MAFAC Meeting April 2000

REPORT OF THE OUTREACH WORKING GROUP

The MAFAC Outreach Working Group met in Charleston, SC on April 19 - 20, 2000 and submits the following report.

The Working Group believes that communication / outreach - both external and internal -is the basis for many of the problems faced by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Group members heard many horror stories about miscommunication or Iack of communication which make it evident that a more structured system is needed. The Working Group forwards the following recommendations:

1. NMFS needs a funded outreach program.
2. A national constituent data base needs to be assembled and used by the outreach program.
3. The starting point for the data base should be the NMFS regional offices.
4. NMFS needs to establish internal tracking capability to provide timely and accurate response to constiluent communications.
5. Improve the NMFS web site so that information most often sought by constituents is readily available.
6. NMFS needs to encourage, or if necessary direct, NMFS regional employees to work more closely with constituents in the field, including by working with other outreach groups. In the future, NMFS needs to consider outreach skills as a component of employee backgrounds.
7. NMFS needs to take advantage of opportunities for research, communication, and education offered by States and the private sector, especially if NMFS does not have the resources available to meet its needs.