Cooperation with States: ESA Section 6 Program
Program Overview | Section 6 Agreements | Section 6 Grants | Contacts
Overview
Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) provides a mechanism for cooperation between NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and States in the conservation of threatened, endangered, and candidate species.
Under section 6, NMFS is authorized to enter into agreements with any State that establishes and maintains an "adequate and active" program for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. Once a State enters into such an agreement, NMFS is authorized to assist in, and provide Federal funding for, implementation of the State's conservation program.
Federal funding, provided in the form of grants, can be used to support management, outreach, research, and monitoring projects that have direct conservation benefits for listed species, recently de-listed species, and candidate species that reside within that State.
 Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata) Photo: © Florida Museum of Natural History. The endangered smalltooth sawfish is highly susceptible to entanglement in fishing line and nets; incidental capture has been identified as one the main reasons for this species' decline. Outreach efforts funded through the section 6 program are being used by the state of Florida to increase public awareness of proper handling and release of these fish if caught accidentally. |
Agreements
Cooperative conservation partnerships between NMFS and States can be formalized by entering into agreements pursuant to section 6 of the ESA. The following States, through their appropriate state agencies, currently hold section 6 agreements with NMFS (year effective noted in parentheses):
- Delaware
(2007) - Florida (2003)
- Georgia (1990)
- Hawaii (2006)
- Maine (2005)
- Maryland (1998)
- Massachusetts (1996)
- New Jersey (2004)
- New York (1992)
- North Carolina (2000)
- Puerto Rico (2003)
- South Carolina (1984)
- U.S. Virgin Islands (2003)
- Washington (2008)
Contacts
Any State or U.S. Territory that wishes to enter into a section 6 agreement with NMFS should contact a Section 6 Coordinator for guidance on how to apply.
 Shortnose sturgeon (top) and Atlantic sturgeon (bottom) (Acipenser brevirostrum and Acipenser oxyrinchus) Photo: Doug Cooke, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Work is being conducted in South Carolina to improve current understanding of threats facing endangered shortnose sturgeon as well as co-occurring Atlantic sturgeon. |
Lisa Manning
NMFS Office of Protected Resources
301-713-1401
Amanda Johnson
NMFS Northeast Regional Office
978-281-9300 x 6513
Karla Reece
NMFS Southeast Regional Office
727-824-5348
Scott Rumsey
NMFS Northwest Regional Office
503-872-2791
Charlotte Ambrose
NMFS Southwest Regional Office
707-575-6068
Jayne LeFors
NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office
808-944-2277
Kaja Brix
NMFS Alaska Regional Office
907-586-7824
