摘要：In the spring of 2008, the Pacific Fishery Management Council took emergency action to close the West Coast salmonfishery for the first time in the history of the country. The California State Department of Fish and Game predicted the closure would cost the state's commercial fishing industry $255 million and 2,263 jobs in 2008 alone.2The more than two million recreational fishermen in California who spend approximately $2.38 billion on fishing each year also would be negatively impacted.3Managing America's offshore fisheries presents a challenge because the resource is regionally segmented with each fishery possessing geographically unique attributes. To accommodate this intricacy, § 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Act (Magnuson Act) established eight Regional Fishery Management Councils (FMCs): New England, North Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific, South Atlantic, Western Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. The FMCs prepare fishery management plans, subject to approval and implementation by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), for fisheries found within the area three to 200 milesoffshore, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
