The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries in federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic coast. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) is one of 8 Councils responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the United States. The councils are responsible for developing fishery management plans and amendments that prevent overfishing while aiming to achieve the greatest overall benefit to the Nation. Regional fishery management councils are unlike many other systems of federal resource management. Because fisheries vary greatly throughout the U.S. waters, the Magnuson-Stevens Act created a unique management system based on local-level knowledge and public participation. Councils include representatives from each member state's department of fish and wildlife, private citizens who are knowledgeable about the region's fisheries, and the Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries. Public participation and input is encouraged at all stages of the rule-making process.
