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Fisheries Science Centers

Alaska The Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries oversees sustainable fisheries that produce about half the fish caught in US waters with responsibilities covering 842,000 square nautical miles off Alaska...

Southwest The SWFSC is the research arm of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service in the Southwest Region. Center scientists conduct marine biological, economic and oceanographic research...

Southeast The Southeast Fisheries Science Center conducts multi-disciplinary research programs to provide management information to support national and regional programs of NMFS...

Pacific Islands The Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)...

Northwest The Northwest Fisheries Science Center studies living marine resources (e.g., salmon, groundfish, and killer whales) and their habitats in the Northeast Pacific Ocean...

Northeast The Center plans, develops, and manages a multidisciplinary program of basic and applied research to: (1) better understand living marine resources of the Northeast Continental Shelf Ecosystem...

Capability 2 - Protected Species Monitoring and Assessments (PSA)

The Protected Species Monitoring and Assessment capability conducts surveys and monitoring programs to obtain information needed to evaluate status and trends and produce population/stock assessments and forecasts for protected species as part of the recovery and conservation process. Information required on protected species includes: density, abundance, seasonal distribution, and habitat use over time and space; interactions between protected species and other living marine resources, and; interactions between protected species and chemical and physical oceanographic factors; and on the interactions between protected species. Protected species are those species listed as protected or depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and/or threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), including all marine mammals and marine turtles and certain marine and anadromous fish, plants, and invertebrates. The data collected, analyzed, and synthesized under this capability provide scientific information necessary for sound decision-making. Better information leads to precaution in management that is consistent with the nature of the problem (i.e., is appropriately targeted) to reach conservation goals while also reducing the risk of costly socioeconomic impacts. This capability primarily provides science for the Protected Species program, which is responsible for implementation of the MMPA and ESA and complying with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, other Acts, and Executive Orders. Specific examples of such work includes: Protected species stock assessments; protected species population and habitat monitoring, including surveys, routine collection of biological samples from stranding events or other activities; and collection of passive acoustics information.