EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Environmental Assessment and Prediction Mission
Environmental Stewardship Mission
Build Sustainable Fisheries
Recover Protected Species
Sustain Healthy Coasts
Crosscutting Initiatives
Reducing Costs and Improving Effectiveness
Budget Request--
Traditional Structure
Budget Request--
Strategic Plan Structure
Supplementary Tables
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Build Sustainable Fisheries
Total Request: $327,891,000
NOAA requests $327.9 million to address this strategic goal, a net decrease
of $30.4 million from the FY 1999 base. The objectives are to:
- assess the status of fishery resources;
- advance fishery predictions;
- manage for economic growth by developing plans for reducing excessive
fishing and capital investment;
- ensure adequate and voluntary compliance with fishery regulations;
and
- provide research and services for fishery-dependent industries to maximize
benefits from marine resources.
These objectives will be accomplished primarily through the efforts of
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Oceanic and Atmospheric Research
(OAR) and the National Ocean Service (NOS).
The NMFS portion of the request is $258.4 million which includes: $9.0
million in increases to expand the collection, evaluation, and dissemination
of fisheries data including the development of strategies for bycatch reduction;
an increase of $9.6 million for fisheries management programs under the
provision of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
including funding for Regional Fishery Management Councils and NMFS to develop
and amend fishery management plans to end overfishing and rebuild
stocks, implement the new national standards, include essential fish
habitat identifications, and meet other requirements; an increase of $1.5
million specifically for implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act's National Standard 8 requirements for additional
economic data; $0.9 million in additional funds to improve at-sea and shoreside
compliance; and funds to provide grants and other assistance for fisheries
development programs.
OAR requests a total of $25.8 million in the Sea Grant Program, National
Undersea Research Program (NURP), and marine prediction research subactivities
to: improve technologies for tracking and estimating aquatic biomass; advance
aquaculture and economic growth initiatives; apply new computing techniques;
and provide for other research activities including in-situ undersea research.
NOS requests $9.2 million to strengthen abilities to assess and predict
natural and human-induced changes and their impact on fisheries health,
an increase of $0.6 million for NOAA's Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful
Algal Blooms program.
Also included is a net decrease of $21.7 million for program reductions,
terminations and distributed infrastructure changes.
The FY 1999 proposed appropriation establishes authority to collect fees
to offset costs associated with providing fisheries management and enforcement.
A proposal for the fees is being developed, and receipts will be collected
from fees assessed on landings of commercial fishermen in the U.S. The $19.8
million in estimated fees will be used to offset the overall NOAA Budget
Authority and Appropriation in FY 1999.
As evidenced by the Sustainable Fisheries Act's amendments, there is
a strong consensus among lawmakers, fishery managers, the fishing industry
and the public, that depleted fishery resources must be restored and healthy
fisheries must be maintained and managed for greater efficiency. Of the
U.S. fishery resources for which population status is known, 36 percent
are over utilized. Even fisheries that are producing a large catch are doing
so with unnecessary cost and waste. Well-managed fisheries produce significant
and continuous benefits, such as the $1 billion Alaskan groundfish fishery.
Controlled access measures implemented in the $180 million Alaskan halibut/sablefish
fishery have resulted in reduced accidents and property loss, increased
economic value of the resource, and reduced bycatch. Since 1994, NOAA has
increased the number of fishery management plans with access controls by
over 30 percent. NOAA estimates that restoring fisheries will have a potential
$25 billion total positive impact on the national economy.
NOAA is providing the federal leadership and support to make this happen.
Accurate and timely resource assessments are being used to guide management
decisions.
The NMFS, NOS, and other parts of NOAA are conducting research to advance
fishery predictions, reduce costs of conventional stock assessments, improve
fishery habitat and mitigate harmful algal blooms. Enforcement is carried
out to ensure compliance with regulations, and NOAA is working with state
and international partners to develop policies for managing fisheries that
occupy multiple geo-political zones. In addition, NOAA continues to design
and implement harvest capacity reduction programs, and programs to provide
fishermen with economic and technical support during stock rebuilding efforts. |