Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission

UPCOMING MEETINGS

LATEST PUBLICATIONS

Minutes from 2011
 
Annual Report of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP)
 
2013 SEAMAP-Gulf of Mexico Marine Directory. Fishery-Independent Survey Activities
 
2013 Operations Plan for the Fisheries Information Network in the Southeastern United States (FIN)
 
Licenses & Fees for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in Their Marine Waters for the Year 2011
 

PRESS RELEASES

Study to Document the Economic Performance and Impacts of the Inshore Shrimp Fishery throughout the Gulf of Mexico
Inshore Shrimp Press Release

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission's (GSMFC) Oil Disaster Recovery Program (ODRP) is now requesting proposals for selection of an organization to facilitate fishery improvement plans, provide seafood sustainability certifications, and provide sustainability communications for U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) marine fisheries.
GSMFC_RFP_4.18.2013_Final.pdf

The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission was established by an act of Congress (P.L. 81-66) in 1949 as a compact of the five Gulf States. Its charge is:

"to promote better utilization of the fisheries, marine, shell and anadromous, of the seaboard of the Gulf of Mexico, by the development of a joint program for the promotion and protection of such fisheries and the prevention of the physical waste of the fisheries from any cause."

The Commission is composed of three members from each of the five Gulf States. The head of the marine resource agency of each state, a member of the legislature, and a citizen with knowledge of marine fisheries appointed by the governor.

The Commission is empowered to make recommendations to the governors and legislatures of the five Gulf States regarding the management of the fisheries. The states do not relinquish any of their rights or responsibilities in regulating their own fisheries, however. Recommendations to the states are based on scientific studies made by experts employed by state and federal resource agencies and advice from law enforcement officials and the commercial and recreational fishing industries.

In addition, the Commission advises the United States Congress and may testify on legislation and marine policies that affect the Gulf. One of the most important functions of the Commission is to serve as a forum for the discussion of various problems, issues, and programs concerning marine management.