**Stewardship Investments: Other Text Data**

**FY 2009 Closing Package**

**Section A: Investment in Non-Federal Physical Property (SFFAS No. 8,
par 87)**

***2. Provide a description of the major programs of Federal Investments
in non-Federal property.***

**FY 2009 and FY 2008:**

Non-federal physical property investments are expenses included in the
Department's Net Cost of Operations for the purchase, construction, or
major renovation of physical property owned by state and local
governments. Based on a review of the Department's programs, NOAA and
EDA have significant investments in non-federal physical property.

**NOAA:**

**National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR):** The NERR system
consists of 27 []{.mark}estuarine reserves protected by federal, state,
and local partnerships that work to preserve and protect the nation's
estuaries. The NERR system helps to fulfill NOAA's stewardship mission
to sustain healthy coasts by improving the nation's understanding and
stewardship of estuaries. Estuarine reserves are the areas where
freshwater from rivers meet the ocean. These areas are known as bays,
swamps, sloughs, and sounds. These important coastal habitats are used
as spawning grounds and nurseries for the nation's commercial fish and
shellfish. Estuaries filter much of the polluted runoff from rivers and
streams that would otherwise contaminate oceans. The reserves were
created with the passage of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972,
and, as of September 30, 2008, encompassed approximately 1.3 million
acres of estuarine waters, wetlands, and uplands. The newest reserve,
Mission-Aransas, Texas, was designated on May 3, 2006. The NERR\'s are
state-operated and managed in cooperation with NOAA. The NOAA's
investments in non-federal physical property are for the acquisition of
lands and development or construction of facilities, auxiliary
structures, and public access routes for any NERR site.

**Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program:** This program was
established under the Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations Act of
2002, "for the purpose of protecting important coastal and estuarine
areas that have significant conservation, recreation, ecological,
historical, or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by conversion
from their natural or recreational state to other uses." The investments
in non-federal physical property include matching grants awarded to
state and local governments for land acquisition in coastal and
estuarine areas**.** Since FY 2002, matching grants have been directed
to 137 such projects.

**Coastal Zone Management Fund:** The Coastal Zone Management Program is
authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, and administered
at the federal level by NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management. The investments in non-federal physical property include
incidental expenses of land acquisition, and low-cost construction on
behalf of various state and local governments, for the purpose of
preservation or restoration of coastal resources and habitats. The
NOAA's financing supports various coastal states in their redevelopment
of deteriorating and urbanized waterfronts and ports, as well as
providing for public access to beaches and coastal areas. The state and
local governments receive funding for these investments through NOAA
grant expenditures, and these grant expenditures also include funding
for purposes other than the investments in non-federal physical
property. There is currently not in place a mechanism for the state and
local governments to determine and report to NOAA the amount of monies
they expend for the investments in non-federal physical property. The
Department, accordingly, cannot report the amount of investments in
non-federal physical property for the Coastal Zone Management Fund.

**Section B: Research and Development: Investment in Development (SFFAS
No. 8, par. 100)**

***1. Provide a description of the major programs of Federal investments
in development. (SFFAS No. 8, par. 100).***

**FY 2009 and FY 2008:**

**NOAA:**

NOAA conducts a substantial program of environmental R&D in support of
its mission, much of which is performed to improve the U.S.'s
understanding of and ability to predict environmental phenomena. The
scope of research includes:

-   Improving predictions and warnings associated with the weather, on
    time scales ranging from minutes to weeks,

-   Improving predictions of climate, on time scales ranging from months
    to centuries, and

-   Improving understanding of natural relationships to better predict
    and manage renewable marine resources and coastal and ocean
    ecosystems.

NOAA also conducts research that is intended to provide a solid
scientific basis for environmental policy-making in government. Examples
of this research include determining the stratospheric ozone-depleting
potential of proposed substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and
identifying the causes of the episodic high rural ozone levels that
significantly damage crops and forests.

NOAA conducts most R&D in-house; however, contractors to NOAA undertake
most systems R&D. External R&D work supported by NOAA includes that
undertaken through Federal-academic partnerships such as the National
Sea Grant College Program, the Cooperative Institutes of the
Environmental Research Laboratories, the Climate and Global Change
Program, and the Coastal Ocean Program.

Here is a brief description of the major R&D programs of NOAA:

**Environmental and Climate:** The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research is NOAA's primary research and development office. This office
conducts research in three major areas: climate research, weather and
air quality research, and ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes research. The
NOAA's research laboratories, Climate Program Office, and research
partners conduct a wide range of research into complex climate systems,
including the exploration and investigation of ocean habitats and
resources. NOAA's research organizations conduct applied research on the
upper and lower atmosphere as well as the space environment.

**Fisheries:** The NOAA's NMFS is responsible for the management and
stewardship of living marine resources and their habitat within the
Nation's Exclusive Economic Zone. The NMFS manages these resources
through science-based conservation and management, and the protection
and restoration of healthy ecosystems to ensure their continuation as
functioning components of ecosystems, while also affording economic
opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for the American public.
Fishery stocks and protected species are surveyed, catch data are
collected, and research is conducted to better understand the variables
affecting the abundance and variety of marine fishes and protected
species. Protection of endangered species, restoration of coastal and
estuarine fishery habitats, and enforcement of fishery regulations are
primary bureau activities. The research and management of living marine
resources is conducted in partnership with states, universities, other
countries, and international organizations.

**Marine Operations and Maintenance and Aircraft Services:** These
expenditures support NOAA's programs requiring operating days and flight
hours to collect data at sea and in the air. The NOAA's Marine and
Aviation Operations manage a wide variety of specialized aircraft and
ships to complete NOAA's environmental and scientific missions. The
aircraft collect the environmental and geographic data essential to NOAA
hurricane and other weather and atmospheric research, conduct aerial
surveys for hydrologic research to help predict flooding potential from
snowmelt, and provide support to NOAA's fishery research and marine
mammal assessment programs. The NOAA's ship fleet provides oceanographic
and atmospheric research and fisheries research vessels to support
NOAA's strategic plan elements and mission.

**Weather Service:** The National Weather Service conducts applied
research and development, building upon research conducted by NOAA
laboratories and the academic community. Applied meteorological and
hydrological research is integral to providing more timely and accurate
weather, water, and climate services to the public.

**Other Programs:** As a national lead for coastal stewardship, National
Ocean Service promotes a wide range of research activities to create the
strong science foundation required to advance the sustainable use of our
precious coastal systems. Understanding of the coastal environment is
enhanced through coastal ocean activities that support science and
resource management programs. The National Environmental Satellite Data
and Information Service, through its Office of Research and
Applications, conducts atmospheric, climatological, and oceanic research
into the use of satellite data for monitoring environmental
characteristics and their change. It also provides guidance for the
development and evolution of spacecraft and sensors to meet future
needs.

***[2. Provide a description of the progress of major development
projects including the results with respect to projects completed or
otherwise terminated during the year and the status of projects that
will continue (SFFAS No. 8, par. 99).]{.mark}***

**[FY 2009:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

**[NOAA:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

***[Insert new major development projects here]{.mark}***

[]{.mark}

**FY 2008:**

**NOAA:**

**Scientific collaboration with industry improves management of key
recreational fishery**: In partnership with fishermen in FY 2007 and FY
2008, the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) has been assessing
the habitat and stocks of selected rockfish species in two marine
conservation areas recently created in the Southern California Bight
through the use of a new non-lethal surveying technique. Because marine
sport fishing is a significant industry in Southern California,
non-lethal fish surveying techniques are essential to maintaining
rockfishes and other overfished species that are estimated at or below
25% of their pristine levels. The new survey method combines the
information obtained from multi-frequency echo sounders mounted on
Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFV) with images captured by
video and still cameras deployed from a remotely operated vehicle. The
first 60-day survey of the Southern California Bight began in FY 2007
using the NOAA ship David Starr Jordan and was completed in FY 2008
using the CPFV Outer Limits.

**Genetic Stock Identification testing used to estimate Chinook salmon
distribution:**

NOAA scientists from the SWFSC and Northwest Fisheries Science Center
(NWFSC) have launched a wide-ranging collaboration with the commercial
salmon fleet and the states of California, Oregon and Washington to
improve data collection on the ocean distribution and migration patterns
of West Coast Chinook salmon stocks. The core technology of this highly
collaborative effort is genetic stock identification (GSI), which
involves determination of the river and stock of origin for salmon by
DNA analysis of a small piece of fin tissue, which can be collected
non-lethally. An important aspect of the collaborative project is the
collection of exact location information (GPS coordinates) for
individual fish in the catch, allowing evaluation of the ocean
distribution of Chinook salmon on a stock-specific basis. In the future,
the project will be expanded to include the collection of additional
biological information for individual fish, such as scale age analysis,
and oceanographic data that may provide insight into the environmental
factors that influence distribution and abundance of this important
fish.

**New technology helps tribes detect harmful toxins in shellfish**: In
the Northwest, the primary harmful algal bloom toxin affecting shellfish
is domoic acid. This toxin is produced by blooms of microscopic algae
known as Pseudo-nitzschia and accumulates in shellfish, crabs and fish.
Tribal and non-tribal communities alike suffer severe economic losses
due to recreational and commercial harvesting closures and lost tourism.
To meet the need for a safe, rapid, cost-effective monitoring tools used
by tribes, local environmental groups and state agencies to monitor
biotoxins in shellfish, NMFS fisheries scientists and collaborators
adapted a medical technology to rapidly test for antibodies for domoic
acid (rapid detection bioassay kits). Development began in 2006 with
testing occurring in 2007 and 2008. Three scientists from NOAA's
National Marine Fisheries Service were recently awarded the 2007 NOAA
Technology Transfer Award for their development and commercialization of
these rapid, cost- effective kits. The technology will help coastal
tribes quickly and accurately determine contamination levels in
shellfish and expedite harvesting decisions for shellfish beds in remote
areas of the Washington coast. As a result, tribes now have the
capability to monitor their subsistence food source for domoic acid
levels within two hours of sampling at a cost of about \$10 per sample.
Through collaboration with the North Pacific Marine Science Organization
(PICES) and the Government of Japan, this technology will be transferred
to the Philippine Government (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources)
in January 2009 as a screening tool to prevent human illness and death.
A research paper describing this method will be published in the journal
Harmful Algae in December 2008.

**NOAA deploys fourth \"smart buoy\" on the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail**: NOAA\'s Chesapeake Bay Office has
deployed its fourth \"smart buoy\" as part of the Captain John Smith
Chesapeake National Historic Trail---the nation\'s first water-based
National Historic Trail. The Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System
(CBIBS) is an observing system, interpretive trail guide, and
educational resource being developed by NOAA. CBIBS is a system of buoys
placed along portions of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National
Historic Trail and is designed to mark significant points along the
Trail. These state-of-the-art, interactive buoys, provide real-time
meteorological, oceanographic, and water-quality information at
different points along the trail. Following three successful deployments
in 2007, the fourth interpretive buoy was launched in July 2008 near
Deltaville, VA., off Stingray Point and a fifth was deployed at the
mouth of the Susquehanna near Havre de Graqce, MD on September 13. One
more buoy will be launched in 2008, on the Elizabeth River off of
Norfolk, VA. The concept for these \'smart buoys\' grew out of NOAA\'s
advancements in Earth observing systems. NOAA is the lead agency for the
U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System---a cornerstone of the
President\'s U.S. Ocean Action Plan---and these buoys will be part of
the larger Chesapeake Bay Observing System. These measurements, as well
as historical and cultural information about the Bay, can be accessed
over the internet or by phone.

**NMFS Continues to Develop FishWatch, a seafood consumer guide**:
Seafood consumers in the U.S. increasingly concerned about the
sustainability and quality of seafood, can now turn to a NOAA Fisheries
Service Web site, FishWatch, for the latest information. The Web site,
at http://www.fishwatch.noaa.gov, was launched in August 2007 with
consumer information on 30 popular seafood species. After its launch,
the site quickly became one of the most visited sites on the NOAA
Fisheries web. In February 2008, new species and features were added to
the site, which now provides sustainability and health information and
recipes on over 75 seafood species. The President's Ocean Commission
charged NOAA Fisheries Service with informing the public about the
status of the living marine resources managed by the agency, and
FishWatch is an outgrowth of that initiative. FishWatch provides seafood
consumers with timely information about seafood, such as red snapper.
The Web site includes environmental details on the status of fish
populations, as well as nutritional facts and information on seafood and
health. FishWatch also provides critical trade information, such as
where seafood comes from and how much money it brings to the economy.

**NOAA Celebrates the International Polar Year with Important Antarctic
Research**: NOAA\'s Antarctic Marine Living Resources (AMLR) Program is
charged with providing the scientific information needed to conserve and
manage the marine living resources in the oceans surrounding Antarctic.
AMLR utilizes land, sea, and space-based platforms to gather information
on the environment and ecology from the northern end of the Antarctic
Peninsula, and through cooperation with international partners, relates
this to the state of the Southern Ocean. During the 2007/2008 austral
summer, AMLR completed is 22^nd^ consecutive year of research in the
Antarctic Peninsular region. The Program's mission of tracking the food
web relationships between Antarctic krill and its predators, as well as
collecting environmental data under changing sea ice conditions is
critical to managing these resources wisely.

In support of the International Polar Year (IPY), which runs from March
2007 to March 2009, the annual field season research was bolstered to
increase the breadth and depth of our understanding of the Antarctic
ecosystem. The research included: testing iron in water samples to test
the hypothesis of iron limitation to primary production; expanding an
on-going investigation of surface currents by deploying fifty additional
drifter buoys; initiating research on leopard seal foraging range and
ecology studies; conducting the first comprehensive, ship-based
ecosystem-wide study of the South Orkney Islands; and completing the
first fur seal census since 2000, which included the discovery of a
breeding colony in the western area of the South Shetland Islands chain.
In addition, an AMLR researcher participated in an eight-week voyage to
characterize the biodiversity, abundance and distribution of Ross Sea
species for the IPY. The data collected will be used to determine the
effects of climate change in the area.

**NOAA research provides comprehensive overview of Arctic bowhead
whales:** During 2008, scientists at NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science
Center (AFSC) were responsible for directing and conducting several
large-scale research projects on endangered bowhead whales in the
Arctic. Together these studies are providing an unprecedented picture of
the population status and ecology of this species. Bowhead whales, which
were greatly depleted by 19^th^ century commercial whaling, are
recovering well from exploitation, and are the focus of a well-managed
traditional native hunt in Alaska. Despite this recovery, the bowhead
population of the western Arctic is potentially at risk from climate
change and impacts of oil and gas development in the region. NOAA
scientists conducted extensive aerial surveys to count and assess the
distribution of bowhead whales in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. NOAA
scientists also worked with colleagues from a variety of scientific
institutions and disciplines to carry out a detailed program of research
on the habitat use and requirements, acoustics, migratory movements, and
feeding ecology of this population. The information produced by these
projects will be vital to better understand the challenges faced by
bowhead whales in an Arctic environment that is changing due to climate
warming, increasing industrial activities, and shifting ecosystems. The
results from this research will also be critically important to
facilitating future federal actions regarding the management and
conservation of this endangered species.

**First dedicated NOAA-NMFS fish survey of the Beaufort Sea**.
Scientists from the AFSC conducted NMFS's first dedicated fish survey of
the Beaufort Sea during Summer 2008 (30 July to 30 August). The goals of
the survey are to provide a baseline for analysis of the impacts of
future oil and gas development in the Beaufort Sea and for the study of
climate change. The project will also provide information for the Arctic
Fisheries Management Plan currently under development by the North
Pacific Fishery Management Council. The species composition,
distribution and abundance of benthic fish and invertebrates were
assessed with standard bottom trawl methods. Pelagic fish were surveyed
with fisheries acoustics and mid-water nets. In addition, oceanographic
data and zooplankton samples were collected to assess water column
properties and the prey available to fish. Scientists also recorded
marine mammal observations and conducted transect surveys for seabird
distribution and abundance. A total of 26 bottom trawls were conducted
and seven acoustic transects were surveyed, each approximately 30
nautical miles long

**Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Report for American Samoa:
2002--2006**: As the most comprehensive integrated ecosystem assessment
of the coral reefs of American Samoa to date, the Coral Reef Ecosystem
Monitoring Report for American Samoa provides detailed spatial and
temporal analyses for each of the five island/atoll groups within
American Samoa (Tutuila and Aunu\`u Islands, Ofu and Olosega Islands,
Ta\`u Island, Swains Island, and Rose Atoll). The research was compiled
from interdisciplinary surveys conducted during three American Samoa
Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (ASRAMP) research cruises in
2002, 2004, and 2006, led by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) in close collaboration
with key partners from other NOAA offices, federal, state, and
territorial agencies, academia, and non governmental organizations.
Since these integrated ecosystem observations are consistent with and
comparable to other Pacific RAMP observations in the Hawaiian
Archipelago, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas, they provide an
unprecedented opportunity to better understand the condition and health
of the coral reefs of American Samoa relative to other reefs across the
Pacific.

[]{.mark}

[]{.mark}

**Section C: Investment in Human Capital (SFFAS No. 8, par 94)**

***1. Provide a description of the major education and training programs
considered Federal investments in human capital. (SFFAS No. 8, par
94).***

**FY 2009 and FY 2008:**

Human capital investments are expenses, included in the Department's Net
Cost of Operations, for education and training programs that are
intended to increase or maintain national economic productive capacity
and produce outputs and outcomes that provide evidence of the constant
or increasing national productive capacity. These investments exclude
education and training expenses for federal civilian and military
personnel. Based on a review of the Department's programs, the most
significant dollar investments in human capital are by NOAA.

**NOAA:**

**National Sea Grant College Program:** Sea Grant is a nationwide
network, administered through NOAA, of 32 university-based programs that
work with coastal communities. With the adoption in 1966 of the National
Sea Grant College Act, Congress established an
academic/industry/government partnership that would enhance the nation's
education, economy, and environment into the 21st century. The program
supports activities designed to increase public awareness of coastal,
ocean, and Great Lakes issues, to provide information to improve
management decisions in coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes policy, and to
train graduate students in marine and Great Lakes science. The Knauss
Fellowship Program offers qualified masters and doctoral students the
opportunity to spend a year working on marine and Great Lakes policy
issues with the Executive and Legislative branches of the Federal
Government. There is also a Graduate Fellowship Program for Ph.D.
candidates in the specialized areas of population dynamics and marine
resource economics. Participants in this program can receive up to three
years of funding.

**National Estuarine Research Reserve Program:** This program supports
activities designed to increase public awareness of estuary issues,
provide information to improve management decisions in estuarine areas,
and train graduate students in estuarine science. The National Estuarine
Research Reserve System's Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program
offers qualified masters and doctoral students the opportunity to
address scientific questions of local, regional, and national
significance. The result is high-quality research focused on improving
coastal management issues. All GRF projects must be conducted in a
National Estuarine Research Reserve and enhance the scientific
understanding of the reserve's ecosystem. As of September 30, 2008, 51
Graduate Research Fellowships have been awarded.

**Educational Partnership Program:** The NOAA **Educational Partnership
Program** **(EPP) with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI)** provides
financial assistance through competitive processes to minority serving
institutions that support research and training of students in
NOAA-related sciences. The program's goal is to increase the number of
educated, trained and graduated students from underrepresented
communities in science and technology directly related to NOAA\'s
mission.  EPP/MSI also seeks to increase collaborative research efforts
between NOAA scientists and researchers at minority serving academic
institutions. Financial assistance is provided through four competitive
program components: the Cooperative Science Centers, the Environmental
Entrepreneurship Program, the Graduate Sciences Program, and the
Undergraduate Scholars Program.

NOAA provides funding to eligible MSIs on a competitive basis to
educate, train and graduate students in NOAA sciences, particularly
atmospheric, oceanic, environmental, living marine resources, remote
sensing and scientific environmental technology. The NOAA EPP
Cooperative Science Center goals are to:

-   Educate, train and graduate students, particularly from
    underrepresented communities, in NOAA mission sciences;

-   Develop expertise in a NOAA scientific area;

    -   Strengthen and build capacity in a NOAA scientific and
        management area

    -   Build research experience in a NOAA scientific and management
        area

-   Increase graduation rates of students from underrepresented
    communities in NOAA mission sciences;

-   Impact NOAA workforce statistics by increasing representation from
    underrepresented communities in NOAA mission sciences; and,

-   Leverage NOAA funds to build the education and research capacity at
    the MSI.

The EPP/MSI Environmental Entrepreneurship Program (EEP) provides
funding to eligible minority serving institutions on a competitive basis
to engage students to pursue advanced academic study and
entrepreneurship opportunities in the NOAA-related sciences.  NOAA's EEP
supports student training and experiential learning opportunities for
the purpose of stimulating job-creation, business development, and
revitalizing local communities. EEP's objective is to increase the
number of students at MSIs proficient in environmental business
enterprises.

The Undergraduate Scholarship Program (USP) is designed to increase the
number of students who undertake course work and graduate with degrees
in the targeted areas integral to NOAA's mission. Appointments are for
two years, and are made to students who have recently declared or are
about to declare a major in atmospheric, oceanic, or environmental
science. The students participate in research, training, and development
activities at NOAA offices and facilities during two summer
internships**.** 16 students started the program in FY 2008.

The Graduate Sciences Program (GSP) is aimed primarily at increasing
opportunities for students in NOAA-related fields to pursue research and
educational training in atmospheric, environmental, remote sensing and
oceanic sciences at minority serving institutions (MSI) when possible.
The GSP offers between two years (master\'s candidates) to four years
(doctoral students) of NOAA-related research and training
opportunities.  The GSP provides college graduates entry-level
employment and hands-on research and work experience at NOAA. Seven
students were selected to participate in the GSP in FY 2007. Three
students were added to the GSP program in FY 2008. The program plans to
add five students in FY 2009.

**Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program:** This program
was established in 2005 to 1) increase undergraduate training in oceanic
and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education, and foster
multidisciplinary training opportunities; 2) increase public
understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere
and improve environmental literacy; 3) recruit and prepare students for
public service careers with NOAA and other agencies at the federal,
state, and local levels of government; and 4) recruit and prepare
students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and
atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental
education in the U.S. There were 112 students starting the program in
2008.

**[NMFS Recruits top students for careers in population dynamics and
stock assessment]{.mark}**

[Southeast Fisheries Science Center's (SEFSC) Recruiting Training
Research (RTR) Program is a joint program between NMFS and Virginia Tech
to recruit top undergraduates into the field of fisheries population
dynamics and careers with NMFS; to train via continuing education
courses for NMFS employees; and to conduct population dynamics and stock
assessment research in support of the NMFS mission in a unique
collaboration of undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral
associates, university faculty, and NMFS biologists. The program, which
began in 2003, also offers graduate courses and workshops in computer
programming, simulation modeling and fish population dynamics.
<http://www.nmfs.vt.edu/>]{.mark}

**Section D: Research and Development: Investment in Basic Research
(SFFAS No. 8, par 100)**

***1. Provide a description of the major programs of Federal investments
in basic research. (SFFAS No. 8, par 100).***

**FY 2009 and FY 2008:**

Investments in R&D are expenses that are included in the Department's
Net Cost of Operations. The investments are divided into three
categories: 1) basic research, the systematic study to gain knowledge or
understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable
facts without specific applications toward processes or products in
mind; 2) applied research, the systematic study to gain knowledge or
understanding necessary for determining the means by which a recognized
and specific need may be met; and 3) development, the systematic use of
the knowledge and understanding gained from research for the production
of useful materials, devices, systems, or methods, including the design
and development of prototypes and processes. The investments are made
with the expectation of maintaining or increasing national economic
productive capacity, or yielding other future economic and societal
benefits. Based on a review of the Department's programs, the only
significant investments in R&D are by NIST and NOAA.

***[2. Provide a description of any major new discoveries made during
the year (SFFAS No. 8, par 99).]{.mark}***

[]{.mark}

**[FY 2009:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

**[NOAA:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

***[Enter any major new discoveries here]{.mark}***

[]{.mark}

**FY 2008:**

**NOAA**:

**Migratory Behavior of Green Sturgeon Revealed by Acoustic Tagging**:
NMFS scientists have published a paper describing extensive migrations
of green sturgeon through the coastal waters between California and
southeast Alaska. Green sturgeon were tagged with acoustic pingers and
their movements monitored by arrays of hydrophones along the west coast
of North America. The researchers found that many green sturgeon
undertake extensive seasonal migrations, spending summers in southern
areas and winters off British Columbia. This pattern of movement is
quite unusual among migratory animals, which typically overwinter at
lower latitudes and spend summers at higher latitudes. The results
indicate that southern DPS green sturgeon, which are protected under the
Endangered Species Act, may be impacted by activities far from their
spawning river, such as Canadian bottom trawl fisheries. Additionally,
the results of the study have already found significant application in
the proposed designation of critical habitat for the southern Distinct
Population Segment of green sturgeon, a federally-listed threatened
species.

**Persistent Man-made Chemical Pollutants Found in Deep-Sea Octopods and
Squids**:

New evidence that chemical contaminants are finding their way into the
deep-sea food web has been found in cephalopods (a class of organisms
that includes octopods, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses).
Cephalopods are the primary food for 28 species of odontocetes, the
sub-order of cetaceans that have teeth and include beaked, sperm, killer
and beluga whales and narwhals as well as dolphins and porpoises.

NOAA researchers in collaboration with other academic researchers,
collected nine species of cephalopods from depths between 1,000 and
2,000 meters (about 3,300 to 6,600 feet) in 2003 in the western North
Atlantic Ocean using a large mid-water trawl. Twenty-two specimens were
analyzed for a variety of contaminants. Among the chemicals detected
were tributyltin (TBT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated
diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), a
pesticide banned in the U.S. in the 1970s but still used on a limited
basis in some parts of the world to control diseases like malaria.  They
are known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they don\'t
degrade and they persist in the environment for a very long time.

Recent studies have reported the accumulation of POPs in the blubber and
tissues of whales and other predatory marine mammals as well as in some
deep-sea fish. Other investigators had speculated that the pollutants in
marine mammals had resulted from feeding on contaminated squids.
However, almost no information existed prior to this study about POPs in
deep-sea cephalopods.

**Ancient Deep Sea Coral Reefs Off Southeastern U.S. Serve as Underwater
"Islands" in the Gulf Stream, Home to Many New Species of Animals**:
Largely unexplored deep-sea coral reefs, some perhaps hundreds of
thousands of years old, off the coast of the southeastern U.S. are not
only larger than expected, but also home to commercially valuable fish
populations and many newly discovered species. Results from a series of
NOAA-funded expeditions to document these previously unstudied and
diverse habitats and their associated marine life have revealed some
surprising results. The coral habitats explored during the expeditions
appear to be more extensive than previously believed and are important
habitat for several species of commercially and recreationally important
fish as well as sponges, crabs, brittle stars and other creatures. The
corals also contain historical data about changing ocean climate and
productivity, and are hotspots of biodiversity. Many organisms live in
and around these deep coral habitats, including species new to science
and species with pharmaceutical potential.

Additional background information and images from these expeditions can
be found on the NOAA Ocean Explorer web site
(<http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/explorations.html>) under
the "Islands in the Stream\" and the "Life on the Edge" expeditions.

**NOAA Researchers Find Aquaculture Promising Method to Grow Black Sea
Bass**:

Black sea bass is an important recreational and commercial fishery along
the Atlantic coast of the US, but landings have decreased in recent
decades as the demand for this fish as seafood and in sushi markets has
risen.  In an attempt to meet that demand, NOAA researchers recently
evaluated the potential of black sea bass for commercial aquaculture and
found promising results.\
\
After two separate culture trials over a period of four years, NOAA
fisheries biologists found that sea bass can be grown from larvae to
adults in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), eating a diet of
commercial pellet feeds. Black sea bass grow slowly in the wild.
According to the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the largest
black sea bass caught by an angler in Massachusetts\'s waters weighed
eight pounds, and off Florida the record is just over five pounds.
 However, the average catch size is a 12-inch fish generally weighing
about one pound. Black sea bass can be grown rapidly in RAS where they
can attain weights in under two years that take wild stocks three years
or more to achieve. 

**NOAA scientists discover new kelp species found in the Aleutian
Archipelago.**  *Aureophycus alueticus*, or Golden V Kelp was previously
unknown to scientists, was discovered by a researcher from Auke Bay
Laboratories, and published in the August issue of the Journal of
Phycology.  Genetic analyses were significant indicating this kelp is
not only a new species and genus, but does not belong to any recognized
family.

**Journal Publication \"Ocean\'s Least Productive Waters Are
Expanding\"**: Through the use of a SeaWiFS, a sensor aboard NASA's
orbiting SeaStar spacecraft, PIFSC researchers have discovered that the
areas of lowest surface chlorophyll water in the North and South
Pacific, and North and South Atlantic have been expanding at about 2
percent per year. This change in ocean biology, linked to the warming of
sea surface waters, may negatively affect the populations of many fish
species trying to survive in these desert-like environments. The warming
increases stratification of the ocean waters, preventing deep ocean
nutrients from rising to the surface and resulting in a decrease in
plant life. These barren areas are found in roughly 20 percent of the
world's oceans and are within subtropical gyres - the swirling expanses
of water on either side of the equator. The low-productivity zones,
likened to deserts, now cover an estimated 51 million square kilometers
in these two oceans. The least productive area of the Indian Ocean shows
the same trend, but there has been too much variability for it to be
statistically significant. This research was published in the journal
Geophysical Research Letters.

**Section E: Research and Development: Investment in Applied Research
(SFFAS No. 8, par 100)**

***1. Provide a description of the major programs of Federal investments
in applied research. (SFFAS No. 8, par 100).***

**FY 2009 and FY 2008:**

**NOAA:**

NOAA conducts a substantial program of environmental R&D in support of
its mission, much of which is performed to improve the U.S.'s
understanding of and ability to predict environmental phenomena. The
scope of research includes:

-   Improving predictions and warnings associated with the weather, on
    time scales ranging from minutes to weeks,

-   Improving predictions of climate, on time scales ranging from months
    to centuries, and

-   Improving understanding of natural relationships to better predict
    and manage renewable marine resources and coastal and ocean
    ecosystems.

NOAA also conducts research that is intended to provide a solid
scientific basis for environmental policy-making in government. Examples
of this research include determining the stratospheric ozone-depleting
potential of proposed substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and
identifying the causes of the episodic high rural ozone levels that
significantly damage crops and forests.

NOAA conducts most R&D in-house; however, contractors to NOAA undertake
most systems R&D. External R&D work supported by NOAA includes that
undertaken through Federal-academic partnerships such as the National
Sea Grant College Program, the Cooperative Institutes of the
Environmental Research Laboratories, the Climate and Global Change
Program, and the Coastal Ocean Program.

Here is a brief description of the major R&D programs of NOAA:

**Environmental and Climate:** The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric
Research is NOAA's primary research and development office. This office
conducts research in three major areas: climate research, weather and
air quality research, and ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes research. The
NOAA's research laboratories, Climate Program Office, and research
partners conduct a wide range of research into complex climate systems,
including the exploration and investigation of ocean habitats and
resources. NOAA's research organizations conduct applied research on the
upper and lower atmosphere as well as the space environment.

**Fisheries:** The NOAA's NMFS is responsible for the management and
stewardship of living marine resources and their habitat within the
Nation's Exclusive Economic Zone. The NMFS manages these resources
through science-based conservation and management, and the protection
and restoration of healthy ecosystems to ensure their continuation as
functioning components of ecosystems, while also affording economic
opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for the American public.
Fishery stocks and protected species are surveyed, catch data are
collected, and research is conducted to better understand the variables
affecting the abundance and variety of marine fishes and protected
species. Protection of endangered species, restoration of coastal and
estuarine fishery habitats, and enforcement of fishery regulations are
primary bureau activities. The research and management of living marine
resources is conducted in partnership with states, universities, other
countries, and international organizations.

**Marine Operations and Maintenance and Aircraft Services:** These
expenditures support NOAA's programs requiring operating days and flight
hours to collect data at sea and in the air. The NOAA's Marine and
Aviation Operations manage a wide variety of specialized aircraft and
ships to complete NOAA's environmental and scientific missions. The
aircraft collect the environmental and geographic data essential to NOAA
hurricane and other weather and atmospheric research, conduct aerial
surveys for hydrologic research to help predict flooding potential from
snowmelt, and provide support to NOAA's fishery research and marine
mammal assessment programs. The NOAA's ship fleet provides oceanographic
and atmospheric research and fisheries research vessels to support
NOAA's strategic plan elements and mission.

**Weather Service:** The National Weather Service conducts applied
research and development, building upon research conducted by NOAA
laboratories and the academic community. Applied meteorological and
hydrological research is integral to providing more timely and accurate
weather, water, and climate services to the public.

**Other Programs:** As a national lead for coastal stewardship, National
Ocean Service promotes a wide range of research activities to create the
strong science foundation required to advance the sustainable use of our
precious coastal systems. Understanding of the coastal environment is
enhanced through coastal ocean activities that support science and
resource management programs. The National Environmental Satellite Data
and Information Service, through its Office of Research and
Applications, conducts atmospheric, climatological, and oceanic research
into the use of satellite data for monitoring environmental
characteristics and their change. It also provides guidance for the
development and evolution of spacecraft and sensors to meet future
needs.

***[2. Provide a description of any major new applications developed
during the year (SFFAS No. 8, par 99).]{.mark}***

[]{.mark}

**[FY 2009:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

**[NOAA:]{.mark}**

[]{.mark}

***[Enter any major new applications developed during the year
here]{.mark}***

[]{.mark}

**FY 2008:**

**NOAA:**

**California Commercial Landings Data Recovered**: NMFS completed work
on a California commercial landings database covering landings from 1931
to 2007. Landings from 1931 through 1968 were recovered through the
NESDIS Climate Database. The recovered data, when combined with more
recent landings estimates from the California Cooperative Groundfish
Survey from 1969-2007, forms one of the longest detailed catch records
in the US. The 1931-68 period includes monthly summaries of catches.
These data are now openly available to the public for use in stock
assessments and monitoring of climate effects. NMFS is currently working
with the California Department of Fish and Game to extend the geographic
summary information to more recent years.

**Integrated Ecosystem Assessment for Puget Sound and the California
Current:** The NWFSC is leading a team of scientists to conduct a
preliminary IEA in Puget Sound in collaboration with the Puget Sound
Partnership. The NOAA approach to IEA is: to identify ecosystem goals;
indicators, and targets to assess the health of the Sound\'s ecosystem;
conduct risk analysis to determine the current status and key threats;
generate alternative management strategies; and, evaluate the strategies
and resulting ecosystem status. This approach will help decision-makers
understand the ecosystem services most at risk, identify management
strategies with the best chance of producing recovery, and increase
public awareness and support for recovery and management actions to
promote a healthy Puget Sound ecosystem. To date, the NWFSC has been
working with the Puget Sound Partnership to develop clear
ecosystem-based management operational objectives with specific
performance measures. The NWFSC has worked with technical teams to
develop a provisional list of ecosystem indicators, and is using
ecosystem models to test indicator performance. The teams are using
ecosystem models to develop management targets for proposed indicators.
Potential threats are being mapped and basic spatial analyses are being
performed. Statistical models are being used to evaluate the potential
effect of different management scenarios on ecosystem status.
Additionally, development of ecosystem models is progressing, and these
models will be used to forecasting the likely outcome of suites of
management actions. Lessons from the Puget Sound IEA effort will help
guide development of an IEA for the California Current and provide a
foundation for ecosystem-based management.

**Alaskan Observer Information System Re-Designed**: The AFSC
implemented a major re-design of the information collection system used
by observers deployed on the commercial Alaskan groundfish fleet. This
re-design was a major upgrade effecting both how the information is
collected and stored. The re-design implementation is responsive to a
number of key users needs, and it will provide an information system
that will serve the needs of a host of internal and external clients
well into the future. Notable was that this was a change to a production
data system on which fisheries managers, scientists and industry are
dependent for real time information. Implementation was complex as it
involved re-training several hundred observers and deploying a new data
entry application on over 100 vessels and shoreside processing plants
across Alaska. This was accomplished without a break in the service
providing fisheries dependent information to clients.

**NOAA scientists develop new tool for measuring the nutritional status
of fish in the field.** Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) has
previously been used in human health to monitor the progress of patients
with degenerative diseases. In FY08 AFSC scientists determined the
limitations to applying BIA to fish, demonstrated its utility under
laboratory conditions and applied the method to characterize the quality
of fish habitat in Alaska.

**NMFS scientists transfer best practices in bycatch reduction around
the world**

SEFSC's Pascagoula Laboratory gear specialists lead turtle excluder
device (TED) and bycatch mitigation training and technology transfer
activities all over the world. They provide technical assistance to the
US State Department in conducting international TED-use verification
trips in support of U.S. Public Law 101-162 (Sea Turtle/Shrimp export
rule). These include TED (turtle excluder device) technical training
workshops for trawl fisheries that interact with sea turtles, pelagic
longline sea turtle mitigation technology workshops, Bycatch Reduction
Device technical training workshops for trawl fisheries and TED use and
enforcement. Countries visited in 2008 for these activities include
Morocco, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

**Development of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)**: During the Oscar E.
Sette cruise 08-02 (March 24-April 9, 2008), the UAS prototype (dubbed
the Malolo 1, Hawaiian for \"flying fish\") was deployed for a total of
9 logged flights. The UAS\'s airframe was specified to have a downward
looking video camera, systems to telemeter the video to a base station
located on the ship, and software to analyze the video for anomalous
objects (i.e. floating debris). The aircraft was designed to be launched
from the ship and, upon completion of its flight, to land on the water
and be recovered by a small boat. The trials demonstrated that the
prototype UAS could be launched from a ship, fly in 20+ knot winds, and
be recovered at sea with minimal damage or loss. Higher order issues
such as camera/instrument package integration, anomaly detection
algorithms, and autonomous flight/survey execution will be the focus of
the next round of trials scheduled for FY2009.

**NMFS-SEFSC leads scientific investigations on Atlantic Highly
Migratory Species (HMS)**

The SEFSC has responsibility for scientific investigations of the
ecology and productivity of Atlantic HMS species, in support of U.S.
scientific commitments to the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and domestic fishery management
demands. Primary responsibilities are to monitor catch and effort; to
conduct stock assessments; and to conduct biological research in support
of HMS stock assessments, providing scientific advice to both domestic
and international management bodies. These tasks require collaboration
and coordination with other NMFS research and management offices and
also require frequent interactions with federal, state, academic, and
private institutions. SEFSC also invests considerable resources in
transferring stock assessment capacity to other nations through ICCAT,
the Caribbean RFMO, IATTC and other mechanisms.

**Development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for Fisheries Observation
and Management**

As a coordinated effort among all NOAA Fisheries Service Science
Centers, NOAA's Advanced Sampling Technologies Working Group is
developing a portable autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). This is the
first NOAA Fisheries Service AUV and the first of its kind to include a
suite of fisheries-specific instrumentation. The AUV may be deployed
from fisheries survey vessels, small craft, or the shore to gather data
required for ecosystems-based fisheries management. This capability
would assist in investigating areas previously unobservable from
shipboard instrumentation as well as conducting longer term monitoring
of essential habitats. The portable size also allows for world-wide
shipping to conduct or enhance stock assessments of fish. SWFSC AST
scientists are currently testing and refining this prototype vehicle and
conducting pilot research projects that will guide future fisheries
research investments in AUVs.