Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

What Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission does

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is an interstate compact formed in 1942 by 15 Atlantic coastal states to cooperatively manage shared marine fisheries resources, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The Commission operates five core programs—Fisheries Management, Fisheries Science, Data Collection & Management (via the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program), Fish Habitat, and Law Enforcement—covering 27 shellfish, diadromous, and marine species including American Lobster, Atlantic Striped Bass, Atlantic Menhaden, and Summer Flounder. Its underlying technology stack centers on the ACCSP Data Warehouse, which harmonizes fisheries-dependent data from multiple state and federal sources into standardized codes for species, gear, and fishing area, complemented by the SAFIS reporting system for commercial, for-hire, and recreational catch reporting and the SciFish citizen science platform.

Science operations rely on peer-reviewed stock assessment methodologies including trend analyses, statistical catch-at-length, surplus production models, and statistical catch-at-age models, drawing on fishery-independent surveys coordinated through NEAMAP and SEAMAP. The Commission coordinates with three regional fishery management councils (New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic), NOAA Fisheries, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for complementary and joint fishery management plans spanning state waters (0–3 miles) and the federal Exclusive Economic Zone (3–200 miles). Habitat work is delivered through partnerships including the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership, addressing offshore wind, anthropogenic noise, aquaculture, and living shoreline topics.

ASMFC is not a commercial enterprise and has no revenue model in the conventional sense. It is funded through contributions from its 15 member states and federal appropriations, distributing its outputs—fishery management plans, stock assessments, policy guidance, and regulatory recommendations—to state fisheries agencies for implementation. Distribution occurs through the ASMFC website, bimonthly Fisheries Focus newsletter, quarterly public meetings, public hearings, and active social media channels.

Name

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Legal name

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Website

https://asmfc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is an interstate compact formed in 1942 by 15 Atlantic coastal states that coordinates science-driven, cooperative management of 27 marine species through stock assessments, standardized data collection, habitat conservation, and law enforcement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fisheries Management Services

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Interstate fisheries management
• Stock assessment services
• Fisheries data collection
• Marine habitat conservation
• Fishery management plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) coordinates the cooperative interstate management of shared marine fishery resources among 15 Atlantic coastal states. It develops and implements fishery management plans (FMPs), conducts peer-reviewed stock assessments, standardizes fisheries data collection through the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP), and coordinates habitat conservation and law enforcement efforts across state and federal jurisdictions.

Product overview

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) operates as a cooperative interstate fisheries management organization rather than a commercial technology company. Its portfolio consists of five core programs: Fisheries Management, Fisheries Science, Data Collection & Management (ACCSP), Fish Habitat, and Law Enforcement. These programs work together through shared data infrastructure—including the ACCSP Data Warehouse and SAFIS reporting systems—to manage 27 shellfish, diadromous, and marine species across Atlantic coastal states. The organization provides public-facing tools including a Managed Species Directory, Action Tracker for tracking management issues, and publishes the Habitat Management Series of scientific reports. The Science program conducts stock assessments using established fisheries science methodologies including trend analyses and statistical catch-at-age models, feeding directly into management decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fisheries Management Program Coordinates sustainable management of shared marine resources among Atlantic coast states through the Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP), establishing management measures, harvest limits, and conservation policies for 27 shellfish, diadromous and marine species.
• Fisheries Science Program Provides scientific foundation for stock assessments and management decisions through peer-reviewed assessment processes, utilizing fishery-independent surveys and fishery-dependent monitoring, supplemented by research from coastal state, federal, and academic institutions.
• ACCSP (Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program) Standardizes and centralizes fisheries data collection along the Atlantic coast as part of regional Fisheries Information Networks, integrating data into a user-friendly online Data Warehouse and providing SAFIS applications for commercial, for-hire, and recreational reporting.
• Fish Habitat Program Conserves vital fish habitats through partnerships, policy development, and education, working to integrate habitat protection and restoration into management efforts across Atlantic coastal states.
• Law Enforcement Program Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) ensures effective fisheries management by advising on regulation enforceability, coordinating enforcement across jurisdictions, and addressing emerging issues among state and federal agencies.
• Stock Assessments Rigorous, peer-reviewed stock assessment process utilizing trend analyses, statistical catch-at-length, surplus production models, and statistical catch-at-age models to evaluate stock status and guide management decisions for species such as Atlantic Striped Bass, Atlantic Menhaden, Summer Flounder, and others.
• Fishery-Independent Surveys Long-term resource monitoring projects providing unbiased indices of abundance, coordinated through NEAMAP and SEAMAP programs, tracking long-term abundance trends of fishery resources along the Atlantic coast.
• ACCSP Data Warehouse User-friendly online database that harmonizes all fisheries-dependent data into standardized codes for variables such as species, gear, and fishing area, enabling combination of datasets from different sources for regional analyses.
• SAFIS (Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System) Coastwide fisheries data collection system with web-based and mobile reporting applications for commercial, for-hire, and recreational fishermen and seafood dealers.
• SciFish Citizen Science Platform Citizen science data collection platform providing a free, flexible project builder for creating and customizing data collection projects, housed in a single mobile application, supporting fisheries stock assessment and management.
• Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) Partnership bringing together state, federal, tribal, and non-profit groups to protect and restore habitats for vital fish species along the Atlantic coast, part of the National Fish Habitat Partnership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coordinated management of 27 shellfish, diadromous and marine species across 15 Atlantic coastal states
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founded in 2006, ACFHP brings together state, federal, tribal, and non-profit groups to protect and restore habitats for vital fish species along the Atlantic coast. ACFHP is part of the National Fish Habitat Partnership.
• State Habitat ProgramssecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partnership with state habitat programs across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida for fish passage, habitat restoration, and coastal management initiatives.
• Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995ACCSP is composed of representatives from marine fisheries management agencies coastwide including the Commission, three regional councils, 15 Atlantic states, DC, PRFC, NOAA Fisheries, and US Fish and Wildlife Service. ACCSP standardized and centralizes fisheries data collection along the Atlantic coast as part of regional Fisheries Information Networks (FINs).
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993NOAA Fisheries (National Marine Fisheries Service) participates in species management boards and cooperatively manages species with the Commission. For species harvested mainly in federal waters (3-200 miles), NOAA Fisheries acts as the lead. Joint and complementary FMPs are developed for species harvested in both jurisdictions.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993USFWS participates in species management boards as a federal partner, contributing to the coordinated management of Atlantic coastal fisheries alongside the Commission and NOAA Fisheries.
• 15 Atlantic Coastal StatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1940The Commission was formed by the 15 Atlantic coastal states (Maine through Florida) in the early 1940s as a deliberative forum for interstate fisheries management. Each state has three commissioners: the head of the state's marine fisheries department, a member of the state legislature, and a governor's appointee.
• Regional Fishery Management Councils (New England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1940Three regional councils develop fisheries policy for their regions in federal waters. Coastal sharks are managed through complementary FMP with NOAA Fisheries HMS, spiny dogfish through complementary plan with New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils, and Atlantic herring and winter flounder through complementary plans with New England Council.
• Federal Habitat Agencies (NOAA, USACE, USFWS, USGS)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NOAA Habitat Conservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries and Habitat Conservation, and USGS Fisheries program for habitat mapping, restoration, and conservation initiatives.
• Environmental OrganizationssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with organizations including The Nature Conservancy for habitat conservation planning and Atlantic coastal fish habitat protection and restoration projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Caribbean Fishery Management Council: Federal regional council for U.S. Caribbean waters (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands); a peer in the federal interstate fisheries management architecture but in a non-overlapping geography with ASMFC's Atlantic coast footprint.
• Pacific Fishery Management Council: Federal regional council for Pacific waters off WA, OR, and CA; a structural peer in the U.S. regional fisheries management system, comparable in function but operating in a separate coastal geography from ASMFC.

Direct peers

• Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: Congressionally chartered interstate compact covering Pacific coastal states (WA, OR, CA, ID, AK affiliate), performing the same interstate fisheries management, stock assessment, and data coordination role as ASMFC but on the U.S. Pacific coast. Directly comparable governance model and program structure.
• Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission: Interstate compact for Gulf of Mexico states (TX, LA, MS, AL, FL) performing functionally identical fisheries management coordination, stock assessments, and habitat programs; ASMFC's closest institutional analog and frequent federal partner.
• Great Lakes Fishery Commission: Binational (U.S.–Canada) interstate commission coordinating fishery management across the Great Lakes; comparable structure with compact authority, joint state/provincial management, and binational coordination mechanism analogous to ASMFC's multi-state compact.
• New England Fishery Management Council: One of three regional fishery management councils that ASMFC coordinates with; develops federal FMPs for New England waters and jointly manages species like Atlantic herring and winter flounder with ASMFC — directly comparable fisheries management authority in federal waters.
• South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Regional council covering federal waters from North Carolina to Florida; complements ASMFC management for shared species like Atlantic menhaden and provides a direct institutional parallel to ASMFC's species management boards.
• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Regional council covering Mid-Atlantic Bight; co-manages spiny dogfish and complementary FMPs with ASMFC, performs the federal analog of ASMFC's species management role for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA Fisheries (NMFS): Federal agency responsible for managing U.S. marine fisheries in the EEZ; conducts stock assessments and sets federal regulations that complement/overlap ASMFC's interstate measures — operates at a much larger scale and is ASMFC's primary federal counterpart.

Others

• The Nature Conservancy (Atlantic marine program): Major non-profit conservation organization with active Atlantic coastal fish habitat partnerships alongside ASMFC; not a regulatory peer but a key habitat restoration partner and potential collaborator/competitor for conservation funding and policy influence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASMFC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ASMFCvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/AtlanticStatesMarineFisheriesCommission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asmfc-us

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission