Most NOAA Fisheries Enforcement activities are conducted under one of the following laws:

• The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) (16 USC 1801-1882)
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 USC 1531-1543)
• The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) (16 USC 1361-1407)
• The Lacey Act Amendments of 1981
  (Lacey) (16 USC 3371-3378)
• The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act
  (MSA) (16 USC 1431-1439)

The Office for Law Enforcement also plays a key role in the enforcement of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as they relate to marine wildlife.

The OLE also works with a variety of member nations in relation to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The OLE works in conjunction with CCAMLR in particular to Patagonian toothfish importation issues.

Various other Statutes for which NOAA Fisheries OLE has responsibility:

• Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946
• American Fisheries Act of 1998
• Certificate of Legal Origin for Anadromous Fish Products
• Antarctic Conservation Act of 1948
• Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act of 1984
• Antatctic Protection Act of 1990
• Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act
• Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975
• Atlantic Salmon Convention Act of 1982
• Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act of 1984
• Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980
• Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act
• Driftnet Impact Monitoring, Assessment and Control Act
• Eastern Pacific Tuna Licensing Agreement Act of 1984
• Fish and Seafood Promotion Act
• Fisherman's Protective Act
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act
• Fur Seal Act of 1966
• High Seas Driftnet Act of 1992
• Jellyfish Act of 1966
• Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of 1992
• Merchant Marine Act of 1936
• Northern Pacific Anadromous Stocks Convention
• Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1937
• Offshore Shrimp Fisheries Act of 1973
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conservation Act of 1980
• Pacific Salmon Treaty Act of 1985
• Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000
• South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988
• Sponge Act of 1906
• Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996
• Tuna Convention Act of 1950
• Weather Modifications Reporting Act
• Whaling Convention Act of 1949