Summary

Requires federal fisheries managers to define, track, and manage “forage fish” — small, schooling species that feed larger fish, seabirds, and marine mammals — and to account for their role when setting catch limits and approving new fisheries. It directs NOAA/Secretary of Commerce and regional Fishery Management Councils to adopt a formal definition, create management guidelines, add specific species (river herring and shad) to relevant plans, strengthen scientific advice and monitoring, and pause new directed forage-fish fisheries until science and plans are completed. Establishes deadlines and phased implementation: the Secretary must define “forage fish” (12 months) and issue management guidelines (18 months); Councils get new duties (effective in 2 years); managers must incorporate prey‑needs into annual catch limits (phased in, 5 years); and short deadlines apply for adding river herring and shad to plans and boosting at-sea monitoring.

Key Points

• Requires NOAA to define “forage fish” and issue forage‑fish management guidance within set deadlines.
• Directs regional Fishery Management Councils and SSCs to give explicit, ongoing scientific advice about forage fish and to list unmanaged forage fish in their areas.
• Temporarily halts new directed forage‑fish fisheries until councils complete evaluations and, if needed, adopt management plans and regulations.
• Mandates that annual catch limits for forage fish account for the dietary needs of predators (fish, marine mammals, seabirds) — phased in over 5 years.
• Directs Secretary to add river herring and shad to certain fishery management plans quickly and to increase at‑sea monitoring for mid‑water trawl trips.
• Sets multiple implementation deadlines (12 months, 18 months, 180 days, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years) and requires workshops and stakeholder consultation.
• Preserves State authority within State boundaries and leaves key existing fisheries statutes unaffected.

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