What We Do

NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency, a division of the Department of Commerce, responsible for the stewardship of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of living marine resources within the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (water three to 200 mile offshore). Using the tools provided by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NOAA Fisheries assesses and predicts the status of fish stocks, ensures compliance with fisheries regulations and works to reduce wasteful fishing practices. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries recovers protected marine species (i.e. whales, turtles) without unnecessarily impeding economic and recreational opportunities.

NOAA Fisheries administers its research and management responsibilities through its headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland and at regional and science centers located in six regions throughout the United States.

The Southeast Regional Office is located in St. Petersburg, Florida; there are five other offices directly connected to us, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center located in Miami, Florida; laboratories are located in Miami and Panama City, Florida; Beaufort, North Carolina; Oxford, Maryland; Pascagoula and Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; and Galveston, Texas.

The Southeast Region covers the eight coastal states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, the inland states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.