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NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan
Foundations for Stewardship - Foundation 3
FOUNDATION 3: Strong and productive partnerships
All federal agencies operate in an environment of limited resources, budgetary constraints, and increasing demands. One message that we heard consistently at all of our constituent meetings was that NOAA Fisheries needs to increase its partnering activities with other federal agencies, state and local authorities, universities, Native American tribes, Pacific Islanders, the commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental groups, and international organizations.
We do not have the authority or the resources to accomplish all of the goals and objectives described in this plan on our own. We will need to reach out to others with similar mandates, both inside and outside of government, and seek new ways to work with them to achieve our mutual aims. Most of the initiatives discussed below are mentioned elsewhere in this plan, but are repeated here to emphasize our commitment to partnerships with others.
During the next 5 years, we will leverage our resources through partnerships by:
- Involving state and interstate management entities in implementing rebuilding schedules and assessing stocks.
- Collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other relevant agencies to support effective implementation of interstate FMPs.
- Involving community groups in our efforts to mitigate the negative economic impacts of fishery management on fishing communities.
- Working with industry and universities to identify new ways to reduce or utilize by-catch.
- Collaborating with Native American tribes to implement programs which affect the trust resources of these groups, consistent with federal trust responsibilities.
- Collaborating with state and tribal man-agement partners, industry, anglers, and conservation groups to advance aquatic re-source conservation, enhance recreational fishing opportunities, promote catch and release programs and assure the survival of fish caught under such programs, assist private landowners with aquatic resource conservation, and utilize cost-share programs.
- Working with the National Academy of Sciences to develop a comprehensive report on individual quota programs which will include recommendations to implement a national policy with respect to such programs.
- Working with state and other federal agencies to develop rational, simplified aquaculture permitting and regulatory processes.
- Establishing cooperative working relationships with relevant organizations to promote conservation efforts for marine mammals and other protected species.
- Developing partnerships with the fishing industry to devise new ways to decrease conflicts between protected species and fishing activities and gear.
- Developing and supporting cooperative agreements with state governments and tribes to conserve protected species.
- Engaging in community-based habitat restoration projects with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal America, and other organizations.
- Leveraging external funding for habitat restoration activities from other organizations, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Utilizing the NOAA Fisheries grant programs to promote constituent participation and involvement in the stewardship of living marine resources.
- Developing educational and informational initiatives to increase public participation in NOAA Fisheries grant programs.
- Ensuring the effectiveness and responsiveness of NOAA Fisheries grant programs through an internal review and evaluation process which includes the use of an electronic database which tracks grants, monitors the status of projects, and provides summaries of projects by species, activity, and geographic location.
- Strengthening the competitive grant solicitation and review process to assure that project funding is consistent with NOAA Fisheries’ strategic objectives.
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