SARP is a self-governing  organization, led by a steering committee, including

• Representatives of 23 natural resource and fisheries/wildlife agencies from the southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia
• Representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council