ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the status of intergovernmental relations in marine fisheries in an overview of the last eight years of state-federal experience under the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act and considers whether the state-federal relationship should be redefined in light of this experience. The management programs developed by the commissions have been very sound, despite their limited implementation. Many fish species spend a portion of their life cycle in the waters of more than one political jurisdiction. Intergovernmental conflicts have included disagreements among state and federal management entities on policies and measures, jurisdictional ambiguity resulting in no management responsibility being taken, and the circumvention of federal regulations by segments of the fishing industry taking advantage of differences in state management controls. The Anadromous Fish Conservation Act provides for a 40% increase in the federal contribution toward cooperative programs with states for those that adopt interstate management plans.
