Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Fisheries
The Fiscal Year 2002 budget request for National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) totals $734.2 million, including $598.0 million for research and management programs and $136.2 million in associated funding. The requested funding provides important new investments critical to the long- term stewardship of the Nation’s living marine resources, including $19.5 million in new funding to enhance and modernize NOAA Fisheries’ activities in the Northeast and mid- Atlantic.
Who is Northeast NOAA Fisheries?
NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Region stretches from Maine to Virginia and is home to the oldest and most diverse U. S. fishing fleet, our most endangered large whale, and one of the world’s best- known ocean ecosystems – Georges Bank. During more than 130 years of service, NOAA Fisheries northeastern staff has built an international reputation for expertise and innovation in marine science and advising on marine resource use. The Northeast boasts the only lab built specifically for nearshore marine environmental studies, a lab devoted to mariculture research, the sole source of larval cod and haddock for rearing, and the Nation’s leading authorities on the taxonomy and systematics of marine fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans. The science center is headquartered in Woods Hole, MA, on the site of the Nation’s first federal fisheries research laboratory that was the genesis of both today’s NOAA Fisheries, and of Woods Hole as a center of marine science excellence.
Science-based Management
The fisheries off the northeastern and mid- Atlantic coasts of the U. S. are among the Nation’s most biologically and economically stressed. However, the management of these resources benefit from some of the most sophisticated knowledge on which to base resource management decisions. NOAA Fisheries has one of the world’s most extensive time series of oceanographic, biological, and stock status monitoring data sets. The FY 2002 request would provide additional resources for this work allowing for additional stock assessments to ensure management decisions are based on even better data. Overall, NOAA Fisheries is uniquely suited to identify the status of the Northeast and mid- Atlantic’s fishery stocks and the elements impacting their health and abundance, including habitats essential to fish stocks, important forage stocks, and how fishing practices may affect them. A key element of providing high quality data upon which management actions can be based is the use of a dedicated fisheries research vessel. The Northeast’s research vessel, the ALBATROSS IV, will require significant repairs totaling $4.0 million to continue to play this critical role.
Cooperative Research Programs
The region is a leader in establishing formal cooperative research programs that partner with fishermen to undertake projects that investigate matters with direct application to fishery management while fostering improved understanding among industry, scientists, and managers. Proposed FY 2002 funding for cooperative research in the Northeast totals $10 million and additional funds are requested to expand this effort, defray some costs of the research to participants, and assist with proposal and study development, data analysis, and reporting of results.
Managing for the Future
The integrity of science- based fisheries management continues to reap rewards for the region. In 1999, Northeastern and mid- Atlantic commercial fleets accounted for around one- seventh of landings and about one- third of the total first- sale value of the Nation’s commercial fish harvest. Under NOAA Fisheries’ leadership combined with that of the New England and Mid- Atlantic Fishery Management Councils,
Federal fishery management plans governing over 40 species and more than 50 stocks are working to rebuild or recover depleted stocks. Nearly a decade after the collapse of groundfish stocks, the fishing and management of this species has shifted to sustainable harvesting practices and the cod stocks on Georges Bank have begun to show signs of recovery. The commitment to recover and rebuild in the Gulf of Maine also remains a high priority. The FY 2002 request would provide increased funding to the councils to continue to meet their management needs. Similarly, new funds included in the request for Northeast fisheries management would allow NOAA Fisheries to provide additional services, better implement cooperative research programs, and expand observer programs. Additional funds would be used to better evaluate the social and economic effects of potential fishery management measures to improve decision- making and reduce impacts on the fishing industry. Finally, new funding is needed to expand current enforcement programs in the Northeast and mid- Atlantic, and speed the implementation of vessel management systems that employ the latest satellite technology to better track vessels to ensure compliance with regulations and improve safety at sea.
Recovering Protected Species
Twelve of the fourteen “strategic” marine mammal stocks in the U. S. Atlantic occur in the Northeast Region. (Strategic stocks are those that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, likely to be listed in the near future, and/ or known to encounter significant mortality from human activities.) Of these 12 Northeastern stocks, half are listed under the Endangered Species Act and more than half are significantly affected by human- caused mortality. The region’s staff conduct research and resource trend monitoring for these stocks, evaluate the interactions with fishing gear and other threats (such as marine vessel traffic), and manage a “safety net” for entangled and stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. With the additional FY 2002 funds requested for endangered and protected species, the region and science center will enhance their activities aimed at protecting Atlantic right whales and increase research efforts important for understanding the factors influencing recovery of Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon stocks.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Increases: