April 13 marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), a landmark conservation law credited with saving numerous U.S. fisheries from collapse and protecting vital ocean habitats. Despite decades of success, conservationists warn that recent federal funding cuts could undermine those gains.
The MSA was passed in 1976, in the same decade the Environmental Protection Agency was established, and half a dozen bedrock environmental laws like the Clean Air and Clean Water acts were enacted. It was a time of widespread environmental degradation: Ohio’s Cuyahoga River frequently caught fire and smog choked cities like Los Angeles.
U.S. fisheries were in a similarly dire state. “Fishing off the U.S. coast was a free-for-all, with vessels from both the U.S. and other nations racing to catch as many fish as they could,” Gib Brogan, fisheries campaign director at the advocacy organization Oceana, told Mongabay in an email.
Before the MSA was enacted, international waters began just 19 kilometers (12 miles) from shore. Beyond that, both American and international fishing fleets could operate with very few regulations. It was a classic example of the tragedy of the commons; fishers were incentivized to capture as many fish as they possibly could before the fish were gone.
By the 1970s, numerous fisheries were on the brink of collapse, including groundfish, lobster, haddock, cod and yellowtail flounder. Many fish populations could not reproduce enough to sustain themselves or a fishing industry.
In response, Senators Warren Magnuson and Ted Stevens introduced the MSA. It extended U.S. jurisdiction to 370 km (200 nautical miles or 230 mi) from land, effectively prohibiting foreign fleets from fishing in rich coastal waters. It also established eight regional fishery management councils comprised of fishers, tribal members, scientists and seafood processors. The councils were tasked with developing fishery management plans based on the best available science, to ensure long-term sustainability.
According to NOAA Fisheries, at least 50 fish stocks have been rebuilt since 2000, including those of Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus), North Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis).
Today, NOAA estimates seafood as well as commercial and recreational fishing generate more than $300 billion in sales and support roughly 2.1 million jobs.
However, NOAA estimates 18% of U.S. fish stocks continue to be overfished and fishing pressure is likely to increase. In an April 2025 executive order, President Donald Trump directed the government to “unburden our commercial fishermen from costly and inefficient regulation.”
The latest budget proposes nearly $1.6 billion in cuts for NOAA next year, which “will only further undermine the MSA and fisheries management around the country,” Brogan told Mongabay.
Still, Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator, said in a statement the MSA will continue to “serve as our compass” as the U.S. strives to “strike that perfect balance between harvesting for today and conserving for tomorrow.”
Banner image: Trawling operations on the NOAA Ship Miller Freeman. Photo by Allen M. Shimada, NMFS/NOAA.
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