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Community Profiling and Impact Analysis

go to Current NMFS social, cultural and economic data collection efforts - some of these links will take you to other pages on the NMFS site

go to Community Profiles and studies on impacts of fishing regulations

go to NMFS workshops on social and cultural analysis

go to Laws and policies relevant to sustaining fishing communities

go to Links to federal and academic sites where information can be found on local fishing communities around the nation

go to Links to state, county, and local sites where information can be found on local fishing communities around the nation

go to For other NOAA initiatives on or based in communities also see the Sustainable Communities page, the Community-Based Restoration Program (habitat restoration) and Local Fisheries Knowledge Project (LFK)

go to EPA Community-Based Environmental protection, including the Community Cultural Profiling Guide: Understanding a Community's Sense of Place

go to For a variety of links to sustainable/livable communities sites, both government and private,
see The Eco-Gateway Link Center. Choose 'Sustainability', then 'Sustainable and Livable Communities.'

Herring boat landing fish - Eastport Maine.

The ultimate goal of the NMFS is to facilitate the design and implementation of Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) which support sustainable resource use to foster sustainable communities. This goal is supported by both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

National Environmental Policy Act

Under NEPA section 101(a), "it is the continuing policy of the Federal Government, in cooperation with State and local governments, and other concerned public and private organizations, to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans."

NEPA also creates a Council on Environmental Quality whose tasks include: "develop and recommend to the President national policies to foster and promote the improvement of environmental quality to meet the conservation, social, economic, health, and other requirements and goals of the Nation" (section 202(4)).

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

Under Magnuson-Stevens there are a variety of requirements related to social, cultural and economic issues for fishermen and their communities. National Standard 8 (section 301(8)), for instance, requires that : "Conservation and management measures shall, consistent with the conservation requirements of this Act (including the prevention of overfishing and rebuilding of overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities in order to (A) provide for the sustained participation of such communities, and (B) to the extent practicable, minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities.

Section 303(b)(6) on limited entry requires examination of "(A) present participation in the fishery, (B) historical fishing practices in, and dependence on, the fishery, (C) the economics of the fishery, (D) the capability of fishing vessels used in the fishery to engage in other fisheries, (E) the cultural and social framework relevant to the fishery and any affected fishing communities, and (F) any other relevant considerations."

Section 303(a)(9) on preparation of Fishery Impact Statements notes they "shall assess, specify, and describe the likely effects, if any, of the conservation and management measures on--(A) participants in the fisheries and fishing communities affected by the plan or amendment; and (B) participants in the fisheries conducted in adjacent areas under the authority of another Council, after consultation with such Council and representatives of those participants."

This page updated 5 April 2003.