Fisheries ManagementSustainability is our business

BELL Conference

19 July 2003

NOAA Fisheries

• Oldest conservation agency in the nation

• Part of NOAA/Department of Commerce

• Approximately 3,000 employees

• Regionally-based agency

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

Constituents

• Commercial and Recreational fishermen and related industries

• Subsistence fishermen

• Environmental groups

• Farmers, energy producers, timber industry, gravel miners, etc.

• General public

Northwest RegionRegional Office: Seattle, WA (Sand Point)Science Center: Seattle, WA (Montlake)Laboratories Seattle, WA Newport, OR

Alaska RegionRegional Office: Juneau, AKScience Center: Seattle, WA (Sand Point)Laboratories Seattle, WA Auke Bay, AK Kodiak, AK

Southwest RegionRegional Office: Long Beach, CAScience Center: La Jolla, CALaboratories: Santa Cruz,

Pacific Island Region Regional Office and Science Center: Honolulu, HI

Northeast RegionRegional Office: Gloucester , MAScience Center: Woods Hole, MALaboratories Woods Hole, MA Narragansett, RI Milford, CT Highlands, NJ Washington, DC

Southeast RegionRegional Office: St. Petersburg, FLScience Center: Miami, FLLaboratories Miami, FL Beaufort, NC Panama City, FL Pascagoula, MS Galveston, TX

NMFS HeadquartersSilver Spr ing, MD

Regions

NMFS Field Structure

People, Dollars, Food

• 170,000 commercial fishers

• 17 M recreational anglers

• NMFS budget approx $800 M

• Commercial fisheries = $29 B

• Recreational fisheries = $25 B exp

…and Food• Per capita seafood consumption 16 lb/yr

• Total landings = 4.3 M tons ($4.3B)

• Total imports = $10 B

• Total exports = $ 3 B

• Aquaculture production = $1 B

Florida Fisheries:

Commercial fishing

•Nearly 8 thousand vessels

•Over 10 thousand jobs

•260 thousand fishing trips

• Landings of 100 m pounds

• Over $700 m ex-vessel value

Florida Fisheries

Recreational Fishing

- 25 million trips

- Over 5 million anglers

- 59 m pounds landed

- 2,600 jobs

- Nearly $100 m sales

•

Stewardship Authorities

• Magnuson-Stevens Act (Sustainable Fisheries Act)

• Marine Mammal Protection Act

• Endangered Species Act

• Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act

• Implementing legislation for international treaties, RFMOs

Regional Fishery Management Councils

Saugus, MANew England Fishery Management Council

Charleston, SCSouth Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Dover, DEMid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Tampa, FLGulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

Hato Ray, Puerto Rico Caribbean Fishery Management Council

Honolulu, HIWestern Pacific Fishery Management Council

Anchorage, AKNorth Pacific Fishery Management Council

Portland, ORPacific Fishery Management Council

The Regulatory Process• Council process

• Public input

• Documentation for regulatory package

- NEPA analyses

- Small business impacts

- Benefit-cost analysis

- Protected species consultation

Where do businesses fit in?

• MSA call for sustainable fisheries

• MSA National Standard 8

• Analyses under NEPA

• Regulatory Flexibility Act

• Benefit-cost analyses for EO 12866

Challenges:

Overfishing, Overcapacity, Bycatch

• Fundamental changes of ‘96 reauthorization

• Multiple mandates

• Complex regulatory process

• Litigation and consumer boycotts

International Fisheries Management

• Mostly delegated to NOAA Fisheries, HQ and Regions

• Numerous Regional Fishery Management Organizations

• Numerous bilateral and multilateral agreements

• Scientific work with other countries and organizations

Regional Challenges• Turtle/finfish bycatch in the shrimp

fishery

• Slow growth in the recreational fishery

• Time/area closures for small swordfish

Challenges Ahead

• Pew Report, Nature article

• Presidential Ocean Commission

• MSA and MMPA reauthorization

• International management of seamounts

• Growing interest in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Ecosystems

Thank you!