This concurrent resolution recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) on April 13, 2026. It summarizes the MSA's role as the main federal law for U.S. marine fisheries since 1976. The resolution notes that the MSA extended federal control over fisheries to 200 nautical miles, helped remove unregulated foreign fleets from U.S. waters, established a national, science-based program for fishery conservation and management, and created 8 regional fishery management councils. The text lists economic and fishery statistics cited by the resolution, including $319,000,000,000 in sales impacts, 2,100,000 jobs supported, 19.1 pounds per person annual seafood consumption, 204,000,000 saltwater fishing trips, and an estimated recreational catch of 1,100,000,000 fish. The resolution also cites management outcomes it attributes to the MSA, including rebuilding 52 fish stocks and limiting overfishing to 4 percent of managed stocks in 2025. Finally, it commends fishermen, managers, scientists, Indigenous and Tribal members, and others, and reaffirms Congress's commitment to a science-based MSA to address challenges like persistent overfishing, changing ocean conditions, fishery disasters, and illegal or unreported fishing.
The resolution formally recognizes the MSA's 50 years of work and highlights its reported benefits for coastal economies, fishery workers, and seafood supplies. It praises people and groups involved in fishery management and restates a congressional commitment to science-based management and to tackling issues named in the text, such as overfishing and illegal fishing. The resolution does not specify new programs or funding in its text.
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According to the resolution, the MSA has: extended U.S. control to 200 nautical miles and removed unregulated foreign fleets; created a science-based national program and 8 regional councils that include fishermen, state managers, processors, conservationists, scientists, and Indigenous members; helped prevent overfishing, rebuild stocks, ensure seafood supply, and protect habitat; supported coastal economies and many jobs; and improved management through bipartisan reauthorizations that added annual catch limits, accountability measures, national standards (including safety and bycatch minimization), market-based strategies, and stronger international cooperation.
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