NOAA Fisheries
National Marine Fisheries Service

Environmental Information Resource Page

• NMFS Homepage
• NMFS Contact Info Page

Office of Constituent Services

The OCS manages five constituent oriented programs that provide services and a point of contact for constituents and the general public to better understand NOAA Fisheries mission, receive accurate and timely information about our nation’s living marine resources, participate in the public regulatory process, and monitor our progress in building sustainable fisheries, recovering protected resources, and conserving and restoring marine habitats.

• Public Outreach and Education Services Branch
• Recreational Fisheries Services Branch
• Trade and Commercial Services Branch
• Financial Services Program
• Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program

NOAA Fisheries Regional Offices

• Alaska Region
• Northwest Region
• Pacific Islands Region
• Southwest Region
• Southeast Region
• Northeast Region

NOAA Fisheries Science Centers

Provides links to 25 NOAA Fisheries Science Centers organized by geographic region.

NOAA Fisheries Councils

NOAA Fisheries has eight Fishery Management Councils that work in partnership with stakeholders, academia, conservation organizations, states and tribes to manage living marine resources. From collaborating with commercial and recreational fishermen for the collection of biological data, to coordinating science and management strategies with regional and state interests, NOAA Fisheries relies on a diverse array of partnerships to rebuild, sustain and protect our nation's living marine resources.

NOAA Fisheries Commissions

NOAA Fisheries has three Interstate Marine Fishery Commissions that are critical to managing and conserving our shared coastal fisheries within the first three miles of the nation's coastline.

Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

The Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The committee functions solely as an advisory body (complying fully with the Federal Advisory Committee Act) who reports to the Secretary. The Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere is the designated chair of the Committee.

NOAA Fisheries Features

• Aquaculture: Provides aquaculture information which is defined as the propagation and rearing of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected aquatic environments for any commercial, recreational, or public purpose.
• Bycatch: Bycatch of fishery resources, marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and other living marine resources is a concern of the commercial and recreational fishing industries, resource managers, conservation organizations, scientists, and the public, both nationally and globally. NMFS has responded to this concern by taking a variety of actions to address the issue of bycatch. The actions have included research to develop better methods for monitoring and reducing bycatch, outreach programs to explain the bycatch problem and search for solutions, and regulatory actions to monitor and decrease bycatch.
• Strandings: Strandings occur when marine mammals or sea turtles swim or float into shore and become "beached" or stuck in shallow water. In most stranding cases, the cause of the stranding is unknown, but some identified causes have included disease, parasite infestation, harmful algal blooms, injuries due to ship strikes or fishery entanglements, pollution exposure, trauma, and starvation. While the majority of stranded animals are found dead, some animals strand alive and in a limited number of cases it is possible to transport these individuals to regional rehabilitation centers for care.  In rare cases, successfully rehabilitated animals are returned to the wild. 
• Legislation: What Marine Resources Laws does NOAA Fisheries Follow? NOAA Fisheries receives its ocean stewardship responsibilities under many federal laws, in addition to the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Most important are the Endangered Species Act, which protects species determined to be threatened or endangered; the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which regulates interactions with marine mammals; the Lacey Act, which prohibits fish or wildlife transactions and activities that violate state, federal, native American tribal, or foreign laws; the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, which authorizes NOAA Fisheries to collect fisheries data on environmental decisions which affect living marine resources; and the Federal Power Act, which allows NOAA Fisheries to minimize effects of dam operations on anadromous fish, such as prescribing fish passageways that bypass dams. Many other statutes, international conventions, and treaties also guide NOAA Fisheries activities.
• Permits: Provides links to the various programs requiring a federal permit for activities under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
• Grants: Provides information about the NOAA Fisheries grant application process and lists grants that NOAA Fisheries is involved with.
• International Interests: Provides information about NOAA Fisheries international interests.

Managing Marine Ecosystems

Office of Sustainable Fisheries: The Office of Sustainable Fisheries was created to oversee and implement steps required to meet the objectives of the NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan.

Office of Law Enforcement: The Office for Law Enforcement is dedicated to the enforcement of laws that protect and conserve our nation's living marine resources and their natural habitat. NOAA Fisheries special agents and enforcement officers have specified authority to enforce over 100 legislative acts under 32 statutes, as well as numerous treaties related to the conservation and protection of marine resources and other matters of concern to NOAA. To effectively enforce these statutes, the OLE operates six divisional offices and 59 field offices across the U.S. and overseas.

Office of Protected Resources: The Office of Protected Resources manages programs and policies for one of the nation's most precious natural resources - its marine life. This site will lead you to marine mammal and protected marine species information, such as conservation efforts, current threats, legislation, and publications.

Office of Habitat Conservation: The Office of Habitat interacts with the NOAA Fisheries Regional Offices to manage, conserve and enhance habitats for fishery resources, protected species and other living marine resources.

Office of Science and Technology: The Office of Science and Technology advocates and ensures a sound scientific basis for NMFS science programs and resource conservation and management decisions. It has oversight of NMFS scientific research and technology development activities including biology, ecology, economic and social sciences, oceanography, collection and management of scientific information, engineering, and other disciplines used to fulfill NMFS conservation and management mission for living marine resources.