U.S. Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service

NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

STRATEGIC PLAN

FOR FISHERIES RESEARCH

FEBRUARY 1998
Table of Contents

Section Page

MISSION STATEMENT 1

PREFACE 2

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND 3

COMPREHENSIVE FISHERY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Research Components 5

 I. Research to Support Fishery Conservation and Management 6

I.A. Biological research concerning the abundance and life history

parameters of fish stocks 6

I.B. Social and economic factors affecting abundance 7

I.C. Interdependence of fisheries or stocks of fish 8

I.D. Identifying, restoring, and mapping of essential fish habitat 9

I.E. Impact of anthropogenic factors and environmental changes on

fish populations 11

II. Conservation Engineering Research 13

III. Research on the Fisheries 16

III.A. Social and economic research 16

III.B. Full utilization of harvested fish 18

III.C. Marine Aquaculture 19

IV. Information Management Research 20

Major Fishery Research Goals and Objectives 21
APPENDIX A: NMFS SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE 26

GOALS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE 27

NMFS FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTERS

ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (AFSC) 29

NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NWFSC) 32

SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (SWFSC) 34

SOUTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (SEFSC) 36

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NEFSC) 39

APPENDIX B: Response to Comments on the Public Draft of the NMFS Strategic Plan

for Fisheries Research 46

APPENDIX C: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 50

APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY 53
NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

MISSION STATEMENT

Stewardship of living marine

resources for the benefit of the

Nation through their science-based

conservation and management and

promotion of the health of their

environment.

(NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan -- May 1997)

1
PREFACE

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the agency responsible for the sciencebased conservation and management of the Nation’s living marine resources. NMFS is part

of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of

Commerce. NMFS scientists collect and analyze scientific data on the Nation’s living

marine resources, marine ecosystems, and the benefits they provide to the Nation. The

agency uses these data to prepare scientific reports and technical presentations to fishery

managers, industry and environmental groups, and the public, as well as the scientific

community. These reports are NMFS’ foundation for developing sound policies governing

the use and conservation of living marine resources and protecting their habitat.

In 1993, NOAA developed an agency-wide Strategic Plan which focused on a ten-year vision

of how NOAA could contribute to the goal of bringing scientific information to bear on key

societal decisions. A year later a science review process was initiated to look at the quality

of the research, the methodological approaches, the relevancy and adequacy of the science

activities, and the strength and value of partnerships among NOAA’s programs with outside

groups. This strategic research plan for meeting the requirements of the Sustainable

Fisheries Act is consistent with the conclusions of the NOAA science review.

In 1997, NMFS published a Strategic Plan for NOAA Fisheries . The Plan had been

developed in a comprehensive manner, with extraordinary public involvement, including 16

public meetings. The present Sustainable Fisheries Act Strategic Plan for Research is

entirely consistent with the NMFS Strategic Plan. It is a subset of the all encompassing

NMFS Plan. The objectives found under the “Major Fishery Research Goals and Objectives”

section of this document can be matched with strategies in the NMFS Strategic Plan.

The scope of the present document includes fisheries, habitat, protected species, and

utilization research to address requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation

and Management Act (MSFCMA) only. It does not include the regulatory and enforcement

components of the NMFS mission. NMFS currently conducts a very comprehensive

program of fisheries research, and involves industry and others interested in fisheries

planning and operations. However, there is always room for improvement. This plan covers

what we do now and how we expect to improve it. It relies primarily on the current NMFS

budget and strives to maximize benefits.

2
NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FISHERIES RESEARCH

FOR MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF

THE SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES ACT OF 1996

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND

The United States Congress reauthorized the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act (MSFCMA), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), on

October 11, 1996. Section 404 (Fisheries Research) of the MSFCMA requires the Secretary

of Commerce to develop and publish in the Federal Register a strategic plan for fisheries

research for the five (5) years immediately following such publication. The Act stipulates

that the plan:

 • Identify and describe a comprehensive program with a limited number of priority

objectives for research in each of the research areas specified below.

 • Indicate goals and timetables for the program.

 • Provide a role for commercial fishers in such research, including involvement in field

testing.

 • Provide for collection and dissemination, in a timely manner, of complete and accurate

information concerning fishing activities, catch, effort, stock assessments, and other

research conducted under this section.

 • Be developed in cooperation with the Fishery Management Councils and affected states,

and provide for coordination with the Councils, affected states, and other research

entities.

The MSFCMA requires that the comprehensive program contain the following areas of

research:

 • Research to support fishery conservation and management, including but not limited to:

- biological research concerning the abundance and life history parameters of stocks

of fish,

- the interdependence of fisheries or stocks of fish,

- the identification of essential fish habitat,

3
- the impact of pollution on fish populations,

- the impact of wetland and estuarine degradation, and

- other factors affecting the abundance and availability of fish.

 • Conservation engineering research, including:

- the study of fish behavior,

- the development and testing of new gear technology and fishing techniques to

minimize bycatch and any adverse effects on essential fish habitat, and

- promote efficient harvest of target species.

 • Research on the fisheries, including:

- the social, cultural, and economic relationships among fishing vessel owners, crew,

fish processors, associated shoreside labor, seafood markets, and fishing

communities,

 • Information management research, including:

- the development of a fishery information base and an information management

system under Section 401 that will permit the full use of information in the support

of effective fishery conservation and management.

4
COMPREHENSIVE FISHERY RESEARCH PROGRAM

Research Components

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) mandates

strong action to protect fishery resources that contribute to the food supply, economy, and

health of the Nation. MSFCMA provisions require NMFS to end overfishing, rebuild all

overfished stocks, and conserve essential fish habitat through research and consultations on

Federal and state actions which may adversely affect such habitat. These are among our

primary stewardship responsibilities.

NMFS is responsible for ensuring that management decisions are based on the highest

quality scientific information on the biological, social, and economic status of the fisheries.

Biologically, this includes species’ responses to environmental changes, exploitation, and

other human activities that affect them and their habitat. This includes social, cultural, and

economic beliefs and incentives which influence human/marine interactions. All of the

agency’s information must be comprehensive, objective, credible, and effectively

communicated. It is used not just for current management decisions, but also to conserve

resources and anticipate future trends, assure future utilization opportunities, and assess the

success or failure of the agency’s management efforts.

NMFS is also responsible for ensuring that this information, and thus the management

decisions for which it provides the foundation, is understood and its validity accepted by user

groups and other constituents. To accomplish this, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act has mandated that we provide a role for commercial

fishers in our fisheries research.

The research priorities of NMFS may be grouped into the four major areas with several subareas defined by Congress (see Legislative Background):

I. Research to support fishery conservation and management

II. Conservation engineering research

III. Research on the fisheries

IV. Information management research

5
I. Research to Support Fishery Conservation and Management

Living marine resources currently support extensive commercial, recreational, and

subsistence uses. In 1996, commercial landings by U.S. fishers were 9.6 billion pounds

valued at $3.5 billion. The 1996 U.S. marine recreational fish catch was an estimated 313

million fish taken on an estimated 64 million fishing trips. These represent just some of the

many benefits Americans derive from living marine resources.

However, many marine species are under stress from overexploitation or habitat degradation,

or both. Over one-third of all fish stocks for which we have scientific population information

are overutilized, and nearly half are below optimal population levels. Some populations are

in danger of extinction, and many more are threatened by various human activities. There

are many other species about which we have little information. Many factors, both natural

and human-related, affect the status of fish stocks and their environment. NMFS scientists

are actively engaged in collaborative research to protect and enhance fishery resources.

These research efforts include mapping, spatial analyses, geographic information systems

(GIS), and fishery and ocean habitat modeling and characterization, as well as an evaluation

of ecosystem approaches focusing on spatially-explicit models and additional research into

trophic relationships. Additionally, with the increasing need to seek new management

approaches to minimize and conserve essential fish habitat (EFH), NMFS is conducting

studies on adaptive/management techniques through the identification and use of potential

areas of refugia (i.e., research closure areas) and experiments on no-take and limited take

zones and time-area closures.

NMFS’ research efforts incorporate the use of innovative new technologies and techniques.

For example, NMFS in cooperation with NOAA is developing innovative new technology to

enhance survey capabilities with research and development on an omnidirectional

hydroacoustic system to combine biomass assessments with the ability to acoustically

identify species, utilizing airborne LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging Laser) technology

as a biomass assessment tool for near-surface pelagic species, and using underwater

(laserline) technology for identification of habitat types and species identification.

It is NMFS’ responsibility to provide fishery managers with the information needed to make

scientifically sound decisions. In order to support fishery conservation and management,

NMFS scientists are actively pursuing the following areas of research.

I.A. Biological research concerning the abundance and life history parameters of fish

stocks

Research in this area includes collecting information on catch and effort, and on biostatistical

characteristics, for a variety of Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and non-FMP species of

exploited fish and shellfish. Fishery-dependent and fishery independent sources provide

information including age and size samples from fish landed, plant and vessel specific

6
landings records, and other plant/fleet data. These data are key inputs to stock assessments,

fishery management regulations, and the production of Federal economic and resource

statistical summarizations.

The actual level of complexity of an assessment is determined by the amount of information

available and by the amount of information needed by management. Although there is some

overlap, assessments can be roughly grouped in order of increasing level of complexity into

the following categories, each one including features of all simpler levels.

Kinds of Assessments

 • INDEX: assessment relies on “trends”, index of stock size from resource survey data or

from fishery catch-per-unit-of-effort (CPUE) data, mean size, landings, and age

composition.

 • YIELD: assessment also includes an evaluation of yield tradeoffs for different levels of

fishing mortality and ages of fish caught, (e.g., yield-per-recruit analysis).

 • AGE STRUCTURE: assessment also includes analysis of the observed age composition

of the catch and surveys (e.g., virtual population analysis).

 • SPAWNING STOCK: assessment also includes analysis of data on spawning stock size

and subsequent recruitment of juveniles and subadults and ratios of unfished to fished

reproductive potential of stocks.

 • PREDICTIVE: assessment also includes a model for future stock conditions that

accounts for variations in the environment and future recruitment and exploitation rates.

Understanding aspects of the life history of fish stocks will be of increasing importance in the

management of the Nation’s living marine resources. Describing migratory and distribution

patterns, habitat use, age, growth, mortality, age structure, sex ratios, and reproductive

biology will be essential information for scientists and managers to optimize sustainability

and yield of these resources. A variety of methods will be employed, including otolith aging,

histological analyses of gonads, and observations of spawning behavior for species with

complex reproductive systems. Studies of early life history and fishery oceanography are

necessary to understand recruitment dynamics and lead to prediction of year-class strength.

There is an increasing need to identify and characterize discrete stocks. This will allow

scientists and managers to correctly structure stock assessments and design stock specific

management measures for groundfish complexes, salmon species, coastal migratory and

oceanic migratory species and reef fish. Stock identification involves many techniques,

including mark-recapture, otolith shape analysis, parasite distributions, and biochemical

genetic methods.

I.B. Social and economic factors affecting abundance levels

NMFS also recognizes the social, cultural, and economic diversity of the fisheries, and the

importance of recognizing those differences in creating effective conservation measures. For

7
instance, one critical factor affecting stock abundance is the level of fishing effort. Type and

location of both commercial and recreational fishing effort vary across different fishing

fleets, groups of anglers, and communities. Also, these groups will differ in their responses

to alternative strategies of effort control such as days-at-sea, closed areas, limited access, and

bag-limits. NMFS will need new data and models, and modifications to existing models, to

capture fully this diversity and its interaction with biological diversity.

NMFS will therefore develop bio-socio-economic models and increase collection of data

necessary to meet conservation goals and maximize net economic and social benefits to the

Nation from living marine resources. For commercial fishing, these data include: vessel and

plant level cost and earnings data; ex-vessel prices; and data on social and institutional

constraints such as open access regimes or differing ethnicity-based labor practices. For

recreational and subsistence fishing, these data include: information on expenditures, trip

characteristics, demographic descriptors, and social and cultural influences on fishing

behavior. Given that some of these data are newly emphasized, national coordination and

funding of these activities will be especially important.

Coordinated bio-socio-economic research and analysis will add the element of human

variability to stock variability, thus bringing the parameters of our models closer to real

world conditions. This, in turn, will make stock assessments more predictive and facilitate a

precautionary approach.

I.C. Interdependence of fisheries or stocks of fish

Interdependence characterizes an ecosystem. Ecosystem interdependence means that living

and non-living parts of an ecosystem are linked to each other - for example by food chains.

This information is very important if we are to successfully manage our living marine

resources. The health of a fish stock and the merits of alternative harvest strategies cannot be

determined in isolation; an ecosystem approach is needed to take into account the various

factors that affect the status of a stock and the importance of a stock to other components of

the ecosystem. The abundance of a fish stock depends on a number of factors, including the

abundance and health of its competitors, predators, and prey, as well as its symbiotic

relationships. Elimination and/or reduction in quality of habitat that is essential to a prey can

have as great an impact as destroying the habitat of the targeted species. The chief objective

of the biological studies on ecosystem interdependence is to determine consumption rates and

the functional form of feeding interrelationships of fish, and to develop recruitment and

multispecies models which incorporate this information. The developed models are used to

help predict long-term impacts of various harvest strategies and environmental trends on

yield potential and species composition. Results are incorporated into recruitment and

multispecies models to investigate effects of predation and compensatory population

mechanisms on long-term stability, production, and structure of fish communities under

8
different harvest strategies and environmental regimes. Research activities include the

following:

 • NMFS investigates marine food webs through field and laboratory studies of fish

consumption rates and feeding selectivity patterns using state-of-the-art technologies.

 • Food web studies are conducted in both laboratory and field experiments to determine

food preference and nutritional values of various foods.

 • Studies are conducted to determine density-dependent, predator-prey interactions. The

studies are of particular importance since these interactions affect the stock/recruitment

relationships which are critical to understanding long-term dynamics of fish populations.

 • Fish stomach contents are sampled and analyzed. Samples are studied together with

hyrdoacoustic and bottom trawl surveys to relate predator densities with larval and early

juvenile fish densities, in order to quantify predation mortality.

 • NMFS examines diet, consumption rates, and prey for major pelagic and demersal

fishes.

 • NMFS ascertains predator species guilds (species assemblages with similar diet and

habits) based on food habits data.

To examine human activities in an ecosystem perspective, research is required on fishing

patterns. Some fishers target a single species or species assemblage exclusively. Others fish

for a variety of different species by season (an annual round), sometimes switching gears to

do so. Yet other fishers are part-time participants only, working in land-based occupations

for some portion of the year. Fishers using certain gear types and vessel sizes appear more

likely to adopt one pattern over another. These different patterns imply different levels and

types of effort and have differing effects on their various target species, and are therefore

important to ecosystem management. Some critical research areas include:

• The suite of fishing and non-fishing activities both available to commercial fishers and

for which they are qualified.

• The geographic range within which various fleets operate.

• The annual rounds of fishing activity by various fleets, and the flexibility of those

rounds.

• The amount and importance of subsistence, recreational, and part-time fishing.

I.D. Identifying, restoring, and mapping of essential fish habitat (EFH)

The long-term viability of living marine resources depends on protection of their habitat.

The effects of habitat degradation are often insidious, and some losses are not well

understood. Others, however, are apparent. We know, for example, that dams for

hydroelectric power generation and water diversion for agriculture have severely reduced

some valuable anadromous fish runs, and chemical contaminants cause neoplasms in fish

9
(e.g., winter flounder in Boston Harbor and English sole in Puget Sound). We also know that

habitat changes in Florida Bay and Chesapeake Bay have resulted in continual changes in

fish communities.

The Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 requires Fishery Management Councils (FMCs) to

describe and identify EFH in FMPs and minimize adverse impacts on such habitat. It also

requires that the Secretary of Commerce initiate and maintain research to identify EFH, the

impact of wetland and estuarine degradation, and other factors affecting the abundance and

availability of fish. MSFMCA defines EFH as “those waters and substrate necessary to fish

for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. For the purpose of interpreting the

definition of EFH: ‘waters’ includes aquatic areas and their associated physical, chemical,

and biological properties that are used by fish, and may include aquatic areas historically

used by fish where appropriate; ‘substrate’ includes sediment, hard bottom, structures

underlying the waters, and associated biological communities; ‘necessary’ means the habitat

required to support a sustainable fishery and the managed species’ contribution to a healthy

ecosystem; and ‘spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity’ covers a species’ full

life cycle.” 1

NMFS will continue to conduct research, analyze data, and provide consultation necessary

to: (1) identify estuarine, coastal, and oceanic habitats and their utilization by various life

stages of living marine resources (LMRs) for spawning, growth, and protection, through

comparative studies of similar habitats in stressed and unstressed environs as well as

comparative studies of different habitats; (2) document the life history of managed fish and

determine factors that influence resiliency or sensitivity to fishing; (3) increase NMFS’

understanding of the role of the benthic community in the overall ecosystem, the interaction

of target fish with benthic communities, and effects of fishing on benthic communities; (4)

determine the best methods for restoring LMRs injured by human impacts including harmful

spills, vessel groundings, material disposal, and fishing; (5) develop population and habitat

recovery models; (6) describe seasonal changes in hydrographic nearshore waters,

megainvertebrates, and benthic infaunal communities in estuaries and nearshore waters; (7)

map EFH using remote sensing platforms (satellite, aerial, and acoustic) along with ground

truth and algorithm development to assess habitat type and quality and environmental

parameters such as temperature, turbidity and salinity; (8) work cooperatively with fishers to

gain information on current habitat configurations; (9) research the social and economic

impacts of specific habitat protection proposals; (10) assess current social and economic

1Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Essential Fish Habitat,

Interim Final Rule, Federal Register, Vol. 62, No. 244/Friday,

December 19, 1997.

10
value of EFH; and (11) research social and economic causes of habitat degradation. The

information resulting from these activities will be used by fishery managers to identify,

describe, conserve, and enhance EFH. The NMFS Centers staff work closely with Regional

Offices, FMCs, and the NOAA Damage Assessment and Restoration Program to provide

timely habitat information. NMFS works with the NOAA line offices and other agencies in

developing the Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) and Coastwatch to apply satellite

imagery and aerial photography to habitat mapping, analysis of change in coastal land cover,

and assessment of water temperature, color, and circulation.

These research areas and the specific EFH research described for each Fishery Science

Center will be used by NMFS and the fishery management councils to:

• Develop a comprehensive and coordinated base-funded habitat research program in NMFS

that interacts with and provides information to habitat managers and the Offices of Science

and Technology, Sustainable Fisheries, Habitat Conservation, and Protected Resources.

• Improve understanding of the distribution and habitat requirements of early life stages of

managed species.

• Improve stock assessment capabilities and reduce uncertainty.

• Improve habitat protection capabilities and improve assessment of threats to EFH and

managed fishery stocks.

• Synthesize research information needs nationally and prioritize habitat research and

funding across regions to permit refinement of EFH identification as required by the

MSFCMA.

• Develop a synthesis of existing data to identify EFH based on the regulatory four-tiered

approach for each region.

• Develop a national database on habitat restoration measures and designs that enhance

recovery of biodiversity and value to fisheries.

• Map EFH for managed species in each region, and develop a national GIS database on

essential habitat.

• Restore degraded habitat.

• Cooperate with fishers in gathering information on habitat.

• Assess relative economic and social impacts of different habitat restoration measures and

designs.

• Research current incentives for habitat protection, including literature reviews of incentives for non-fishery activities such as land-based non-point-source pollution.

I.E. Impact of anthropogenic factors and environmental changes on fish populations

There is a recognition in the scientific community that toxic contaminant discharges to the

coastal oceans can have a significant impact on the viability of important fish populations.

Contaminants can disrupt an organism’s early life stage development and growth that in turn

can affect their reproductive potential as adults. Such nonlethal effects are not easily

11
identified or characterized, and therefore, are difficult to relate to the sustainability of the

fishery populations. The quantification and identification of deleterious changes is further

complicated by natural and uncontrolled variability within and between fishery populations

and their supporting food webs. NMFS will continue to study the potential effects of

contaminants on important fishery species as well as the sources of variability. To assess the

risk to fish populations from different combinations of stressors there must be a linkage made

between understanding toxic effects of contaminants to individual organisms and the factors,

both anthropogenic and natural, that influence fishery populations. There has been growing

recognition that marine pollution can disrupt the development and function of the

reproductive, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems of marine animals, including fishes,

affecting reproductive and growth processes critical to population stability. Early life stages

are the most sensitive to these pollutants, and the effects can be irreversible. Because the

effects are not always immediately visible, it is difficult to establish the impact on fish

populations. Environmental variables and natural variations further complicate the picture.

NMFS will continue to study similar habitats in stressed and unstressed anadromous streams,

estuarine, and ocean environs in order to understand the effects of pollution on LMRs and

their habitats. NMFS will also research social and economic causes of habitat degradation,

from fishery and non-fishery sources, including coordination with researchers studying landbased activities such as non-point source pollution and urban development. NMFS also

engages in research to determine the effects of long-term changes in the ocean climate on

LMRs. This information helps assess the true impact of human-induced factors.

Habitat loss and degradation affects riverine, estuarine, and coastal ecosystems. The primary

threats come from physical destruction of wetland and other habitats, alteration of freshwater

flows, eutrophication, and destructive fishing methods. For example, logging contributes to

siltation and can destroy salmon spawning habitat upriver and impede their migratory paths.

Construction of marinas and docking facilities as well as dredging and the disposal of

dredged material in estuaries and bays also cause significant habitat impacts. Loss of aquatic

habitat (e.g., coastal wetlands or seagrass and kelp beds) resulting from development

adversely affects a variety of food webs that are important to adults and juveniles of many

marine and anadromous species. Propeller damage to shallow vegetated and non-vegetated

habitats not only causes a direct loss of habitat, but results in destabilization of these areas,

resulting in increased habitat loss and increased sediment re-suspension and turbidity.

Diminution in freshwater volume and flow rates stem from damming and diversions of major

rivers impacting nearshore ecosystems adapted to seasonal discharges of freshwater.

Destructive fishing methods can damage EFH and coral reefs. In the past, extremely

damaging fishing practices that employed explosives or poisons were prevalent in some

Pacific and Caribbean islands. These are now almost universally outlawed, but poaching by

these methods remains a problem in remote regions of the western Pacific islands.

12
Nutrient enrichment and eutrophication have a major impact on fish populations in estuarine

and coastal waters. This impact is manifested by hypoxia/anoxia accompanying the death of

phytoplankton populations (Gulf of Mexico dead zone off of the Mississippi River and

western Long Island Sound) and loss of inshore habitat (replacement of eelgrass beds by

macroalgae or loss of eelgrass beds due to shading by epiphytes or phytoplankton -

Chesapeake Bay, Waiquiot Bay, Lake Pontchartrain).

NMFS will engage in a variety of research initiatives to study the effects of natural and manmade environmental changes on living marine resources and the related ecosystem, social,

and economic causes and effects, including:

 • Determination of the cumulative effects of watershed and regional land cover and

changes in that land cover on EFH.

 • Ecosystem monitoring for habitat degradation and resource surveys by satellite remote

sensing and shipboard and moored instrumentation.

 • Development of rationales/methodologies to detect and quantify habitat loss.

 • Establishment of a GIS database to document and track habitat loss.

 • Development of methodologies to detect and quantify the effects of habitat alterations

on fishery populations.

 • Laboratory and field research to identify the probable results of contaminant inputs and

habitat alterations that significantly affect important fishery species.

 • Development of molecular genetic techniques to assess the fitness of fishery organisms.

 • Development of models (descriptive and predictive) to assess the risk posed by

contaminants and habitat alterations to fishery populations.

 • Analysis and synthesis of existing environmental and fishery data that are available on

fishery habitat types and fishery populations.

 • Cooperation with fishers in assessing habitat changes over the past decade.

 • Assessment of current economic and social incentives for habitat protection or

degradation.

II. Conservation Engineering Research

Conservation engineering research is intended to make fishing gear more efficient by

decreasing fishing costs, bycatch mortality, and habitat destruction. It is also intended to

improve the data provided by scientific surveys of fish populations. This area includes

research on gear performance and fish behavior used in the development of selective fishing

gear to reduce bycatch. Bycatch is responsible for the death of millions of juvenile finfish,

including red drum, red snapper, weakfish, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel. It is

estimated that 38 million red snapper are discarded per year. The Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) estimates that one-third of the world’s 16 billion lbs. of bycatch comes

from shrimp fishing. The most recent studies of bycatch estimate that the ratio of bycatch to

13
shrimp landed is between 3:1 to 4:1, although older studies documented a 10:1 bycatch to

catch ratio. The worldwide bycatch ratio for all fisheries is 0.35 lb to 1 lb. of target species.

Since few discarded fish survive, bycatch constitutes a problem for fishery managers because

it represents both an unaccounted mortality in fisheries and an economic loss to harvesters

and the Nation. For instance, fishers in another fishery might target the discarded species, or

fishers in the same fishery might be able to keep those same fish when they are older or

larger. Recreational discards are another source of fishing mortality. Information is needed

to determine proportions of discards in different recreational fisheries and assess associated

release mortality. Additionally, NMFS will encourage research on ways to increase the

survival of recreational releases. Bycatch reduction, then, is critical for the continued

existence of healthy fisheries, and is especially critical when the bycatch includes protected

species. NMFS conducts research at several of its laboratories on populations of ESA-listed

and marine mammals. Stocks of listed species and marine mammals have interactions,

primarily as bycatch, with species managed under the MSFCMA. As such, research

conducted to support requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine

Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) also make an important contribution to supporting

conservation and management requirements of the MSFCMA. Along with incentives and

other management strategies, one solution to bycatch reduction lies with the design and

operation of selective fishing gears that encompass knowledge of species behavior, gear

hydrodynamics, and fishing practices.

Bycatch levels and control measures continue to occupy the attention of most fishery

management actions of all regional FMCs. Even when apparent solutions are found, the

dynamics and abundance of marine species change in time and area, which can shift the

character of the problems and require continuous adjustments to their solutions. NMFS will

continue to conduct studies to determine the magnitude of bycatch of overfished stocks, and

options to reduce it. The options may require the design of new types of fishing gear that are

more selective for the targeted species. This approach is known as “conservation

engineering” and NMFS will work in cooperation with the fishing industry and gear

manufacturers to find designs that meet conservation needs while recognizing the financial

constraints of fishermen.

To determine when gear modifications are the most appropriate response to bycatch

problems, NMFS will study existing programs such as the Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs)

in the Gulf of Mexico and Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) to exclude finfish from Gulf

shrimp trawls and from Northern shrimp trawls in New England. By understanding the

successes and setbacks in these and other settings, NMFS will be better able to coordinate

gear research with the social, economic, and institutional constraints of specific fisheries.

14
Experimental work with selective fishing gear involves considerable field work on board

fishing vessels working under actual fishing conditions. Most trawl gear evaluation includes

an alternate tow approach, varying which net is fishing with the experimental gear and

comparing the catch results using statistical tests. Underwater cameras allow for

examination of the behavioral mechanisms and gear variations that would account for the

catch differences.

Growing controversy over the impact fishing gear is having on EFH has resulted in a need to

evaluate the impacts. Effects from fishing may include physical disturbance of the substrate,

and loss of and injury to, benthic organisms, prey species and their habitat, and other

components of the ecosystem. Experiments are being designed to assess the potential effects

of all fishing gear types used in waters described as EFH. These studies will include the use

of remote underwater cameras, divers, abundance studies, and perhaps research closure areas

for comparison. If an adverse effect is identified and determined to be an impediment to

reaching target long-term production levels, then the research needed to quantify and

mitigate that effect would be the next logical step.

Growing concern over the impacts of bycatch on stocks resulted in the development of a

NMFS Bycatch Plan which is available for request or through NMFS website (http://

kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/bycatch). This plan was compiled by agency experts with experience

in fishery management, stock assessment and social sciences. It includes proposed national

bycatch objectives, specific recommendations concerning data collection, evaluation and

management actions necessary to attain the objectives, and a comprehensive assessment of

the state of bycatch in the Nation’s marine fisheries. The latter is intended to serve as a

benchmark from which progress in bycatch reduction can be measured.

The NMFS is committed to maximizing the research contribution of the fishing industry and

other non-government participants in the fisheries. Across the NMFS Regions, the industry

is providing advice in research planning, in formal reviews of research programs, and where

possible, in research operations. Examples of research involvement includes: (1) provision

of chartered vessels and crew for surveys and bycatch gear development, (2) keeping

logbooks of species catches - including bycatch, and (3) industry efforts to develop gear,

gear modifications, and fishing practices to reduce bycatch.

The Saltonstall-Kennedy Program has had direct industry involvement and investment since

its inception decades ago. Industry members submit proposals, usually with strong cost

sharing, to conduct research in conservation engineering, development of fisheries for

underutilized species to relieve pressure on traditional species, and to improve the after-catch

utilization of nearly all species.

15
III. Research on the Fisheries

In 1993, of the 163 U.S. fisheries whose biological status could be assessed, 40% were

classified as overutilized and 43% were fully utilized. Drastic measures have been

implemented to halt the decline in stock levels in some of these fisheries. Causes typically

cited for the declines include overfishing, deteriorating environmental conditions, loss of

habitat, and changing oceanographic conditions. Those fisheries that are considered

biologically healthy, such as Alaska pollock and other Alaska groundfish are harvested at

high levels. However, the high levels are achieved by increasingly more and larger vessels

fishing during shorter and shorter seasons. These inefficiencies result in tremendous

economic costs to the Nation.

III.A. Social and economic research

Social and economic information has become increasingly important in addressing fishery

conservation and management issues. Federal law and NMFS policy require social and

economic assessments of proposed regulatory or policy changes. The U.S. fishing fleet,

however, is quite diverse in terms of sizes and gear types. Vessel sizes and types vary

significantly between fisheries as well as between geographic areas. One consequence of the

size and diversity of the harvest sector is that management of all U.S. fisheries with a single

policy is not feasible. Even individual fleets are quite diverse, and each fishery has unique

biological, economic, and sociological characteristics that make broad-based policy

impractical. For example, vessel sizes, gear types, crew sizes, and processing, marketing and

distributional arrangements vary significantly among fisheries and geographic areas.

Educational levels, household dependence on fishing, preferred target species and fishing

patterns differ across fisheries and fishing communities. Levels and types of social, cultural

and economic dependence on fisheries vary by community and region. Management

decisions must reflect the needs of many different groups, including commercial and

recreational fishers, subsistence fishing communities, non-consumptive users, Pacific

Islanders, and Native American tribes, many of which have treaties with the United States

guaranteeing certain fishing rights. NMFS must consider efficiency, minimize costs, avoid

unnecessary waste and duplication, and allocate harvest restrictions and recovery benefits

fairly among all users, while minimizing adverse economic impacts on fishing communities,

as consistent with our conservation objectives. Adequate consideration of these factors

requires that NMFS have available to it sufficient background information about fishing

communities for adequate social and economic impact assessments.

To achieve this, models will require new data on a number of sectors, including the

following:

 • The U.S. commercial harvesting sector - Detailed social and economic analyses of the

majority of U.S. fisheries will be conducted to determine current social and economic

16
costs and benefits in the harvest of living marine resources, and determine methods to

maximize net benefits through innovative management alternatives.

 • The U.S. seafood processing/wholesale sector - The processing and wholesale sectors

are an integral part of the seafood industry. As in the harvesting sector, technological

innovations advance the processing and distribution of seafood. NMFS will continue

to collect annual data to determine the total number of processing and wholesaling

plants, the number of people employed, and the total volume and value processed.

NMFS will also develop econometric models of the processing sector, determine the

effect of common property resources on capital investment, and increase research on

social and economic relationships among processors and wholesalers, and between

these and harvesters, in order to better understand the cultural and other institutional

influences on the structure of seafood markets.

 • The U.S. trade sector - The U.S. plays a major role in the international seafood market,

importing and exporting billions of dollars worth of seafood each year. The U.S.

seafood trade market in part reflects conditions in its domestic fisheries. NMFS will

conduct an annual survey to determine our share of the international seafood trade

market, and determine how trade agreements impact our Nation’s competitiveness in

this arena.

 • Retail demand for seafood - Social and economic forces in the United States over time

have influenced the current makeup of the seafood industry. Population, real per

capita income and the prices of substitutes are three factors that economic theory

suggests should explain the aggregate demand for seafood. NMFS will conduct

studies to gain a greater understanding of the responsiveness of consumers to changes

in prices and quality, their willingness to substitute among various seafood products

and other protein sources, their readiness to purchase imported products, and the

responsiveness of fish and fishery product prices to changes in harvest levels.

 • The U.S. recreational harvesting sector - The recreational and commercial fishing

sectors are interdependent and have much in common. Policies aimed at regulating

one group almost always impact the other and often affect other sectors of the marine

fishing industry. NMFS will assess the net economic and social benefits from various

allocation scenarios using estimation of anglers’ consumer surplus, commercial fishers’ producer surplus, and, theoretically, the consumer surplus for commercial catch as

well.

 • U.S. commercial fisheries - NMFS will conduct empirical research using both qualitative and quantitative techniques of the fisheries, including vessel owners, crew, U.S.

fish processors, associated shoreside employment, and fishing communities to model

and assess social, cultural, and economic factors related to community dependence on

fisheries.

 • The U.S. recreational fisheries - NMFS will conduct empirical research using both

qualitative and quantitative techniques of the fisheries, including fishermen, fishery

support sector, associated shoreside fishery employment, and fishing communities to

17
model and assess social, cultural, and economic factors related to community dependence on the fishery.

 • U.S. subsistence and traditional use fisheries - NMFS will conduct empirical research

using both qualitative and quantitative techniques of the fisheries, including alternative

sources of protein and cultural and ritual uses of the harvested living marine resources

to model and assess social, cultural, and economic factors related to community

dependence on the fishery.

 • Fishing communities - NMFS will collect or acquire from other sources qualitative

ethnographic, demographic, and economic data important for the social and economic

profiling of fishing communities, including opportunity costs, social structure, and

ethnohistorical data, and other data needed for input-output models and analyses of

distributional effects of alternative management policies.

 • Economic impact analyses - NMFS will collect or acquire from other sources the cost

and earning data necessary for Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) and Initial Regulatory

Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) studies.

 • Social impact assessment - NMFS will collect or acquire from other sources

ethnographic data related to fishing decision-making processes of captains; investment

decision-making processes of owners; information flows within the fishery; and the

differential effects of management policies on various subsets of the fishing industry

such as absentee owners, captain-owners, and crew members, full-time and part-time

fishers, fishers with different household compositions, large vessels and the

undertonnage fleet, those who target single species or complexes, and those who fish

different gears and species by season.

 • Overcapacity - Assess current levels of capacity of U.S. commercial fleets (including

charter/party vessels), determine optimal levels, and develop approaches to solving the

problem of over-capitalization.

III.B. Full utilization of harvested fish

The ultimate destination of harvested and processed fish, not used for feed and fertilizer, is

the seafood consumer. Consumer demand essentially drives the fishing industry; consumers’

preferences and their willingness to pay for fish are major determinants of which species are

caught and sold in the marketplace. The preferences for seafood have been changing over

time. Changes in technology in the harvest and processing sectors have increased the

availability of fresh and frozen seafood to consumers. One obstacle to increased utilization

of harvested fish is consumer concern over seafood safety. It is thus especially important to

determine how best to minimize consumer risk from seafood consumption and to determine

potential losses in consumer surplus due to contaminated seafood (e.g., from toxins, oil spills

or outbreaks of diseases in harvest areas).

18
The NMFS will take several actions to decrease the contamination of harvested fish,

including the following:

 • Improve techniques to detect biotoxins, microbial, and chemical contaminants.

 • Conduct research on the sources and distribution of contaminants, and their

bioaccumulation in animal tissues.

 • Estimate the amount and value of seafood that is lost through contamination, the cost of

human illnesses associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood, and the shift

in demand caused by perceptions related to contaminated seafood.

III.C. Marine Aquaculture

The importance of marine aquaculture, both in the U.S. and throughout the world, is widely

recognized. The production limits of wild stock are being reached and most of the increased

global production of fisheries products for the last decade have come from aquaculture. In

many countries aquaculture is progressing more rapidly than in the U.S. In the U.S.,

aquaculture production has reached over 300,000 metric tons per year, with a value of $800

million. Although aquaculture accounts for more than 22% of the value of our total landings,

it makes up only 8% of the landed volume. World-wide, 20% of all fisheries products come

from aquaculture, and 25% of all fish used for food.

There is significant potential to increase U.S. marine aquaculture or mariculture production,

especially in closed systems on land, and in the EEZ. However, there are technical,

environmental and socio-economic impediments that need to be addressed by basic and

applied research and through an examination of policies. NMFS has scientific expertise that

can be applied to all of these issues. NMFS has had a long history in aquaculture research

and development, stretching back into the last century, and has made major contributions to

the progress of aquaculture both domestically and internationally. Also, NMFS has

environmental stewardship responsibilities and the expertise to assess the appropriate role of

mariculture and its potential impacts on wildstocks and habitat quality. Finally, NMFS has

certain responsibilities for permitting aquaculture projects, and it is important to use good

science as a basis for establishing a clear policy for permitting decisions.

In addition to food production, aquaculture can also play a role in enhancing wildstock

populations, assisting in recovery plans for protected species and can be used to produce nonfood products such as ornamental fish, baitfish and drugs and pharmaceuticals. Expanded

mariculture production in the U.S. has the potential to reduce the pressure on wildstock

harvest and help in the rebuilding efforts for those stocks.

To ensure that mariculture progresses in an environmentally sound manner, NMFS will

concentrate its mariculture research activities in the following broad areas:

19
 • Develop aquaculture technology to improve production systems and safeguard the

environment.

 • Evaluate and develop commercially viable technology for new candidate species for

aquaculture.

 • Determine the requirements for the siting of aquaculture operations in the EEZ.

 • Develop effective enhancement strategies for aquatic species to help recover wildstock

fisheries and endangered species.

 • Integrate aquaculture development with the management of wildstocks, threatened and

endangered species and protect the environment to maximize the value of our aquatic

resources for the benefit of the nation.

 • Help develop world standards for environmentally sound and sustainable aquaculture.

 • Conduct research on the effects of mariculture on habitat and develop environmentally

safe alternatives.

 • Evaluate the risk to wild stocks and their habitats from the introduction of cultured

stocks.

 • Develop the capability to distinguish cultured stocks from wild populations.

 • Develop environmentally safe protocols for disease prevention.

 • Assess the effectiveness of aquaculture as an alternative employment source for fishers

in over-exploited fisheries.

IV. Information Management Research

Title IV (Fishery Monitoring and Research) Section 401 (Registration and Information

Management) of the MSFCMA requires the Secretary of Commerce to deliver a proposal to

Congress in January 1998, that recommends an implementation strategy for the development

and integration of a standardized fishing vessel registration and fisheries information system

(the “system”). The Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 (SFA) requires that the system

include and integrate all fisheries information required under all applicable National Marine

Fisheries Service (NMFS) statutory and regulatory requirements, including but not limited to

MSFCMA, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the

Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act. This section of SFA also states that

the proposal will be developed in consultation with the Coast Guard, the states, the regional

FMCs, the interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions, and any other key governmental,

nongovernmental organizations, or interested stakeholders. The proposal for the system must

be published in the Federal Register for public comment, in preparation for submission of the

proposal to Congress in January 1998.

The proposal shall address NMFS statutory requirements for fisheries information, as well as

incorporate mutual needs of states and tribes who wish to participate in the system. The

fisheries information system will include information from both commercial and recreational

fisheries, while the vessel registration system is to address commercial vessels only. The

20
need to register all recreational fishing vessels will be evaluated. The current development of

the NMFS Core Statistics Program will be used to generate information required by NMFS,

while existing State/Federal cooperative statistics planning programs (the Atlantic Coast

Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) and Pacific and Southwest Fisheries Information

Networks (PacFIN, AKFIN), ComFin(Southeast), RecFIN(Pacific and Southeast) will be

used to identify mutual information needs for states and the Federal government. In addition,

gaps in information needs not yet identified by these programs will be identified through

consultation with affected user groups. In addition to defining the requirements of the

“system”, at least one prototype component of the “System” will be developed to

demonstrate the benefits of integrated systems to internal and external stakeholders.

The proposal is expected to include the following:

 • Recommendations for standardization of vessel registration and information collection

systems required by SFA and other state and Federal enabling legislation.

- Establishing standardized units of measurement, nomenclature, and formats for the

collection, submission and management of data.

- Establishing procedures for requiring commercial and recreational fishermen and ex

vessel purchasers to participate in collection and reporting of fisheries information.

- Inclusion of all species and all commercial fishing vessels (including charter fishing

vessels) within the geographic areas of authority of the FMCs.

- Assessing the desirability or necessity of creation of a vessel registration system for

recreational fishing vessels (not including charter fishing vessels).

 • Recommendations for integrating information collection programs under existing FMPs

and integrating other state, tribal, and Federal fishery information systems to reduce

avoid duplication and minimize paperwork and other burdens on affected parties.

 • Recommendations on mechanisms and vehicles through which stakeholders and

industry participants can effectively implement new, integrated systems.

 • Estimates of costs and possible funding mechanisms and schedules associated with

implementing the recommendations for the system.

 • Recommendations for modification of statutory impediments to implementation of the

system or modifications of statutes to enable implementation of the system.

Major Fishery Research Goals and Objectives

All Federal agencies operate in an environment of limited resources, budgetary constraints,

and increasing demands. It is very clear that in order to succeed in accomplishing our

ambitious set of fishery research goals and objectives, NMFS needs to increase its partnering

activities with other Federal agencies as well as with other NOAA line offices and their

programs (such as Sea Grant, the National Undersea Research Program, and the Coastal

Ocean Program), state and local authorities, universities, Native American tribes, Pacific

Islanders, the commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental groups, and

21
international organizations. NMFS is committed to strengthening existing relationships and

building new ones.

The major fishery research goals and objectives can be found under the goals and objectives

in the NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan (FSP), published in May 1997. To facilitate cross

reference, the corresponding FSP strategy or foundation number follows each fishery

research objective found below.

GOAL 1: Provide scientifically sound information and data to support fishery

conservation and management. (Ongoing)

Objective 1.1: Periodically assess stocks to ascertain whether changes in their status due

to natural or human-related causes have occurred. These stock assessments require

adequate fishery monitoring and resource surveys. (FSP Strategy 1.1.1)

Objective 1.2: Use stock assessments to predict future trends in stock status. Forecasts

will take into account projected biological productivity, as well as economic market, and

social forces that will affect levels of fishing effort. (FSP Strategy 1.1.2)

Objective 1.3: Determine and reduce the level of uncertainty associated with stock

assessments through improved data collection and advanced analytical techniques. (FSP

Strategy 1.2.1)

Objective 1.4: Use stock assessment workshops and other fora to ensure that our

information and advice are developed through an open and collaborative process. (FSP

Strategy 1.2.2)

Objective 1.5: Communicate our scientific information and advice, along with the

associated uncertainties, to the Councils and other management authorities, and to other

interested parties. (FSP Strategy 1.1.3)

Objective 1.6: Collaborate with the Councils and other management authorities to

develop fishery management regimes that will effectively control exploitation. (FSP

Strategy 1.1.4)

Objective 1.7: Provide guidelines to assist the Councils in assessing and specifying

maximum sustainable yield for managed fisheries. (FSP Strategy 1.1.5)

22
Objective 1.8: Work with the Councils to develop objective and measurable criteria for

each managed stock to determine if the stock is overfished or approaching an overfished

condition. (FSP Strategy 2.1.1)

Objective 1.9: For each stock which is overfished or approaching an overfished

condition, we will develop, in collaboration with the Councils, measures to eliminate or

prevent the overfishing. (FSP Strategy 2.1.2)

Objective 1.10: Establish guidelines to assist the Councils in the description and

identification of EFH, as defined and mandated by the SFA. (FSP Strategy 2.3.1)

Objective 1.11: Establish an inventory of living marine resource habitats (tied to Our

Living Oceans) and implement measures to monitor the trends in habitat availability.

(FSP Strategy 7.3.3)

Objective 1.12: Establish criteria to define and delineate marine, estuarine, and riverine

ecosystems for management purposes, and identify indicators for assessing the status

and detecting changes in the health of such ecosystems. (FSP Strategy 7.3.2)

Objective 1.13: Define the key aspects of vital habitat functions and increase our

understanding of how they affect marine and anadromous species and how they are

affected by human activities. This will involve the development of new methods of

evaluating the quality and productivity of restored habitats, as well as improved

restoration and creation technologies, including contaminant remediation, to ensure that

created habitats are effective. (FSP Strategy 7.3.1)

GOAL 2: Through conservation engineering research contribute to efforts to reduce

bycatch and adverse effects on EFH, promote efficient harvest of target species, and to

improve the data from fishery surveys. (Ongoing)

Objective 2.1: Identify and assess the magnitude of incidental takes of protected marine

species. (FSP Strategy 6.1.1)

Objective 2.2: Establish sustainable levels of takes for all protected marine species and

continue to improve the estimates of these levels through ecologically sound research.

(FSP Strategy 6.1.2)

Objective 2.3: Work through domestic and international cooperative relationships with

industry and environmental groups, including take reduction teams, special task forces,

and other needed scientific collaborations. (FSP Strategy 6.1.3)

23
Objective 2.4: Explore, develop, and implement new technologies and practices for

reducing detrimental interactions. When such technologies could reduce detrimental

effects both to and from protected species in other nations these technologies will be

made available to those nations. (FSP Strategy 6.1.5)

Objective 2.5: Establish a standardized reporting methodology to assess the amount and

type of bycatch occurring in each fishery covered by an FMP. (FSP Strategy 3.4.1)

Objective 2.6: Work in cooperation with the fishing industry and gear manufacturers to

improving gear selectivity, design and field test new gear designs and modifications, and

evaluate gear regulations. (FSP Strategy 3.4.2)

GOAL 3: Through ecological research on marine communities and ecosystems, and

fishery research provide scientific information and data to increase long-term economic

and social benefits to the Nation from living marine resources. (FY 2003)

Objective 3.1: Develop social and economic models and collect the data needed to

measure net economic and social benefits to the Nation from living marine resources.

(FSP Strategy 3.1.1)

Objective 3.2: Assist the Councils in reviewing optimum yield levels for consistency

with the revised definition in the Sustainable Fisheries Act. (FSP Strategy 3.2.1)

Objective 3.4: Work with the National Academy of Sciences to develop a

comprehensive report on individual fishing quota programs, including recommendations

to implement a national policy with respect to such programs. (FSP Strategy 3.3.3)

Objective 3.5. Study new candidate species for culture through their complete life

cycle to determine which are economically and biologically suitable for commercial

culture or wild stock enhancement. (FSP Strategy 4.1.1)

Objective 3.6: Determine requirements for the siting of aquaculture operations in the

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). (FSP Strategy 4.4.1)

Objective 3.7: Work with the aquaculture industry to develop, identify, evaluate, and

transfer technologies that are appropriate to both efficient aquaculture production and

environmental protection. (FSP Strategy 4.5.1)

GOAL 4: Improve the fishery information management system. (FY 2003)

24
Objective 4.1: Develop recommendations for implementation of a standardized fishing

vessel registration and information management system which will include all

commercial and charter fishing vessels within the geographic authority of the Councils,

and make recommendations regarding the inclusion or exclusion of recreational fishing

vessels. (FSP Strategy 3.3.2)

Objective 4.2: Provide the NMFS Core Statistic Program. (FSP Foundation F1.10)

Goal 5: Improve the effectiveness of external partnerships with fishers, managers,

scientists, conservationists, and other interested groups to build a balanced approach to

addressing fisheries research. NMFS and its partners must develop ways to strengthen

and expand cooperative relationships to meet common fisheries research goals.

(Ongoing)

Objective 5.1: Promote a cooperative network of partners in the coordination of

fisheries research.

Objective 5.2: Develop infrastructure for long-term, continuous working relationships

with partners to address fisheries research issues.

Objective 5.3: Sponsor symposia and conferences for partners to exchange information

and identify major fisheries research initiatives.

Objective 5.4: Solicit partners’ views on fisheries research needs.

25
APPENDIX A: NMFS SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE

The National Marine Fisheries Service is the NOAA line office responsible for the

stewardship of the Nation’s living marine resources. It has five (5) Regional Offices which

are responsible for ensuring that these resources are managed conservatively to benefit the

nation without jeopardizing options for the future. NMFS also has five (5) Regional Science

Centers, composed of about 30 laboratory facilities nationwide and over 1500 scientific and

support personnel, which conduct a comprehensive, interdisciplinary science program. The

scope of their work is broad in time, space, and discipline. Research at NMFS laboratories

provides resource managers in NOAA, Fishery Management Councils, and other agencies

with the scientific basis for informed marine resource management decisions for sustainable

fisheries, protected resources, endangered species, and habitat.

Because fisheries are managed on a regional basis, the focus of NMFS research programs

varies among the regional Science Centers. It is the responsibility of each Science Center

Director and his/her Division Chiefs to develop annual research priorities, based upon

regional and national needs, through dialogue with his/her Regional Administrator, with the

Program Offices in NMFS headquarters, and with user groups and other interested parties.

Within each Science Center, teams of researchers work together with their group leader to

develop a research plan for the group.

NMFS’ longer-term integrated research program is coordinated with the headquarters’ Office

of Science and Technology. The Science Board, composed of the five (5) Science Center

Directors and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, is responsible for

ensuring the integrity and quality of scientific research. The NMFS Science Board addresses

national science issues and programs and develops national science policy for the agency.

All components of the science enterprise function to provide the agency with information

that is comprehensive, objective, credible, and effectively communicated.

The NMFS science program has extensive collaborations with academia, many through

cooperative agreements and grants. These partnerships are important because they enhance

and extend NMFS’ research capability. Many NMFS scientists serve as adjunct professors at

nearby universities. This relationship offers intellectual stimulation and challenges for

agency scientists to remain on the cutting edge, while expanding the teaching capability of

the university and bringing NMFS expertise into the academic community. Academic

scientists also play an important role in the periodic review and evaluation of the quality and

relevance of NMFS research programs. The Science Centers work in cooperation with other

Federal and state agencies, international entities, nongovernmental organizations, and the

private sector, including the fishing industry.

26
Some major research initiatives focus on the needs of the fisheries industry and are

performed in cooperation with industry. For instance, joint studies of harvesting methods

and development of more effective fishing gear are reducing wasteful bycatch. Seafood

science research is aimed at proper handling of seafood to prevent crises in microbial or

chemical seafood contamination and at developing technology for full utilization of

harvested fish. Other research initiatives focus on needs of the FMCs and NMFS Habitat

Conservation field offices to meet their scientific and management mandates under the EFH

provisions of the MSFCMA.

GOALS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE

The mission of NMFS scientific enterprise is to ensure that the scientific information

disseminated by the National Marine Fisheries Service is of the highest quality. During the

next five years NMFS will accomplish this by meeting the following goals and objectives:

 Improve Scientific Capability

• Develop new science-based resource assessment and management techniques,

including multi-species, habitat-linked and limited access approaches to living marine

resource conservation and management. (Ongoing)

• Increase our ability to incorporate economic and social factors into our decisionmaking. This includes expanding the publication Our Living Oceans to include economic

and sociocultural assessments of the Nation’s fisheries. (FY 1997)

• Increase our ability to predict natural living marine resource variation through

improved data collection and coordinated bio-socio-economic modeling, which will result in

more accurate assessments and estimations of the uncertainty associated with them.

(Ongoing)

• Increase our ability to identify, protect, and restore those habitats essential to

managed fishery resources and to estimate the impact of pollution, wetland and estuarine

degradation, and fishing gear on the abundance and availability of fish. (Ongoing)

Increase Science Quality Assurance

• Implement policies to ensure that our science programs, analyses, and products are

sound, credible, and provide an objective basis for management. (Ongoing)

27
• Improve our professional standards for research and scientific advice by establishing

national guidelines for technical program and staff performance evaluations,

performance award programs, and professional career development opportunities.

(FY 1998)

• Expand and improve our system for peer review of scientific advice by establishing

panels of knowledgeable scientists from both within and outside government. (FY

1998)

• Solicit input from external scientists in topical areas when identifying research

initiatives for the various NMFS grant programs. (FY 1998)

 Improve Fishery Research Capability

• Implement our vessel replacement plan that integrates government, university, and

industry vessel capabilities to provide the state-of-the-art facilities necessary for the

advancement of our varied at-sea research programs. (FY 1998-2005)

 Improve Data Collection

• Improve our data collection and analysis techniques and systems. (Ongoing)

• Improve our fishery management data systems. (Ongoing)

• Provide a core fishery statistics program based on our strategic and operational needs.

(FY 1998)

Increase Outreach/Information Dissemination

• Involve constituents in research programs. To the extent practicable, NMFS will

charter fishing vessels to participate in research projects, invite constituents to

participate aboard NOAA research vessels during resource surveys, encourage

frequent contact and cooperation between scientists and constituents, and develop

methods to incorporate scientifically valid observations by fishers and others into fish

stock assessments and other analyses related to living marine resources and their

habitat. (Ongoing)

• Provide a forum for educating user groups and answering questions concerning how

NMFS research is conducted and how stock assessments are performed. (FY 1997)

• Develop a new series of reports and presentations to communicate scientific results in

simplified language that is easier to understand than traditional scientific publications.

(FY 1997-2000)

28
 Support International Fishery Science

• Participate in international scientific initiatives, such as the UN Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Program for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and

Fauna (CAFF), Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living

Resources (CCAMLR), Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), Global

Oceans Observing Program (GOOS), North Pacific Marine Science Organization

(PICES), International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) and Global

Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC). (Ongoing)

• Participate in bilateral scientific initiatives with neighboring countries, Canada and

Mexico, and in scientific exchange programs with foreign countries which are

developing their fishery resources. (Ongoing)

NMFS FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTERS

The National Marine Fisheries Service is a world leader in fisheries research. Each year the

agency uses harvest and survey data to assess the status and trends of more than 231

commercially valuable fish and shellfish stocks. The NMFS Science Centers provide the

stock assessment information and management advice to support the NOAA stewardship

mission for the living marine resources in their regions. These cross-disciplinary efforts are

being undertaken in cooperation with other Federal and state agencies, international

organizations, the fishing industry, and academia, and are based on long-standing cooperative

research. In addition to these basic responsibilities, each regional Science Center has unique

research capabilities.

ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (AFSC)

The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) has facilities in Seattle, Washington; Newport,

Oregon; Auke Bay, Alaska; and in Kodiak, Alaska. The Center has an annual budget of

approximately $30 M and a staff of 310 employees. The NOAA ships Miller Freeman and

John N. Cobb, supplemented by private charter vessels and foreign research vessels, are used

to support research activities. The majority of the budget and duties of employees (roughly

80% of both) are focused on research which directly supports the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act and its mandates.

The AFSC conducts fisheries research in the coastal waters off Alaska and the U.S. West

Coast. This region of nearly 3 million square miles includes over 50% of the U.S. coastline

and over 70% of the U.S. continental shelf. These waters, including the eastern North Pacific

29
Ocean, Gulf of Alaska, and eastern Bering Sea, support some of the most important

commercial fisheries in the world including groundfish and Pacific salmon. These waters are

also home to some of the world’s largest populations of marine mammals and seabirds.

Scientists from the AFSC conduct field and laboratory research to help conserve and manage

the region’s living marine resources as mandated by the MSFCMA, Marine Mammal

Protection Act, and Endangered Species Act. Center scientists study the life histories and

ecology of the region’s living marine resources. They also estimate the size and value of

commercial fishery resources, monitor fishing operations, provide information on protected

species such as marine mammals, study the physical and biological properties of freshwater,

estuarine, and marine environments, and provide economic analyses of existing and proposed

conservation and management measures. Center scientists interact with their counterparts in

Canada, Japan, Russia, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, China, and other nations.

The AFSC has a history of habitat/fisheries research, including the impacts of oil pollution

and logging on habitat. Some of these studies have resulted in the passage of new laws,

settlement of allocation disputes, and restoration activities. Much of this work has been softfunded by other agencies, including ongoing restoration work that is funded by the Exxon

Valdez Trustee Council. In recent years, the Center’s habitat research has expanded to assess

environmental impacts from trawling and other issues related to EFH. AFSC scientists use

expertise in stock identification, tagging, use of parasite markers, and genetic technologies to

study carrying capacity and habitat utilization by living marine resources.

The Center also provides scientific data and technical advice to the Pacific and North Pacific

Fishery Management Councils, to U.S. representatives participating in international fishery

negotiations, and to the fishing industry and its constituents.

The AFSC consists of the Auke Bay Laboratory (ABL), the National Marine Mammal

Laboratory (NMML), the Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division

(RACE), the Resource Ecology and Fisheries Management Division (REFM), and support

and administrative services.

The AFSC’s role as a provider of scientific information on which to base decisions for the

conservation of the region’s living marine resources is a virtual partnership involving many

organizations, both private and public, working together to accomplish the research and

conservation goals of the Center’s research programs. Cooperators include other

organizations within NOAA, other Federal and state agencies, academic institutions, foreign

nations, and the fishing industry. In particular, the fishing industry is involved with the

Center’s research program through participation in resource surveys that use chartered

vessels, service as members of an advisory committee to the fisheries observer program and

30
working cooperatively with the scientists in the Conservation Engineering Program and the

Economics Program.

The Center provides the scientific information necessary to manage the following fisheries

under Federal management:

Groundfish Fishery - Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands

(Major Species 14)

(Minor Species 20)

Groundfish Fishery - Gulf of Alaska

(Major Species 14)

(Minor Species 37)

King and Tanner Crab Fisheries - Bering Sea-Aleutian Islands

High Seas Salmon Fishery

Pacific Halibut Fishery

Scallop Fishery

West Coast Fishery

Major scientific programs include:

• Acoustic, trawl and longline surveys to assess the status, distribution, and

abundance of groundfish and shellfish stocks;

• Fishing gear performance and fish behavioral studies to reduce bycatch and

bycatch mortality of prohibited, undersized, or unmarketable species, and

understand performance of survey gear.

• Investigation of mortality and pathogens of shellfish and groundfish;

• Fisheries Oceanography Coordinated Investigations (FOCI): Cooperative

research with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory of NOAA’s Oceanic

and Atmospheric Research Office to investigate the causes of variation in annual

recruitment in fish stocks;

• A fishery observer program for domestic vessels and shore-side processing

plants;

• Development of age and growth information used in stock assessments;

• Stock assessments on groundfish and shellfish and research to improve these

assessments and their ecological scope;

31
• Collection and analysis of information on trophic interactions;

• Analyses of conservation and management measures and research to improve

them;

• Assessments of the economic performance of the Alaska groundfish and halibut

fisheries and research to improve these assessments;

• Identification of essential fish habitat.

• Analyses on the interactions of marine mammals with fisheries including

research on impacts of pinniped predation on ESA-listed salmon;

• Studies on the growth, distribution, behavior, and early marine survival of

salmon;

• Research on chinook salmon enhancement technology;

• Studies on determination of effects of oil on the biology, homing, and survival

of pink salmon;

• Development of genetic baseline information on salmonids and groundfish to

identify stocks or country of origin;

• Studies on impacts of logging, urbanization, mining, and fishing gear;

• Damage assessment and restoration studies related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NWFSC)

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) is located in Seattle, WA. There are

five field stations: Manchester, Mukilteo and Pasco, Washington; and Newport and Pt.

Hammond, Oregon. The Center employs about 220 scientists and support staff, of which

140 are involved with MSFCMA-related research. The annual research budget for

MSFCMA-related research at the Center is $16.7 M, including reimbursable funding

from Federal co-managers for critical work on endangered and depleted salmon

populations and habitat restoration efforts. In FY 1996, approximately $1.5 M was

awarded in contracts and grants to universities, state agencies, and the private sector for

support of MSFCMA research. Several small vessels are owned by the Center for

32
conducting field studies in Puget Sound, WA (RV Harold Streeter) and the Columbia

River area (RV Sea Otter, RV Nerka, RV Columbia).

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center provides the scientific base for sustainable

fisheries research in the Pacific Northwest, focusing primarily on Pacific salmon and the

west coast groundfish fishery. Center scientists have pioneered new methodologies for

monitoring and survival estimation of juvenile and adult salmon, particularly in the Snake

and Columbia Rivers; have developed enhancement strategies to sustain growth of

depressed salmonid populations; and are investigating the factors limiting Pacific salmon

populations in estuarine, coastal, and ocean environments. Center staff are leading

experts in developing and implementing genetic tools for identifying salmonid and other

populations, determining mixed-stock components of terminal and high-seas fisheries,

and evaluating the effects of artificial propagation on natural populations and its efficacy

in restoring endangered salmonid and other populations. The Center has undertaken a

broad and unique research program directed toward enhanced production of marine

finfish species to help rebuild depleted stocks. This includes developing state-of-the-art

technologies for production of juveniles, including captive broodstocks, and determining

optimal rearing, acclimation, disease control and prevention, and release strategies to

assure the success of localized enhancement efforts. Salmon fishery models are being

developed to provide the basis for more selective harvest in multispecies salmon

fisheries. The NWFSC also has front-line responsibility for conducting multispecies

population assessments of west coast groundfish stocks, improving the breadth and

precision of those assessments, and studying the impacts of bycatch in groundfish

fisheries through collaborative projects with universities and industry. The Center has

demonstrated its unique capabilities in developing new seafood processing methods

which eliminate huge amounts of waste by more fully utilizing harvested fish and

underutilized fish species, and in transferring these technologies to the seafood industry.

The Center is known worldwide for its ability to assess threats to habitat quality (e.g.,

from chemical contaminants, toxic phytoplankton, and toxic spills) and to the

productivity and quality of fishery resources. The NWFSC is also pursuing development

of quantitative indicators of the integrity and health of coastal and estuarine ecosystems

which can be applied worldwide, and is providing rapid response to environmental

emergencies on both the west and east coasts (e.g., Exxon Valdez and North Cape oil

spills, and harmful algal blooms) and critical scientific information to mitigate the

biological and economic impacts from harvest closures on fishery-dependent

communities. The Center provides scientific information for two FMP’s:

 • Groundfish Fishery of the West Coast

 - Includes 83 species with varying degrees of over-/under-exploitation and

 a wide range of knowledge regarding stock status.

 • Salmon of the West Coast

33
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center provides scientific and technical support to

NMFS for management and conservation of the Northwest region’s marine and

anadromous resources and their habitats. The NWFSC’s four divisions conduct applied

research to resolve problems that threaten these resources or that impede their use.

NWFSC staff develop the scientific base required for reports on status of stocks and of

fisheries, environmental assessment and environmental impact statements for

management plans and international negotiations; and pursues research to answer specific

management needs in habitat conservation, endangered and protected species,

aquaculture, and full utilization of harvested fish.

The NWFSC has an open and active dialogue with fishermen and other constituents.

Through this dialogue, several areas of cooperative work are being developed.

Constituents also provide input to research planning through comments on the “Research

and Data Needs” of the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (SWFSC)

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) headquarters is located in La Jolla,

California and research is conducted at laboratories located in La Jolla, Tiburon, and

Pacific Grove, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii. The current staffing level involved in

MSFCMA-related activities is at about 156 full-time equivalents (FTEs). An estimated

65% of total SWFSC resources are assigned to direct MSFCMA activities. NOAA

research vessels assigned to fisheries research in the SWFSC are: the Townsend

Cromwell assigned to the Honolulu Laboratory, and the David Starr Jordan, which has

San Diego, California, as its homeport.

The SWFSC conducts integrated, multidisciplinary, research programs in biology,

mathematics, oceanography, and economics for the purpose of developing scientific

information to support the management and allocation of Pacific coastal, insular, and

high-seas fishery resources. These activities are designed to support the scientific,

statistical and economic needs of both the Western Pacific and the Pacific Fishery

Management Councils and international commissions for large pelagic fishes and

Antarctic resources as well as efforts directed toward the reduction of fishery-related

porpoise mortality and a better understanding of the biological and environmental factors

affecting the marine resources exploited by U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries.

The Center provides the scientific information necessary to conserve and manage the

following important fisheries in the Pacific region:

- Large pelagic fishes of the eastern, central and western Pacific (tuna, billfish, shark,

swordfish)

34
- Crustaceans of the central Pacific (lobster)

- Precious corals of the central Pacific

- Bottomfish and seamount species of the western Pacific

- Groundfishes of the West Coast (Pacific hake, rockfishes, lingcod)

- Small coastal pelagic species of the West Coast (Northern anchovy, sardine,

mackerel, squid)

- Salmon of the West Coast

- Antarctic krill

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center specializes in fisheries of the California Current,

Pacific oceanic, and Antarctic regions. In the California Current, research is carried out

on the ecology, population dynamics, fisheries and stock assessment of small coastal

pelagic species, west coast groundfishes, billfish and tunas, and California salmon. The

Center maintains and utilizes the largest database on tuna and tuna-related fisheries in the

world. It is also considered a leader in fish survey design, conducting surveys to monitor

early recruitment success of economically important fish stocks along the U.S. West

Coast, using state-of-the-art survey methods developed at the Center. It is a coparticipant in the State-Federal California Cooperative Fisheries Investigations, a

comprehensive long-term study of the biology and oceanography of the California

Current. The Center has unique expertise in ocean climatology and access to ocean time

series data bases and ocean index products which it distributes to scientists around the

world for fisheries research applications. In the oceanic Pacific, the Center is the leading

source of stock assessment expertise on tropical island and oceanic resources, especially

bottomfishes, lobster, tunas and billfishes. In the Antarctic, the SWFSC leads U.S.

research directed at gathering ecological information to prevent overexploitation of fish

and krill and to protect Antarctic living marine resources.

SWFSC scientists have taken the lead in characterization of large- and small-scale

habitats that support groundfish populations in deep water. This work requires an

interdisciplinary approach from fishery biologists, geologists, and ecologists and couples

the use of geographic information systems (GIS) with remote-sensing acoustic tools, in

situ survey techniques using submersibles, and spatial analyses. This approach is being

applied to the identification of EFH, the improvement of stock assessment surveys, and

the evaluation of harvest refugia as an effective supplement to traditional fishery

management.

The SWFSC maintains an active communications network with constituents, colleagues

in the scientific professions, and the public to receive input for research planning,

execution and results. The network includes frequent dialogue with commercial and

recreational fishers, leaders of environmental groups, participants of FMCs, state and

Federal research agency staff, and outside scientists in the United States and foreign

35
countries. Supporting this network is an infrastructure that includes cooperative

agreements to support collaborative work with researchers in state agencies, universities,

and foreign government agencies for collecting logbook and other types of fisheries data

and for shared research projects; arrangements for data exchange; and contracts for

charters of research vessels and specialty expertise.

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center maintains a world-class fisheries economic

research capability, which is often supplemented with funding from the FMCs. Special

studies are undertaken to help explain and evaluate the potential impacts of various

management options on components of the fishery or the public. In addition, economic

data collection and analyses are carried out to evaluate the economic health of fisheries or

components of the fisheries. The SWFSC economists have always had a strong

leadership role in the development and maintenance of economic databases within the

Pacific Fisheries Information Network (PacFIN).

SOUTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (SEFSC)

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) headquarters is located in Miami,

Florida and research is conducted at laboratories located in Beaufort, North Carolina

(with field station at Oxford, Maryland); Charleston, South Carolina; Miami, Florida;

Panama City, Florida; Pascagoula, Mississippi (with field station at Stennis Space

Center); and Galveston, Texas (with field station at Lafayette, Louisiana). Each

laboratory is responsible for conducting research in specific subject areas and for

providing services to facilitate the work of the Center units. The current staffing level of

the SEFSC is 341 FTEs. All positions are involved to some extent in MSFCMA-related

activities. About 80% of total SEFSC resources ($24 M base funds) are assigned to

direct MSFCMA activities. Three NOAA vessels assigned to fisheries research are

homeported in Pascagoula, MS: MV/Oregon II, MV/Chapman, and MV/Relentless.

The Southeast Fisheries Science Center provides the science base for U.S. sustainable

fisheries on Atlantic south temperate, subtropical and oceanic fishery resources. Center

scientists support the fishery management activities of NMFS and three fishery

management councils (South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean) that involve 17

fishery management plans, including the following major fisheries:

 • Spiny Lobster

 • Snapper-Grouper

 • Reef Fish

 • Red Drum

 • Coastal Migratory Pelagic Species

36
 • Coral

 • Shrimp

 • Stone Crab

 • Queen Conch

The Center also provides scientific support for U.S. participation in the International

Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which manages Atlantic

Ocean-wide fisheries for tunas and billfishes, and in the International Oceanographic

Commission for the Caribbean (IOCARIBE), which coordinates fishery oceanography

studies among the 30-some island and continental countries in the region. The

interactions of protected species (e.g., sea turtles, bottlenose dolphin and anadromous

sturgeon) with ongoing fisheries in the Southeast Region is of particular concern. The

Center has international recognition for fishing gear engineering, particularly in the

development of bycatch reduction technology for both fish and sea turtles. The Center is

also recognized for its expertise in the fields of habitat research, biotechnology and

ecotoxicology. Current and envisioned research that addresses MSFCMA and EFH fall

into four areas: identification, restoration, and mapping of EFH, and identification of

threats to both EFH and fishery resources. Researchers at the SEFSC are working with

other state and Federal agencies and academia on research plans to restore ecological

integrity and water quality in Florida Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and other estuaries on which

fish depend. The Center is conducting research to restore and enhance coastal habitats

from Narragansett Bay to Florida Bay on the Atlantic coast, Tampa Bay to Laguna Madre

on the Gulf of Mexico coast, and in San Francisco and San Diego Bays on the Pacific

coast. Researchers work closely with the NOAA Damage Assessment and Restoration

Program on Superfund and oil spill sites and in conjunction with Coastal Wetland

Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act activities in Louisiana. SEFSC researchers

conduct research on the impact of contaminants on fishery resources, food web

production, and habitat. The NMFS Southeast Regional Office and SEFSC habitat

research staff have met on a 3-5 year basis since the 1970s to coordinate habitat-related

research and effectively address the information needs of habitat managers and Fishery

Management Councils.

Habitat-related research in support of the MSFCMA by SEFSC scientists will primarily

address four major areas: (1) description of EFH; (2) identification of EFH; (3)

restoration of EFH; and (4) threats to fishery species and EFH. Research to describe EFH

will employ increased use of remote-sensing platforms along with ground-truthing and

remotely-operated video to assess habitat type and quality and environmental parameters

such as salinity, water temperature and clarity. Identification of EFH research will be

designed to identify primary cues (e.g., temperature, salinity, current) used by pre-adults

of commercially and recreationally important fishery species for recruitment from ocean

spawning areas to coastal and estuarine habitats using remote sensing, algorithm

37
development and field surveys. Restoration of EFH research will emphasize innovative

techniques to determine the functional value of natural habitats and evaluation of

restoration success relative to the fish community rather than solely of the plant

community. Finally, research on threats to fishery species and EFH will continue to

emphasize the effects of metals and organic contaminants on different life history stages

of fishery organisms.

The SEFSC is responsible for scientific research on the living marine resources which

occupy marine and estuarine habitats of the continental southeastern United States, as

well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Center supports large marine

ecosystem programs performing fishery research. Scientists conduct resource surveys

and collect and report fisheries statistical data. SEFSC staff develop the scientific

information base required for fishery resource conservation, fishery development and

utilization, habitat conservation, and protection of marine mammals and endangered

species. They also prepare impact analyses and environmental assessments for

management plans and international negotiations; and pursue research to answer specific

needs in population dynamics, fishery biology, fishery economics, engineering, and food

science. SEFSC scientists regularly assess the status of managed fishery stocks,

determine overfishing conditions, and provide scientific input to developing and

monitoring recovery plans, using state-of-the-art production, catch-at-age, and stockrecruitment models.

The fishing industry in the Southeast Region has been and continues to be especially

active in developing trawl fishing gear that excludes sea turtles and reduces fish bycatch.

The SEFSC Conservation Engineering Team has worked closely with representatives of

the southeastern fishing industry in developing, testing, and modifying turtle excluder

devices (TEDs) and bycatch reduction devices (BRDs). Several designs have been

suggested by industry and prototypes have been developed and tested with industry

cooperation.

Special studies in the southeast Region are carried out with industry cooperation.

Currently a commercial fishing vessel is chartered to conduct a tagging study on red

drum to estimate population size and age composition of this species in the Gulf of

Mexico. Industry participates in scientific data collection through the submission of

fisherman and dealer logbooks and reports, under both voluntary and mandatory

programs.

The NMFS Southeast Region held meetings with “stakeholders” in the fall of 1996 to

gather input from its constituency. A meeting was held in each of three regions (southern

Atlantic Coast-Charleston, Gulf of Mexico-New Orleans, and Caribbean-Ponce, Puerto

Rico). Representatives of fishing organizations, environmental organizations, and state

and other Federal agencies were invited and participated in setting goals for the NMFS

38
long-range Strategic Plan. Constituents also have opportunity to participate in the fishery

management process through representation on FMCs, participation in Council public

hearings, and service on Council advisory committees. Input to the SEFSC research

program is also received through participation in the activities of interstate fishery

commissions (Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions), joint agency

planning groups, and cooperative programs with state fishery agencies (ComFIN and

RecFIN). SEFSC responds to the information needs of Fishery Management Councils

and has a formal procedure (Council Operations Plan) for matching its research program

to fishery management plan information requirements.

Scientific program reviews are held periodically and program review teams include

officials from industry, Councils, state agencies, and universities to ensure a broad

representation of views. The Southeast Region, works diligently to be responsive to

living marine resource/fishery conservation and management information needs, as

expressed through these program reviews.

NORTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (NEFSC)

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has facilities in Woods Hole,

Massachusetts; Narragansett, Rhode Island; Milford, Connecticut; Sandy Hook, New

Jersey (James J. Howard Marine Laboratory space rental from the State of New Jersey)

and supports staff at the National Systematics Laboratory (housed at the Smithsonian

Institution in Washington, D.C.). Two NOAA research vessels (Albatross IV and

Delaware II) are berthed in Woods Hole, MA and support the majority of the Center’s

fisheries survey and research cruises. Periodically the NOAA ships Chapman and

Oregon II (berthed in Pascagoula, Mississippi) are utilized as supplemental sources for

either surveys or research cruises. Private fishing vessels and academic research ships

have been utilized on a periodic basis to support ecosystem surveys on the Northeast

Continental Shelf. In FY1996 the NEFSC obtained roughly $4.7 M in extramural grants

and contracts support which was used to supplement its base budgetary allocation ($26.8

M and 270 FTEs in FY1996). Most of this extramural funding came from either NMFS

Headquarters or other line offices within NOAA. The Northeast Regional Office

(NERO) State and Federal Division expended roughly $30 M in FY1996 for research

grants supporting the fishing industry (through the Saltonstall-Kennedy Program and

Fishing Industry Grants).

In the Northeast, peer review of stock assessments is conducted twice per year within the

Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (SAW) process. The SAW process is

guided by the SAW Steering Committee (directors of NEFSC and NERO, Mid-Atlantic

39
Fishery Management Council [MAFMC], New England Fishery Management Council

[NEFMC], and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission [ASMFC]) which

determines which species to assess during a particular SAW cycle and establish the

assessment terms of reference. Each SAW cycle begins and ends with the meeting of the

SAW Steering Committee and includes Working Group meetings (where analyses are

prepared for review); a five-day Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC) meeting

(where analyses are peer-reviewed and advice for managers is developed); and a twosession Public Review Workshop held during planned meetings of the MAFMC and

NEFMC. Participants in this process include NMFS scientists and managers;

representatives from fishery agencies outside the region; MAFMC, NEFMC, and

ASMFC representatives; state fishery agency representatives from within the region;

academic and NGO participants; and industry members. SAW meetings are open to the

public and are widely announced. NEFSC personnel also participate in various

committee meetings of the Regional FMCs and the ASMFC. In FY1997 the National

Research Council (NRC) will review the Northeast groundfish assessment for five stocks

(Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder, and Southern

New England yellowtail flounder) under a Congressional mandate contained in the

Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA).

The NEFSC research program runs the gamut from stock assessments on finfish

populations during the Spring and Fall Bottom Trawl Surveys conducted annually since

the 1960s to process oriented research projects on the impacts of global climate change

on the coupling of zooplankton/cod and haddock larvae distribution and predation on

Georges Bank. Additional fisheries surveys are conducted for ocean quahogs and surf

clams, sea scallops, and grant funds are provided to support surveys of Gulf of Maine

Northern shrimp and finfish surveys in state waters. The survey data is employed in

Stock Assessment Workshops that include participation by state, academic and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) fisheries experts in developing consensus estimates of

stock size for managed species of finfish and shellfish. This advice is utilized by the

MAFMC and NEFMC. Long term changes in the ecosystem supporting fisheries are

monitored through surveys of the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) and

research is underway to convert such data into indices on the health of the ecosystem.

Additional process oriented research projects focus upon the effects of pollution on

winter flounder; recovery of herring and Atlantic mackerel populations; trophic

interactions between Atlantic mackerel and juvenile cod and haddock; biological

characteristics of selected shark species in the Northeast; roles of sand lance and herring

as food for Humpback whales; and descriptions of an EFH for most coastal finfish

species. The Center also conducts social and economic research in support of the fishery

management process.

40
Much of the recent gear research in the Northeast has been accomplished through grants,

with Regional Office oversight. These grants have gone to fishers, or to organizations

such as states and universities, which carry out the research with the help and cooperation

of the fishing industry. The NERO Fisheries Engineering Group is also involved with

data analysis for exempted fishery permits and fishway engineering for anadromous fish.

Conservation Engineering activities in the NERO have recently been concentrated on the

problem of entanglement of large whales in fixed fishing gear (e.g., lobster traps). A

resolution to this problem will allow fishing to continue. The fishing industry aided this

effort through its participation in the Gear Advisory Group meeting to devise solutions

and by volunteering vessels and time for observations and testing. Also, several of the

Regional Office. Divisions and the Center are collaborating on experiments using pingers

as deterrents to marine mammal entrapment in gillnets.

NEFSC Research Priorities:

I. Research to Support Fishery Conservation and Management

A. Biological research concerning the abundance and life history parameters of fish

stocks

• Maintain/improve fishery independent data collection systems (sampling design,

intensity, and improved data collection and archiving).

• Enhance sea sampling programs (sampling design, intensity, and database

management).

• Develop improved biological parameter estimates.

• Develop multispecies models for the Georges Bank Ecosystem.

• Develop improved assessment methods.

• Revision of the 1953 classic “Fishes of the Gulf of Maine” by Bigelow and

Schroeder covering identification, distribution and biology of the 260 species

recorded from the Gulf. (Sections are being used for identifying and describing

critical habitat for 14 species for the NEFMC Multispecies FMP and six species for

the MAFMC, the Bluefish FMP, the Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish FMP, and the

Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP)

41
• A top-down review of cephalopod systematics using modern cladistic methods based

on both morphology and DNA sequence analysis. (In cooperation with scientists at

the University of Hawaii and the College of William and Mary)

• Systematics, evolution and biogeography of the genus Callinectes for a multi

authored book on the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

• Catalogue of the approximately 150 species of tongue soles in the family

Cynoglossidae for an FAO Species Catalogue.

• Catalogue of the approximately 220 species of beloniform fishes (flyingfishes,

sauries, halfbeaks, and needlefishes) of the world in cooperation with N.V. Parin of

the Russian Academy of Sciences for an FAO Species Catalogue.

• Differences between genera and selected species of spiny lobsters (Palinuridae)

based on structure of their large antennae.

• Determine biological, environmental and habitat processes controlling the

reproductive success of important fishery resource species.

• Develop micro constituent chemical analysis techniques for stock identification of

bluefin tuna and other species.

• Monitor oceanographic and biological conditions on the northeast shelf to document

ecosystem variability and determine its role in the recovery and sustainability of

depressed fish stocks.

• Improve, with cooperations of states, the collection of biological samples

characterizing age structure of stocks.

B. Interdependence of fisheries or stocks of fish -Investigate the importance of trophic

interactions between the populations of bluefish and striped bass.

C. Identification of essential fish habitat

• Identify and provide EFH information as required in the MSFCMA for FMPs for the

NEFMC and ASMFC.

• Conduct research to determine the functional value of estuarine and nearshore

habitats, including restored sites, to the sustainability of fishery resources.

42
D. Impact of environmental changes on fish populations

• Conduct research to determine the effects of climate variability on the sustainability

of coastal and pelagic fishery resources.

• Investigate the transfer of contaminants within estuarine systems and their effect on

the growth and sustainability of fish populations.

II. Conservation Engineering Research

• Support research on devices or gear modifications to reduce bycatch of regulated or

protected species.

• Conduct studies to evaluate effects of gears on habitats.

• Support development of devices to reduce protected species impacts on aquaculture.

• Develop improved gears for collection of fishery-independent data

• Study bycatch of finfish in mobile gear and identify bycatch reduction alternatives.

• Study seabird entanglement by commercial fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic

Ocean.

• Provide assistance in the development and design of fish passage facilities at hydro

electric projects and other river barriers to minimize adverse impacts on the

migration of anadromous and catadromous fish.

• Collect information on interactions between fishing gear and endangered whales and

develop modifications to gear that will minimize impact to allow fishing to continue.

III. Research on Fisheries

A. Social and economic research

• Evaluate biological and social and economic consequences of alternative

management strategies, e.g., ITQ or other allocation-based approaches.

• Research overcapitalization and describe and model harvesting and processing

sectors.

43
B. Full utilization of harvested fish

• Evaluate the contamination of seafood with metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons

such as PCBs, pesticides and dioxins.

• Develop hydroacoustic capabilities for pelagic fish stock assessment.

• Determine impacts of protected species on fishery resources.

• Determine ecosystem responses to reduced harvesting.

C. Mariculture

• Develop modern technology for the aquaculture production of finfish and shellfish

using intensive, extensive and land-based recirculating systems strategies.

• Develop techniques for stock enhancement/restoration of shellfish and finfish in

areas that historically supported a wild fishery, but are not now productive or may

have reduced stocks.

IV. Information Management Research

• Develop methods for greater access to data and information using web-based

technologies.

• Inclusion of all species of interest to NMFS on the Internet in ITIS--the Integrated

Taxonomic Information System. This interagency effort by NMFS and National

Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) in NOAA with Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS), Biological Resources Division of USGS (BRD), and the Smithsonian

Institution replaces the NODC Taxonomic Code. The 400,000 names contained in

the NODC Code have been moved to ITIS. Review, editing and adding names are

underway.

• Completion of U.S. Marine Biodiversity Database (MARBID) --a system to measure

changes in biodiversity through time and space by integrating fishery survey data

with museum collection’s data. (Supported with Environmental Sciences Data

Information Management [ESDIM] funds, starting with the NEFSC databases as a

pilot project)

44
• Development of methods to archive, database, and present multimedia information

such as videotapes recorded in situ. The emphasis of the current project is on

cephalopods. (In cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution)

• Improve data entry and archiving procedures for data collected on bottom trawl and

scallop and shrimp surveys.

• Audit and finalize age data files and biological data collected during resource

surveys; maintain and modify age data building system.

• Investigate striped bass tagging databases using GIS and statistical models.

• Develop and implement regional data dictionary system to aid in description and

dissemination of data.

• Develop DODS (Department of Defense Standard) compliant client and server

libraries to support Internet access to NODC Oceanographic data sets.

• Investigate new data collection technologies with the purpose of improving collection

and processing efficiency.

• Within ACCSP process, improve data collection and management for commercial

and recreational fisheries.

45
APPENDIX B: Response to Comments on Public Draft of the

NMFS Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research

In October 1997 NMFS published a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register

announcing the availability of the draft Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research. Comments

were received by 12 organizations and individuals representing a range of interests from

conservation organizations to fishing industry associations to fisheries management

councils and state management agencies. The comments were very helpful in revising

the plan and preparing the final document. This appendix summarizes the comments and

addresses each major comment. Many commenters also identified inconsistencies in the

draft plan and suggested editorial or textual changes. These specific comments are not

addressed here. However, the final plan document incorporated these suggestions as

much as possible.

Comment: Several commenters suggested that the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA)

mandate for the Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research to “provide a role for commercial

fishers in research, including involvement in field testing” was not sufficiently addressed

in the Plan. Specifically, commenters remarked that the Plan cites various pre-existing

and ongoing activities involving commercial fishers, but none of the major fishery

research goals and objectives directly outline participation of commercial fishers in

research and field testing.

Response: NMFS agrees. The document has been revised to reflect NMFS’ commitment

to external partnerships by adding a goal and objectives focusing on providing a role for

commercial and recreational fishers as well as other groups to work collaboratively on

research including field testing. Other objectives already listed in the Plan are a subset of

those listed in the NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan (FSP). Objective 2.6 (FSP Objective

3.4.2) directly addresses this issue where fishing industry includes commercial fishers.

Additionally, under Appendix A: NMFS Scientific Enterprise, the Strategic Plan for

Fisheries Research already cites examples of major collaborative research initiatives

focused on the needs of the fisheries industry, including commercial fishers.

Comment: Commenters stated that this Plan should utilize fishing vessels in actual

harvest mode for survey collection.

Response: This Plan addresses involving constituents in research programs under “Goals

of the Scientific Enterprise”. To the extent practicable, NMFS will charter fishing

vessels to participate in research projects. For example, as cited in this Plan, NEFSC has

utilized private fishing vessels to support ecosystem surveys. All other Centers also use

46
commercial vessels in conducting certain surveys. Fishers also received grants to carry

out gear research.

Also, this Plan states that to the extent practicable, NMFS will develop methods to

incorporate scientifically valid observations by fishers and others into fish stock

assessments and other analyses related to living marine resources and their habitat.

Comment: Commenter remarked that the discussion of ecosystem-based research in this

Plan lacked sufficient detail and needs to go further so that the effects of fishing on a

spectrum of predators and prey could be predicted.

Response: NMFS agrees. The continued development of ecosystem-based research is

necessary and we have added language describing ecosystem-based research as a basis

for improving management of living marine resources. It is important to note that in

developing the research program to implement this approach more fully, NMFS is faced

with existing demands on research based on species-specific management plans and

measures. Therefore, this Plan reflects a transition from single species to ecosystembased research. For example, NMFS’ research efforts on stock assessments have been

evaluated in a recent independent report by the National Research Council (NRC). The

NRC Committee on Fish Stock Assessment Methods believes “that single-species

assessments provide the best approach at present for assessing population parameters and

providing short-term forecasting and management advice. Recent interest in bringing

ecological and environmental considerations and multi-species interactions into stock

assessments should be encouraged, but not at the expense of a reduction in the quality of

stock assessments.”

Comment: Commenter suggests that this Plan does not adequately address other life

history characteristics that influence fish stocks such as conditions that may be necessary

for species to spawn.

Response: NMFS agrees. NMFS recognizes the complexity of ecosystems and the need

to examine all the diverse components. Section I.A. “Biological research concerning the

abundance and life history parameters of fish stocks” has been revised to reflect NMFS’

research activities in this area more accurately.

Comment: Several commenters state that the discussion of adaptive/experimental

management as a research tool be presented in the Plan. Additionally, commenters

remarked that discussion on research closure areas is limited to the effects of trawling and

studies should be expanded to no-take marine reserves for more comprehensive research.

Furthermore, the establishment of no-take marine reserves should be included to

successfully implement EFH provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

47
Response: NMFS agrees and has included language on adaptive/experimental

management research including the identification and use of potential areas of refugia

(i.e., research closure areas) and experiments on no-take and limited-take zones and timearea closures.

Comment: Several commenters suggested an integrated expansion on social and

economic research, particularly research into economic incentives.

Response: NMFS agrees. This Plan has been revised to reflect NMFS’ coordinated

economic and social analyses that will be required under new provisions of such laws as

the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Appropriate

modifications have been made through the document, particularly under Section III.A.

“Social and economic research”.

Comment: Commenter suggests that the Plan directly address social and economic

research on tourism and non-consumptive recreational benefits.

Response: Although NMFS agrees that it is important to examine tourism and nonconsumptive recreational benefits, the Plan does not attempt to list or describe everything

we would like to do. NMFS has attempted to include only those research efforts that

NMFS believes it will have funding to carry out.

Comment: Commenter suggested that this Plan should examine the potential impacts of

international trade agreements upon United States fisheries --impacts which affect not

only United States competitiveness in the short term, but the fisheries themselves over the

long term, as well as the sustainability of U.S. consumption of fisheries products.

Response: NMFS agrees. Section III.A. of this Plan states that NMFS will conduct

research to determining how trade agreements impact our Nation’s competitiveness. For

the long term, NMFS is required to maintain U.S. fisheries at or above the level that

would support the maximum sustainable yield on a continuing basis and recognizes that

trade liberalization could create an environment where overfishing occurs. NMFS is

currently engaged in discussions to address this second concern.

Comment: Commenter recommends that Section III.C. on marine aquaculture be

modified away from a “pro-development posture” until it is clear which government

agency has authority to regulate marine aquaculture in the U.S. EEZ.

Response: Aquaculture is considered a fishery, as defined by the Magnuson-Stevens Act

and is relevant to NMFS’ fisheries research activities. Section III.C. of this Plan only

establishes NMFS’ rationale for marine aquaculture as a research component and

48
addresses the issues of mariculture. Although the Army Corp of Engineers currently has

authority to permit mariculture in the U.S. EEZ, the NMFS can block the permit during

the consultative process if there is an indication that the operation would undermine the

MMPA, ESA or adversely impact LMRs or EFH.

Comment: Commenter suggested that the tools for fishery independent data collection

are outdated and a new fleet of research vessels with the latest assessment technologies

are needed. This Plan fails to include an explicit strategy for acquiring fisheryindependent data.

Response: Although NMFS agrees that there is a need for new research vessels, this Plan

is not the appropriate forum to forward this concern.

Comment: Several commenters proposed specific changes to objectives listed in this

Plan.

Response: The objectives found in this Plan are taken directly from the NOAA Fisheries

Strategic Plan (FSP). Any changes would have to be made in the latter. We will

consider these changes during the revision of the FSP.

Comment: Several commenters remarked that the Plan was very comprehensive and it

recognized the need to broaden fisheries research. Commenters also noted that the

document appropriately outlined the direction of future work.

49
APPENDIX C: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ABL Auke Bay Laboratory

ACCSP Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program

AFSC Alaska Fisheries Science Center

AKFIN Alaska Fisheries Information Network

ASMFC Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

BRDs Bycatch reduction devices

BRD(USGS) Biological Resources Division (USGS)

CAFF Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna

C-CAP Coastal Change Analysis Program

ComFin Commercial Fisheries Information Network

CCAMLR Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic

Marine Living Resources

CPUE Catch-per-unit-of-effort

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid

DODS Department of Defense Standard

EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone

EFH Essential Fish Habitat

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

ESA Endangered Species Act

ESDIM Environmental Sciences Data Information

Management

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Nations

FMC Fishery management council

FMP Fishery management plan

50
FSP NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan

FTE Full-time equivalent

GIS Geographic information systems

GLOBEC Global Ecosystems Dynamics

GOOS Global Oceans Observing Program

ICCAT International Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas

ICES International Council for the Exploration of the Seas

IOCARIBE International Oceanographic Commission for the

Caribbean

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

ITIS Integrated Taxonomic Information System

ITQ Individual Transferable Quota

LME Large marine ecosystem

LMR Living marine resource

MAFMC Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

MARBID Marine Biodiversity Database

MSFCMA Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

NEFMC New England Fishery Management Council

NEFSC Northeast Fisheries Science Center

NERO Northeast Regional Office

NGO Non-government organization

NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service

NMML National Marine Mammal Laboratory

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NODC National Oceanographic Data Center

NRC National Research Council

51
NWFSC Northwest Fisheries Science Center

PacFIN Pacific Fisheries Information Network

PICES North Pacific Marine Science Organization

RACE Resource Assessment and Conservation

Engineering Division

RecFIN Recreational Fisheries Information Network

REFM Resource Ecology and Fisheries Management

Division

SARC Stock Assessment Review Committee

SAW Stock Assessment Workshop

SEFSC Southeast Fisheries Science Center

SFA Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996

SWFSC Southwest Fisheries Science Center

TED Turtle Excluder Device

USDA United States Department of Agriculture

USGS United States Geological Survey

52
APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY

Adaptive Management - A combination of stock assessments with prior knowledge of

the fishery coupled with quantitative modeling and empirical management

experimentation.

Anadromous - fish which spawn in freshwater, but spend most of their life in salt or

brackish water.

Benthic - refers to organisms which live at or near the bottom (see Demersal)

Broodstock - adult fish used to propagate the subsequent generation of hatchery fish.

Bycatch - the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act defines

bycatch as “fish which are harvested in a fishery, but which are not sold or kept for

personal use, and includes economic discards and regulatory discards... [But not] fish

released alive under a recreational catch and release fishery management program.

Bycatch reduction device (BRD) - any of a number of implements that have been

certified to reduce the likelihood of capturing non-target species.

Catadromous - fish which spawn in saltwater but live most of their life in freshwater.

Catch per unit effort (CPUE) - the amount of fish that is caught by a given amount of

effort. Typically, effort is a combination of gear type, gear size, and length of time the

gear is used.

53
Charter fishing - fishing from a vessel carrying a passenger(s) for hire; who is engaged

in recreational fishing.

Commercial fishing - fishing in which the fish harvested, either in whole or in part, are

intended to enter commerce or enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade.

Commercial fisheries information network (ComFIN) - a cooperative state-Federal

effort among marine fisheries agencies to improve collection and management of

commercial fisheries statistics.

Conservation engineering - the practice of determining the modification in gear design

that will meet conservation objectives, such as decreasing bycatch and bycatch mortality

by increasing the selectivity of gear and increasing the survival of fish and other living

marine resources that fishing gear encounter inadvertently.

Continental shelf - the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas adjacent to the coast,

but outside the area of the territorial sea, of the United States, to depth of 200 meters or,

beyond that limit, to where the depth of the superjacent waters admits of the exploitation

of the natural resources of such areas.

Demersal - fish and animals that live near the bottom of an ocean.

Essential fish habitat - the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management

Act defines essential fish habitat as “those waters and substrate necessary to fish for

spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.”

54
Endangered Species - a species is considered “endangered” if it is in danger of

extinction throughout a significant portion of its range; it is considered “threatened” if it

is likely to become an endangered species.

Endangered Species Act (ESA) - The Federal law, enacted by Congress in 1973, to

provide protection for, and promote recovery of, animal and plant species considered as

threatened or endangered because of natural or anthropogenic conditions.

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the zone contiguous to the territorial sea of the United

States, the inner boundary of which is a line coterminous with the seaward boundary of

each of the coastal states and the outer boundary of which is a line drawn in such a

manner that each point on it is 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the

territorial sea is measured. This zone was established by Proclamation Numbered 5030,

dated March 10, 1983.

Ex-vessel value - the amount paid to vessel’s owner or operator for its catch, excluding

any value added by at-sea processing.

Fishery management council (FMC) - one of eight regional groups established under

Section 302 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to

prepare and oversee fishery management plans for fisheries conducted principally within

the exclusive economic zone.

Fishery management plan (FMP) - a plan developed by a regional fishery management

council, or the Secretary of Commerce under certain circumstances, to manage a fishery

resource in the U.S. EEZ pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

55
Management Act. Includes data, analyses, and management measures for a fishery.

Gillnet - a flat net suspended vertically in the water used to capture fish which entangle

themselves in the net, usually by the forward part of the body near the gills.

Groundfish - a species of fish, usually finfish, that live on or near the sea bottom part of

the time.

Juvenile - a young fish, usually resembling an adult in appearance, but which has not yet

become sexually mature; usually applied to fish less than one year old.

Krill - small abundant crustaceans that form an important part of the food chain in

Antarctic waters.

Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) - the MMPA is a statue which was enacted

in 1972 to protect marine mammals and their habitat. These species include whales,

dolphins, seals, seal lions, walruses, and many others.

Plankton - Plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) which float in the upper

portion of the water column and provide the basic constituents of the oceanic food web.

Most planktonic organisms are microscopic in size. Eggs and larvae of many fisheries

species are also components of the plankton community.

Population - a group of interbreeding organisms generally inhabiting a given geographic

area.

56
Quota - the maximum amount of fish that can be legally landed in a time period. It can

apply to the entire fishery, an individual fisher’s share under an individual fishing quota

(IFQ) system, or reference to the size of fish.

Recreational fisheries information network (RecFIN) - a cooperative state-Federal

effort among marine fisheries agencies to improve collection and management of marine

recreational fisheries statistical information.

Recruitment - a measure of the weight or number of fish which enter a defined portion

of stock, such as the fishable stock or the spawning stock.

Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) grant program - a competitive program that provides funds

through grants or cooperative agreements for research and development projects to

benefit U.S. fishing industry. The S-K Act, as amended [15 U.S.C. 713 (c) (3)] is the

program’s statutory authority.

Stakeholder - one who is expected to receive economic or social benefits from the

conservation and management of living marine resources.

Stock assessment - the biological assessment of the status of the resources. This analysis

provides the official estimates of stock size, spawning stock size, fishing mortalities,

recruitment, and other parameters.

Stock assessment workshop (SAW) - a cooperative stock assessment activity in which

scientists from various agencies evaluate the status of fish stocks.

57
Subadult - a developmental life stage when fish exhibit most but not all traits of an adult

fish.

Subsistence fishing - fishing for personal consumption or traditional/ceremonial

purposes.

Turtle excluder device (TED) - an implement that has been certified to reduce the

likelihood of capturing turtles.

Virtual population analysis - a method of estimating stock size through examination of

sizes of individual age classes (cohorts), growth, and mortality rates.

58