About MREP

Our workshops are regionally relevant while transferring universally valuable tools and information.

 

MREP is a neutral platform outside the regulatory process for fishermen to:

  • Learn the nuts and bolts of marine fisheries science and management

  • Demystify acronyms and vocabulary

  • Gain tools and insights into effective engagement in your regional Fishery Management Council

  • Connect with key regional fishery science and management experts

But don’t take our word for it.
Listen to industry members who attended MREP…

 

 

Founded by two fishermen in Maine in 2001, MREP has been “by fishermen, for fishermen” from the beginning.

The Marine Resource Education Program (MREP) was developed in the Northeast region in 2001 by two Maine fishing community leaders, Council member John Williamson, future Council member, Mary Beth Tooley, with input from fishermen around the region. Their goal was to elevate the regional dialog concerning fishery management at the NEFMC.

The complex system of fisheries science and management is difficult for many fishermen and others to navigate. Fishermen attending fishery management council meetings, serving as advisors to the management processes, or partnering in collaborative research require baseline information to be effective in their roles.

In 1996 the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) convened a Professional Standards Committee to develop recommendations for responsible fishing practices to be incorporated in management planning. One of these recommendations was for training for career fishermen leading to professional certification.

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. 

GMRI was brought on as the facilitator and manager of MREP, on behalf of regional fishermen leadership, in 2003. 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, North Pacific in 2023, and most recently to the Western Pacific for MREP’s first workshop delivery planned for 2025.

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.

Nationally recognized, regionally unique.

Local leaders involved in and impacted by fisheries, along with fisheries science and management experts, work with GMRI staff to guide the workshop series. This collaborative approach ensures that workshops are regionally relevant while transferring universally valuable tools and information.

 

Meet the industry leaders guiding MREP in their regions

 

West Coast

Pacific Fishery Management Council region: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California

North Pacific

North Pacific Fishery Management Council region:
Alaska, Washington, Oregon

U.S. Virgin Islands

Caribbean Fishery Management Council region:
A program in English for St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix

Western Pacific

Western Pacific Fishery Management Council region: A program for American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawai’i.

Greater Atlantic

New England & Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council regions: Maine to Virginia

Southeast

South Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council regions: Texas to Florida to North Carolina

Puerto Rico

Caribbean Fishery Management Council region:
A program in Spanish for Puerto Rico

National

 
 

MREP staff are committed to elevating voices in the fishing industry.