Talk:National Marine Fisheries Service

About the Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Only its library is mentioned but the Alaska Fisheries Science Center has many other activities such as its Quarterly Report. While the library is significant, here seem to be other important activities that merit mention-can an expert or better informed person than myself do the necessary? — Preceding unsigned comment added by DadaNeem (talk • contribs)


 * Agreed; the information is quite scant. I have made a first attempt to broaden the section, discussing all the science centers, however it is still far short of what it should be. --TeaDrinker (talk) 16:29, 2 January 2014 (UTC)

External links modified (February 2018)
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I have just modified 3 external links on National Marine Fisheries Service. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110105040753/http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/2010/OIG-19887.pdf to http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/2010/OIG-19887.pdf
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110223151401/http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/correspondence/2010.07.01_IG_to_NOAA.pdf to http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/correspondence/2010.07.01_IG_to_NOAA.pdf
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110105035700/http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/2010/OIG-19887-2.pdf to http://www.oig.doc.gov/oig/reports/2010/OIG-19887-2.pdf

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Updated History Section
Hi, I'm Allison and I'm an employee of NOAA. As an editor with a conflict of interest, I will not directly edit the article, but will instead post here and other related pages for editor review and implementation. I realize that the majority of the article is unsourced and could be removed in the future. I am seeking interested editors to review an updated History section (below) and implement the changes if they see fit. My version of the History section encompasses information in the existing Background and History sections. After researching many Wikipedia articles, it appears that the History section is most often placed at the top of the article as the first section. My draft provides a cohesive and accurate story of the organization and includes inline citations. I'm hoping an editor will review my proposed section below and place the section at the top of the article, removing the existing Background and History sections. I'm happy to provide more information if needed. Thank you for your help! AP at NOAA (talk) 18:00, 18 July 2020 (UTC)

History
Founded in 1871 as the U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries, the National Marine Fisheries Service is the oldest federal conservation and environmental research agency in the United States. The commission was formed when President Ulysses S. Grant named zoologist Spencer Fullerton Baird, United States National Museum director and assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first commissioner of the United States Fish Commission.

The commission was divided into three research categories: the study of U.S. waters and fish and its biological problems, the study of past and present fishing methods and collection of fish catch and trade statistics, and the introduction and propagation of food fishes throughout the nation. This structure remained through the transition of the commission's placement within the U.S. Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in 1970.

U.S. Fish Commission placement within NOAA
Initially the commission investigated the reasons for an apparent decline in fish stocks along the shores of southern New England and recommended regulatory measures. The commission also conducted broad, scientific surveys and collections of marine species from scientific research vessels, initially in Northeast Atlantic coastal and deep-sea waters and then in the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and off the coasts of Mexico, Texas, Florida, and Cuba. The commission’s scientists collected marine invertebrate and fish species, made hydrographic surveys, and studied fish populations.

In 1903, the U.S. Fish Commission was reorganized and named the Bureau of Fisheries. In 1939, the Bureau of Fisheries and its functions were transferred to the United States Department of the Interior. The Bureau of Fisheries merged with the Bureau of Biological Survey in 1940 to become the Fish and Wildlife Service, still under the U.S. Department of the Interior. In 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service underwent a reorganization and became the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The 1956 reorganization established two components of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, which focused primarily on commercial fisheries, whales, seals, and sea lions; and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, which focused on migratory birds, game management, wildlife refuges, sport fisheries, and sea mammals, excluding those managed under the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon transferred the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and almost all its functions from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Department of Commerce. Simultaneous with its transfer, the office was renamed the National Marine Fisheries Service. It was placed under the control of NOAA, which was created as a component of the Department of Commerce on October 3, 1970 primarily through a reorganization of the Environmental Science Services Administration, which NOAA replaced.


 * Hi, again, it's Allison. I left a couple of messages on the discussion boards of WikiProject Fisheries and Fishing and WikiProject United States Government, but haven't yet received a response. I completely understand that editors volunteer their time and have no duty to respond to requests. If there are editors interested in making this article better, I would love to help. After looking back in the article's history I noticed that User:Mdnavman made significant content contributions related to the organization's history. Would you be interested in collaborating or offering any feedback on my draft above? As I've stated here before, I have a conflict of interest as an employee and will not make edits to the article on my own. Thanks in advance! AP at NOAA (talk) 17:39, 19 August 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:06, 10 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you for reviewing and updating the article for me. I hope to return with another request in the near future. AP at NOAA (talk) 13:32, 14 September 2020 (UTC)

Fisheries Management Overview
Hi, again! I've returned with another request to improve this article by adding an overview of fisheries management activities. The draft content below gives readers an accurate summary and I'm hoping an editor will review and update the page appropriately:

Fisheries management
NOAA Fisheries regulates commercial and recreational marine fishing in the United States under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Established in 1976, the MSA is the primary law governing marine fisheries conservation and management in U.S. federal waters. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for fisheries management of waters in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, typically 3–200 miles from land. NOAA Fisheries manages 461 stocks or stock complexes in 46 fishery management plans, using stock assessments to determine their status. Under the MSA, fisheries management decisions in the United States are made primarily by eight regional fishery management councils. These councils may include representatives from state government agencies, academia, the fishing industry and environmental nonprofits, as well as representatives from NOAA Fisheries. These councils serve as regulatory advisors that make region-specific recommendations to NOAA Fisheries, who implements the regulations.

The MSA was reauthorized and revised in 2007 to include annual catch limits to end overfishing. Overfishing, which NOAA Fisheries is tasked with preventing, is a major threat to biodiversity, global food security, and the fishing sector.

The MSA also requires that overfished stocks be rebuilt within 10 years, except in cases where the life history characteristics of the stock, environmental conditions or management measures under an international agreement dictate otherwise. Fisheries managers use stock assessments to help determine if a stock is overfished, measuring the maximum sustainable yield. If a stock is designated as overfished, annual catch limits need to be low enough to allow stocks to rebuild. Worldwide, about one-third of fish stocks are being fished at biologically unsustainable levels. NOAA Fisheries has been successful at ending overfishing in U.S. waters, and science-based management has resulted in 47 once-overfished U.S. fish stocks being declared rebuilt. In July 2020, NOAA Fisheries published a report showing that the number of U.S. fish stocks subject to overfishing was at an all-time low in 2019—93 percent were not subject to overfishing.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing
NOAA Fisheries works with U.S. government agencies and foreign governments to implement domestic and international policies and plans for addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the United States and internationally. NOAA Fisheries works with the United States Department of State to evaluate international fisheries and identify vessels that have engaged in IUU fishing activities. If a nation is identified to have involvement in IUU fishing, NOAA Fisheries and the Department of State initiate a two-year consultation process to encourage that nation to take necessary measures to address the specific issue. NOAA Fisheries then determines whether to negatively or positively certify the identified nation in its next biennial report to Congress on international fisheries. If the nation can provide evidence that it has taken actions that address the IUU issue(s), a positive certification is issued. A negative certification may result in that nation's fishing vessels losing U.S. port access and potential import restrictions on fish or fish products.

In 2017, the Seafood Import Monitoring Program was established under NOAA Fisheries to increase transparency and traceability for 13 species of seafood particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing. Greater transparency and traceability helps NOAA enforcement agents locate and block IUU seafood imports from entering U.S. markets. The program requires full traceability—that is, documentation from the point of capture to the point of entry.

Seafood commerce and certification
NOAA Fisheries' Seafood Inspection Program certifies U.S. seafood products for domestic consumption and for export. This voluntary, fee-for-service program's inspection activities include vessel and plant sanitation inspections and seafood product quality evaluations. After inspecting a company's seafood products, a National Seafood Inspection Program officer issues and signs the certificates required to accompany U.S. seafood exports to countries that require health certification. The program also develops product grade standards, specifications, and international policies, and provides training and education within the industry and for consumers.

Fishery observers
NOAA Fisheries has placed trained fishery observers aboard commercial fishing vessels to collect a variety of data on catch, bycatch, and fishing operations since the 1970s. Fishery observers are trained biologists who collect data on fishing activities onboard commercial vessels in support of science and management programs. They collect a variety of data including catch, bycatch, fishing effort, biological characteristics, interactions with protected species, and socioeconomic information. This information is used by NOAA Fisheries to perform stock assessments, construct fishery management plan regulations, develop bycatch reduction devices, and identify the need for protective regulations for protected species. Observer programs across the United States are engaging in cross-sector partnerships to explore the potential of electronic monitoring to augment observer programs in a cost-efficient manner.

Would you be willing to review my proposed section and place in the article? I can answer questions if you have any, and thanks for your consideration. AP at NOAA (talk) 16:43, 28 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Your suggested addition seems unobjectionable to me, so I have added it. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 17:42, 28 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you again for reviewing and updating the article for me! AP at NOAA (talk) 18:11, 28 September 2020 (UTC)