The American Lobster Fishery Management Plan: An Assessment of Its Impact on the New Hampshire Lobster Industry

Exclusive fishery management jurisdiction between three and twelve nautical miles from the coast was granted to the Federal government by Congress in 1966. No federal regulations governing fishery management were ever promulgated, however. In 1972 an attempt was made to establish management regulations. Regional councils were formed to discuss industrial, managerial and scientific problems associated with fisheries within the territorial sea. Their success was limited. Not until the Fishery Conservation and ManagementAct of 1976 (PubIc Law 94-265) was enacted did a sound management structure exist at the federal level for fisheries regulation. This Act (FCMA) established a fishery conservation zone and an exclusive fishery management authority.