National Marine Fisheries Service

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National Marine Fisheries Service National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S.
Department of Commerce
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HISTORY

• NMFS is the oldest conservation agency in the
  Nation .
• Established about 135 years ago

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MISSION

• 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.

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CONSTITUENTS

• Commercial and recreational fishermen and
  associated industries
• Aquaculture industry
• Environmental groups
• General public
• Coastal and inland States
• International fisheries and natural resource
  management agencies
• Many others

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NMFS
Office of Policy Director Mark Holliday
Assistant Administrator William T.Hogarth
EEO/Diversity Manager Natalie Huff
Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Programs
Director Scientific Programs Chief Science
Advisor Michael Sissenwine
Deputy Assistant Administrator For Regulatory
Programs Rebecca Lent
Deputy Assistant Administrator For
Operations John Oliver
Enforcement Dale Jones
Northeast Region Patricia Kurkul
Constituent Services Linda Chaves
Northeast Center John Boreman (A)
Science Technology William Fox
Sustainable Fisheries Jack Dunnigan
Southeast Region Roy Crabtree
MB CFO/CAO Gary Reisner
Southeast Center Nancy Thompson
Protected Resources Laurie Allen (A)
Northwest Region Bob Lohn
Seafood Inspection Rich Cano (A)
Northwest Center Usha Varanasi
Habitat Conservation Rollie Schmitten
Southwest Region Rod McInnis (A)
CIO Larry Tyminski
Southwest Center Mike Tillman
Alaska Region Jim Balsiger
Alaska Center Doug DeMaster
Pacific Islands Region Sam Pooley (A)
Pacific Islands Center Jeff Polovina (A)
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NMFS Regional Offices NMFS Fisheries Science
Centers Regional Fishery Management Councils
Seattle, WA Northwest Region Northwest Fisheries
Science Center Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Portland, OR Pacific Fishery Management Council
Long Beach, CA Southwest Region
LaJolla, CA Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Juneau, AK Alaska Region
Hato Ray, Puerto Rico Caribbean Fishery
Management Council
Honolulu, HI Pacific Islands Region Pacific
Islands Fisheries Science Center Western Pacific
Fishery Management Council
Anchorage, AK North Pacific Fishery Management
Council
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Size and Economic Scope

• NMFS
• 3000 Employees (10 at HQ)
• Annual budget approx 800 M
• U.S. Fishing Industry
• 170,000 commercial fishers 30B business
• 17 M recreational anglers 20 B business

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Seafood in U.S.

• Per capita seafood consumption 16.3 lb/yr
• Shrimp, canned tuna top two
• Total landings 4.1 M tons (3.5 M)
• Total imports 11 B
• Total exports 3 B

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STEWARDSHIP AUTHORITIES

• Magnuson-Stevens Act (Sustainable Fisheries Act)
• Marine Mammal Protection Act
• Endangered Species Act
• . . . . and over 100 other Laws

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The Regulatory Process

• Fishery Management Plans and Plan Amendments
  (under MSA) are prepared by the relevant Fishery
  Management Council
• These documents must be approved (or partially
  approved) by the Secretary of Commerce
• Implementing regulations are prepared by NOAA

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Preparing Regulations

• Regulations issued under MSA, ESA, and MMPA
• Most regulatory packages include considerable
  analytical documentation
• National Environmental Policy Act
• Regulatory Flexibility Act
• Regulatory Impact Review, etc.
• New requirements for science peer review

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Transparent Process

• Councils and Advisory Panels/Committees
• Proposed and final rules with documentation
  provided
• Web-based rulemaking, documentation
• Public hearings
• Responses to comment

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Major Issues

• Overcapacity
• Overfishing
• Bycatch of protected species and finfish
• International Fisheries

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Overcapacity

• Problem in virtually every fishery in the United
  States
• Most commercial fisheries have limited entry
• Very few ITQ programs
• Industry and government-funded buybacks

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Overfishing

• Overall, 79 of known stocks are harvested at
  sustainable levels (no overfishing)
• 65 of known stocks are not overfished
• Remaining issues assessing all stocks, halting
  overfishing for all cases, and transition during
  rebuilding times 

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Bycatch

• Protected species sea turtles, marine mammals
• Finfish undersized, prohibited, and
  non-marketable
• Bycatch reduction strategy national and regional
• Increased observer coverage

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International Fisheries

• Work with Regional Fishery Management
  Organizations
• Also work bilaterally
• Cold water corals/seamounts
• Sea turtles
• Illegal, Unregulated, Unreported fishing

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Ecosystem Approaches to Management

• Movement along a continuum from single species to
  ecosystem approaches to regional ocean management
• With bycatch, habitat, protected species
  concerns, were already along the continuum
• Major Federal/state/tribal coordination effort
  will be necessary
• More holistic approach

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Other issues

• Ocean Commission Report
• Aquaculture legislation
• Reauthorization of MSA, MMPA, ESA
• Litigation
• Consumer boycotts

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Ocean Commission Report and Response

• Administration responded with the Ocean Action
  Plan
• Call for ecosystem approaches to science and
  management
• Focus on sustainable fisheries, use of IFQs or
  DAPs
• Increased attention to aquaculture

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Litigation and Consumer Campaigns

• Litigation and Boycotts occur despite many
  opportunities for public comment and
  participation
• Highly transparent process

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Litigation

• Roughly 40 from NGOs, rest from fishermen,
  tribes, states
• Our win/loss ratio is improving
• Little direct effect on regulations only 4 rule
  set aside over 18-month period

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Consumer Boycotts

• NMFS officially takes no stance
• We provide data, information
• Concern over impact on U.S. fishers
• Some fishery constituents feel unfair given 10
  National Standards, NEPA, etc.

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Thank you!