 |
 |
 |
NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan
A Message from NOAA Fisheries Leadership
NOAA Fisheries presents this strategic plan outlining our direction and the results we intend to achieve over the next five years. It lays out the goals and objectives that will guide our marine resource management decisions.
In the spirit of the Government Performance and Results Act, we have focused on measurable results which are important to the American people, rather than on activities or programs. The public deserves to know not only how we spend the funds they give us, but also what we accomplish with those funds.
We have intentionally set ambitious standards against which our performance can be measured, so that five years from now we will be able to celebrate our accomplishments and learn from our shortcomings. We have committed ourselves to specific results because we believe that we must have a significant impact on living marine resources and their ecosystems. That is what it means to be stewards, and that is what the American people intended when they entrusted us with our stewardship mission.
The construction of this plan has been an exhaustive process, involving employees of NOAA Fisheries at every level, as well as a wide variety of constituents, including commercial and recreational fishermen, other federal agencies, environmental groups, academics, state resource agencies, and representatives of Pacific Islanders and Native American tribes. As an agency, we have derived enormous benefit from this sweeping reassessment of our status and direction, and from consulting with so many diverse interests. We have learned a lot about ourselves, our mission, and our constituents.
The next step is to align our budget with our strategic plan, and indeed, this process is already underway. We will soon determine our priorities and allocate our resources according to the goals and objectives set forth in these pages.
We see this strategic plan not just as a document but as the beginning of an ongoing process of learning and improvement which will help us to become better stewards of the resources with which we have been entrusted. The American people deserve no less.
Go to NEXT SECTION of the Strategic Plan
Return to TABLE OF CONTENTS
Back to NOAA Fisheries Home Page