NEFSC Organizational Structure

The National Systematics Laboratory is administered by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, but serves as the taxonomic research arm of the National Marine Fisheries Service as a whole. The Laboratory describes and names new species, and revises existing descriptions and names based on new information, of fishes, squids, crustaceans, and corals of economic or ecological importance to the United States. Because some important species are highly migratory and many exotic species are introduced into U.S. waters or markets, the Laboratory's research is worldwide. Major products of this research are worldwide and regional taxonomic publications and identification guides.