Simultaneously, ongoing conversations ensued among fishing community leaders active in the fisheries management process who recognized fishermen struggling to navigate the complex regulations and management processes.

At the end of the turbulent 30-year period post-passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act, the fishing industry was struggling with the imposition of regulations where there had been few before. It was a shock to the culture. By the mid-2000s that culture was experiencing rapid evolution, and those fishermen responsible for launching MREP were trying to encourage a more effective narrative. It was imperative that the program belonged to the fishing community and be sensitive to cultural nuance. 

Since then, MREP has become a nationally recognized training program for fishermen, managers, scientists, and other fisheries industry members. We are pleased to have successfully implemented sister MREPs serving fisheries of the U.S. Southeast in 2012, Caribbean in 2014, West Coast in 2016, and North Pacific in 2023.

Much is at stake for fishermen as they work to build sustainable, resilient, and ecologically and economically healthy fisheries.

Fishermen across the country saw the success that MREP had in getting fishermen to engage effectively in fisheries science and management. They approached program leadership, asking how MREP could be transferred to their regions. MREP has been molded to meet the unique cultural needs of Alaskans, small island communities in Puerto Rico, commercial fishermen in New England, and others across the program regions. A collaborative effort to determine what is uniquely relevant for fishermen in each region, while keeping in line with the original guiding goals of the MREP program, guides program development in each region. Thus while the program has expanded regionally, it maintains its industry-led, collaborative approach.

In each region, local fishermen, other industry members, and fisheries science and management experts work with GMRI staff to ensure it is regionally relevant and evolves as new challenges arise in the fisheries.