Bay fisheries are traditionally managed separately by Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and the District of Columbia A Chesapeake Bay FMP provides a format for undertaking compatible, coordinated management measures among the jurisdictions. In addition, it creates a forum to specifically address problems that are unique to Chesapeake Bay.
This is particularly important concerning habitat issues. The goal of Chesapeake Bay FMPs is to protect the reproductive capability of a resource while allowing optimal harvest The ecological, economic and sociological factors affecting the resource must be considered in the process.
Objectives include: quantifying biologically appropriate levels of harvest; identifying habitat requirements and recommending protection and restoration measures; monitoring the status of the resource, including fishery-dependent and independent surveys; and defining and enforcing management recommendations. Development of a FMP is a dynamic, ongoing process. The FMP Workgroup consists of resource managers, scientists, stakeholders, and conservationists.
Throughout development, FMPs undergo scientific and public review. Upon adoption, the appropriate management agencies begin implementing the recommended actions. In some cases, regulatory and legislative action must be initiated to fully implement a management action. In other cases, additional funding and staffing may be required.
As the status of a stock changes and management strategies are changed accordingly, amendments and revisions may be recommended by the FMP Workgroup. Many important finfish species found in Chesapeake Bay also migrate along the Atlantic coast.
