Conservation Network is a coalition of commercial and recreational fishing associations, regional and national conservation groups, aquaria, sustainable seafood suppliers, and marine science organizations dedicated to sustaining abundant fish populations, healthy marine ecosystems, and thriving fishing communities through defending and strengthening U.S. ocean conservation policy, including our primary federal fisheries law, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Learn more.