The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, as amended, provides the United States with exclusive management authority over fisheries, except for highly migratory species such as tuna, billfish, swordfish, and sharks within a zone extending from 3 to 200 miles offshore. Eight regional fishery management councils were established to serve as planning units to carry out provisions of the Act throughout the various states and territories.

New Jersey is represented on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which also includes representatives from New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The Council consists of 21 voting and 4 non-voting members. The voting members are the Regional Director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a state fisheries official from each state and 13 public members nominated by the state governors and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. Each state is entitled to at least one public member, with the remaining public members appointed at large. The non-voting members represent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the State Department and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

Once the Council establishes objectives for a particular species Council staff prepares a draft fishery management plan (FMP), with the review and advice of a citizen (sport and commercial) Advisory Panel and a Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). Members on the SSC are appointed by the Council and frequently represent institutions of higher education, state and federal agencies. After preliminary review and approval by NMFS, the draft FMP is taken to public hearings throughout the range of the species. A final FMP is then developed, based upon public comments, and approved by the Council. The approved document is then submitted to the Secretary of Commerce for review. If found acceptable, the NMFS promulgates regulations necessary to implement the plan.

Enforcement activities are carried out by both the NMFS and the Coast Guard. Some state agencies are also authorized to enforce federal fisheries regulations. The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife is one such agency.