Forage Fish Conservation Act of 2025

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.