The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking a contractor to assess and recommend improvements to the Council’s governance structures and joint management arrangements with other organizations. This project will address several priorities and recommendations identified during the Council’s recent program review and the East Coast Scenario Planning Initiative, with the goal of strengthening representation, coordination, and responsiveness in fisheries management. The proposal submission deadline is July 18, 2025.
Background: Changing species distributions increasingly pose challenges for East Coast marine fisheries governance and management structures, which were established under the assumption that stock distributions would remain relatively stable over time. The inherent complexity of East Coast governance structure poses challenges for nimbleness and adaptation to such changes. This issue was a central focus of the East Coast Scenario Planning Initiative, where stakeholders and managers identified several opportunities to improve adaptability and coordination. Similarly, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recent program review highlighted the need to improve governance processes in the areas of efficiency, fairness, and collaboration. Both initiatives generated recommendations for strengthening the Council’s governance structures and enhancing joint or cooperative management arrangements with partners such as the New England and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. This project will explore ways to appropriately balance representation and stakeholder engagement with the need for more efficient and flexible decision-making. This project is being conducted in parallel to similar efforts by the NEFMC and SAFMC, and in cooperation with the ASMFC.
Scope of Work: The selected contractor will (1) document the existing structure, representation, and use of Mid-Atlantic Council committees and advisory bodies, (2) document existing joint and cooperative management arrangements and procedures with other management organizations, (3) develop recommendations for potential improvements to these governance structures and procedures to address representation concerns and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the management process.
Additional Information: Complete details about the scope of work, contractor qualifications, and proposal submission instructions can be found in the full request for proposals (RFP).