Laws & Policies | NOAA Fisheries

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class="mobile-menu__explore"> <span class="link link-cta">Environment</span> </div> <ul class="mobile-menu__level list--arrow" data-level="3" aria-expanded="false"> <a class="link link--cta" href="/topic/ecosystems">Ecosystems</a> <li class="mobile-menu__item mobile-menu__item--second"> <a class="mobile-menu__link link link--text" href="/topic/ecosystems/regional-ecosystems" title="U.S. Regional Ecosystems ">U.S. Regional Ecosystems </a> </li> <li class="mobile-menu__item mobile-menu__item--second"> <a class="mobile-menu__link link link--text" href="/topic/ecosystems/evolving-management" title="Management">Management</a> </li> <li class="mobile-menu__item mobile-menu__item--second"> <a class="mobile-menu__link link link--text" href="/topic/ecosystems/ecosystem-science" title="Ecosystem Science">Ecosystem Science</a> </li> </ul> </li> <ul class="mobile-menu__level list--arrow" data-level="3" aria-expanded="false"> <a class="link link--cta" href="/topic/habitat-conservation">Habitat 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hero-sub-nav__link--active" data-id="magnuson-stevens-act">Magnuson-Stevens Act</a> <a href="/topic/laws-policies/endangered-species-act" class="sub-nav__link link hero-link--subnav " data-id="endangered-species-act">Endangered Species Act</a> <a href="/topic/laws-policies/marine-mammal-protection-act" class="sub-nav__link link hero-link--subnav " data-id="marine-mammal-protection-act">Marine Mammal Protection Act</a> <a href="/topic/laws-policies/national-environmental-policy-act" class="sub-nav__link link hero-link--subnav " data-id="national-environmental-policy-act">National Environmental Policy Act</a> <a href="/topic/laws-policies/more-laws" class="sub-nav__link link hero-link--subnav " data-id="more-laws">More Laws</a> <a href="/topic/laws-policies/policies" class="sub-nav__link link hero-link--subnav " data-id="policies">Policies </a> </nav> </div> </div> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list" data-a2a-url="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/laws-policies" data-a2a-title="Laws & Policies "><a class="a2a_button_facebook" alt="Facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_x" alt="Twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_linkedin" alt="Linkedin"></a><a class="a2a_button_reddit" alt="Reddit"></a><a class="a2a_dd" alt="Share"></a></span> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <div class="topic-custom"> <div class="topic-custom__content"> <div class="subnav-tab"> <div class="subnav-tab__content subnav-tab__content--active" id=magnuson-stevens-act> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">Magnuson-Stevens Act</h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t1-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><div class="inline-img right"> </div> <p>The <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-act">Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act</a> is the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. First passed in 1976, the MSA fosters the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries. Its objectives include:</p> <ul> <li>Preventing overfishing</li> <li>Rebuilding overfished stocks</li> <li>Increasing long-term economic and social benefits</li> <li>Ensuring a safe and sustainable supply of seafood</li> <li>Protecting habitat that fish need to spawn, breed, feed, and grow to maturity</li> </ul> <p>Under the MSA, U.S. fisheries management is a transparent and public process of science, management, innovation, and collaboration with the fishing industry.</p> <p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-act">Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act</a></p> <h2>History of the MSA</h2> <figure role="group" class="align-right"> <div data-embed-button="media_entity_embed" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.media_375" data-entity-embed-display-settings="[]" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="4ae5361e-63c9-4f46-9cf7-556b7080368a" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity" id="med-emb_5941230617890"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field--label sr-only">Image</div> <div class="field--item"> <img loading="lazy" width="375" height="250" alt="U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Warren Magnuson (D-WA) having a conversation in their neighboring senate seats, with state flags in the background." class="dam-image img-responsive" data-src="/s3//styles/media_375_x_250/s3/2020-12/magnuson-stevens-credit-ted-stevens-foundation-1973-600x474.jpg?itok=9pB3n9xd" typeof="foaf:Image" src> </div> </div> </div> </div> <figcaption>U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Warren Magnuson (D-WA), 1973. Credit: Ted Stevens Foundation</figcaption> </figure> <p>Prior to 1976, international waters began at just 12 miles from shore and were fished by unregulated foreign fleets. The MSA extended U.S. jurisdiction to 200 nautical miles and established eight <a href="/topic/partners">regional fishery management councils</a> with representation from the coastal states and fishery stakeholders. The councils develop fishery management plans that comply with the MSA's conservation and management requirements, including <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/laws-and-policies/national-standard-guidelines">10 national standards</a> to promote sustainable fisheries management.</p> <p>Congress has made two significant revisions to the MSA:</p> <h3>Sustainable Fisheries Act</h3> <p>The Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 enacted numerous science, management, and conservation mandates. It recognized the importance of healthy habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries. Fish and other marine species depend on their habitat to survive and reproduce.</p> <ul> <li>Strengthened requirements to prevent overfishing and rebuild overfished fisheries</li> <li>Set standards for fishery management plans to specify objective and measurable criteria for determining stock status</li> <li>Added three new national standards to address fishing vessel safety, fishing communities, and bycatch</li> <li>Established new requirements for fishery management councils to identify and describe <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/essential-fish-habitat">Essential Fish Habitat</a> and to protect, conserve, and enhance EFH for the benefit of fisheries. <ul> <li>A 2002 update to EFH regulations allowed fishery management councils to designate <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/essential-fish-habitat#location,-location,-location">Habitat Areas of Particular Concern</a>, specific areas within EFH that have extremely important ecological functions and/or are especially vulnerable to degradation</li> </ul> </li> <li>Established a federal <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/consultations-essential-fish-habitat">EFH consultation</a> process that advises federal agencies to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or otherwise offset adverse effects on EFH</li> </ul> <h3>MSA Reauthorization Act</h3> <p>The MSA Reauthorization Act of 2007 further refined and strengthened fisheries science, management, and conservation.</p> <ul> <li>Established annual catch limits and accountability measures</li> <li>Promoted market-based management strategies, including limited access privilege programs, such as catch shares</li> <li>Strengthened the role of science through peer review, the scientific and statistical committees, and the <a href="/topic/recreational-fishing-data">Marine Recreational Information Program</a></li> <li>Enhanced international cooperation by addressing <a href="/topic/international-affairs/iuu-fishing">illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing</a> and <a href="/topic/bycatch">bycatch</a></li> </ul> <p>Under the MSA, we are <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/status-stocks-reports">ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks</a>, which strengthens the value of fisheries to our economy and marine ecosystems.</p> <p> </p><div class="brightcove" style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 1280px;"> <div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"> <video data-account="659677166001" data-player="4b3c8a9e-7bf7-43dd-b693-2614cc1ed6b7" data-embed="default" data-video-id="4842617501001" data-application-id class="video-js" controls style="position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%;"> </video> <script src="//players.brightcove.net/659677166001/4b3c8a9e-7bf7-43dd-b693-2614cc1ed6b7_default/index.min.js"> </script> </div> </div> <h2>International Provisions of the Magnuson–Stevens Reauthorization Act</h2> <p>The <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-act">Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2007</a> amended the <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2011/01/12/2011-507/high-seas-driftnet-fishing-moratorium-protection-act-identification-and-certification-procedures-to">High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act</a>. The Reauthorization Act directs the United States to strengthen international fisheries management organizations. It also directs the United States to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and bycatch of protected living marine resources.</p> <p>The Moratorium Protection Act was further amended in 2011 by the Shark Conservation Act to improve the conservation of sharks domestically and internationally.</p> <p>The Moratorium Protection Act requires NOAA Fisheries to produce a biennial Report to Congress that lists nations the United States has identified for IUU fishing, bycatch of protected species, or shark catches on the high seas for nations that do not have regulatory measures comparable to the United States.</p> <p>Once a nation is identified, NOAA Fisheries enters a 2-year consultation process to encourage that nation to take necessary measures to address the issue for which it was identified. Following these consultations, we determine whether to negatively or positively certify the identified nation in the next Report to Congress.</p> <p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/status-stocks-reports">NOAA Reports to Congress</a></p> <p>A positive certification is issued if the nation has provided evidence of actions that address the activities for which it was identified. A negative certification may result in denial of U.S. port access for fishing vessels of that nation, and potential import restrictions on fish or fish products. </p> <p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/national/international-affairs/identification-iuu-fishing-activities">International provisions of the MSA reauthorization</a></p> <h3><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>On December 31, 2018, the Magnuson</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>–<span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Stevens Act was amended by the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1520#:~:text=(Sec.,of%20a%20mixed%2Duse%20fishery.">Modernizing Recreational </a><span><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1520#:~:text=(Sec.,of%20a%20mixed%2Duse%20fishery.">Fisheries Management Act</a>. </span><span>The Modern Fish Act focuses on improvements to recreational fishing data </span><span>and management of mixed-use fisheries. The law includes requirements for new reports, studies, and </span><span>guidance related to fisheries management and science.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/s3/2021-05/ModernFishAct_Sec102_ReportToCongress_FINAL_4_22_20_508.pdf?null"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Modern Fish Act Section 102 Report to Congress</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a></p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="Magnuson-Stevens Act-title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="Magnuson-Stevens Act-gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/insight/understanding-fisheries-management-united-states">Understanding Fisheries Management </a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/content/national-standard-guidelines">National Standard Guidelines </a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/resources-fishing#commercial-fishing">Commercial Fishing</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/resources-fishing#recreational-fishing">Recreational Fishing </a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/laws-and-policies/allocation-fishery-resources">Allocation of Fishery Resources</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/habitat-conservation/essential-fish-habitat">NOAA Fisheries Essential Fish Habitat</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/resource/map/essential-fish-habitat-mapper">Essential Fish Habitat Mapper</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__content" id=endangered-species-act> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">Endangered Species Act</h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t2-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"> <div data-langcode="en" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="e0478b6d-cf4e-40ea-9728-bc8b21ac05f5" data-embed-button="media_entity_embed" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.media_250_x_250" data-entity-embed-display-settings="[]" class="align-right embedded-entity" id="med-emb_1611728530523"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field--label sr-only">Image</div> <div class="field--item"> <img loading="lazy" width="250" height="250" alt="Dark blue circular graphic with the words ESA 50 and colorful silhouettes of corals, a sawfish, a sea turtle, and a salmon." class="dam-image img-responsive" data-src="/s3//styles/media_250_x_250/s3/2023-06/ESA-50-Icon-blue-1024x1024.png?itok=_4qPOy0M" typeof="foaf:Image" src> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve endangered and threatened species and their ecosystems. Congress passed the ESA in 1973, recognizing that the natural heritage of the United States was of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our nation and its people.” It was understood that, without protection, many of our nation’s native plants and animals would become extinct.</p><p class="quote--pull">"Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed." – President Nixon, upon signing the Endangered Species Act</p><p>NOAA Fisheries and the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/program/endangered-species">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> share responsibility for implementing the ESA. NOAA Fisheries is responsible for most marine and <a href="/node/8071">anadromous</a> species. U.S. FWS is responsible for terrestrial and freshwater species. They are also responsible for several marine mammal species like walrus, sea otters, manatees, and polar bears. The two agencies share jurisdiction over several other species, such as sea turtles, Gulf Sturgeon, and Atlantic salmon.</p><h3>What the Endangered Species Act Protects</h3><p>Under the ESA, the federal government has the responsibility to conserve endangered and threatened species and their critical habitats.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/laws-and-policies/glossary-endangered-species-act">Learn more about terms related to the ESA</a></p><h4>Endangered and Threatened Species</h4><p>Endangered species are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Threatened species are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/species-directory/threatened-endangered">View the list of threatened and endangered species</a></p><h4>Critical Habitat</h4><p>Critical habitats are specific areas:</p><ul><li>Within the geographical area occupied by the species at the time of listing if they contain physical or biological features essential to conservation and those features may require special management considerations or protection</li><li>Outside the geographical area occupied by the species if the agency determines that the area itself is essential for conservation</li></ul><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/critical-habitat">Learn more about critical habitats</a></p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/resource/map/national-esa-critical-habitat-mapper">Visit the Critical Habitat Mapper</a></p><h3>Endangered Species Act Provisions</h3><p>Major provisions of the ESA include the following:</p><h4>Section 4</h4><ul><li><a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/listing-species-under-endangered-species-act">Listing, delisting, and reclassifying species</a> </li><li><a href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/critical-habitat">Designating critical habitat</a></li><li><a href="/protective-regulations-threatened-species-under-endangered-species-act-section-4d-0">Developing protective regulations for threatened species</a></li><li><a href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/recovery-species-under-endangered-species-act">Developing and implementing recovery plans</a> for listed species</li><li><a href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-5-year-reviews">Monitoring and evaluating the status</a> of listed species</li></ul><h4>Sections 6, 7, 8, and 9</h4><ul><li>Providing <a href="/grant/species-recovery-grants-states">grants to states</a> and <a href="/grant/species-recovery-grants-tribes">grants to tribes</a> for species conservation</li><li><a href="/topic/consultations/endangered-species-act-consultations">Consulting on federal actions that may affect a listed species or its designated critical habitat</a> to minimize possible adverse effects</li><li>Entering <a href="/topic/international-affairs/international-engagement">bilateral and multilateral agreements</a> with other nations to encourage conservation of listed species</li><li>Investigating violations of the ESA</li></ul><h4>Section 10</h4><ul><li><a href="/node/21866">Cooperating with non-federal partners to develop conservation plans</a>, safe harbor agreements, and candidate conservation agreements with assurances for the long-term conservation of species</li><li><a href="/permits-and-forms#protected-species-permits">Issuing permits that authorize scientific research</a> to learn more about listed species, or activities that enhance the propagation or survival of listed species</li><li><a href="/designating-experimental-populations-under-endangered-species-act-section-10j">Designating experimental populations of listed species</a> to further the conservation and recovery of those species</li></ul><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/topic/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-implementation">Learn how we implement the ESA</a></p><h3>Regulations, Policies, and Guidance</h3><p>We have issued regulations, national policies, and guidance to promote efficiency and consistency in implementing the ESA to conserve and recover listed marine species.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act-guidance-policies-and-regulations">Learn more about ESA regulations, policies, and guidance</a></p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="Endangered Species Act-title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="Endangered Species Act-gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/endangered-species-conservation/endangered-species-act">Full Text of the ESA</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/endangered-species-conservation">Endangered Species Conservation</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/feature-story/endangered-species-biennial-report-2014-2016">ESA Biennial Report to Congress </a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/endangered-species-conservation/species-spotlight">Species in the Spotlight Initiative</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/insight/recovery-endangered-and-threatened-species#how-successful-is-the-endangered-species-act?">Success Stories</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__content" id=marine-mammal-protection-act> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">Marine Mammal Protection Act</h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t3-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p dir="ltr">Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 in response to increasing concerns among scientists and the public that significant declines in some species of marine mammals were caused by human activities. The MMPA established a national policy to prevent marine mammal species and population stocks from declining beyond the point where they ceased to be significant functioning elements of the ecosystems of which they are a part. This was the first legislation to mandate an ecosystem-based approach to marine resource management.</p><p dir="ltr">Three federal entities share responsibility for implementing the MMPA:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>NOAA Fisheries </strong>is responsible for the protection of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service </strong>is responsible for the protection of walrus, manatees, sea otters, and polar bears.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Marine Mammal Commission </strong>provides independent, science-based oversight of domestic and international policies and actions of federal agencies addressing human impacts on marine mammals and their ecosystems.</p></li></ul><p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home/">Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service</a>, a part of the Department of Agriculture, is responsible for regulations managing marine mammals at public display facilities (i.e., aquaria and zoos) under the Animal Welfare Act.</p><p dir="ltr"><em><strong>All marine mammals are protected under the MMPA</strong></em>. Some are also protected under the Endangered Species Act and the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/convention-international-trade-endangered-species-wild-fauna-and">Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora</a>.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/laws-and-policies/glossary-marine-mammal-protection-act"> Learn More: Glossary of Terms Used in the Marine Mammal Protection Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Innovative Legislation</h3><p dir="ltr">The MMPA was an innovative piece of legislation for the early 1970s. In addition to shifting the focus of conservation from species to ecosystems, the MMPA contains other features never before established in legislation. The MMPA:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Included protection for population stocks in addition to species and subspecies. A population stock is a group of marine mammals of the same species or smaller taxa in a common spatial arrangement that interbreed when mature.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Shifted the burden from resource managers to resource users to show that proposed taking of marine mammals would not adversely affect the resource or the ecosystem. "Take" as defined in the MMPA means to harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Established the concept of "optimum sustainable populations" to ensure healthy ecosystems. Prior to the MMPA, the management of marine species was aimed at producing a "maximum sustainable yield" to ensure the species replenished itself for an adequate harvest in subsequent years.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Directed federal agencies to seek changes in international agreements, such as the Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention, so they corresponded to the protections outlined in the act.</p></li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Amendments of 1992</h3><p dir="ltr">The MMPA was amended in 1992 to include Title IV, the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program">Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program</a>. Title IV mandates emergency responses to marine mammals in distress, monitoring health and health trends in marine mammal populations, and investigating <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/marine-mammal-unusual-mortality-events">marine mammal unusual mortality events</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">Title IV was subsequently amended in 2000 to include the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/grant/john-h-prescott-marine-mammal-rescue-assistance-grant-program">John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program</a>, which provides grants or cooperative agreements to eligible stranding network participants for:</p><ul dir="ltr"><li>Recovery and treatment (i.e., rehabilitation) of stranded marine mammals</li><li>Data collection from living or dead stranded marine mammals</li><li>Facility upgrades, operation costs, and staffing needs directly related to the recovery and treatment of stranded marine mammals and the collection of data from living or dead stranded marine mammals </li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Amendments of 1994</h3><p dir="ltr">The MMPA was substantially amended in 1994 to provide:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">A statutory definition of the term "<a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-protection-act#introduction">harassment</a>," which is a prohibited activity and means "any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance, which has the potential to:</p><ul><li><p dir="ltr">Injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild (Level A harassment)</p></li><li><p dir="ltr">Disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering (Level B harassment)."</p></li></ul></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Certain exceptions to the moratorium on take, including for <a href="/node/8111">takes of small numbers of marine mammals incidental to specified activities</a>, when <a href="/region/alaska/management">access by Alaska Natives to marine mammal subsistence resources can be preserved</a>, and the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-authorization-program">general authorization for scientific research</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">A program to authorize and reduce the taking of marine mammals incidental to commercial fishing operations. Learn more about the <a href="/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-authorization-program">Marine Mammal Authorization Program</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">A requirement to prepare stock assessments for all marine mammal stocks in waters under U.S. jurisdiction. Learn more about <a href="/topic/population-assessments/marine-mammals">stock assessment reports</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Studies of <a href="https://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/marine_mammals/pinnipeds/index.html">interactions between pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and fisheries</a>. </p></li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">Protection, Conservation, and Recovery of Marine Mammals</h3><p dir="ltr">To protect all marine mammals, the MMPA prohibits the "taking" of any marine mammal species in U.S. waters where "take" means to hunt, harass, capture, or kill any marine mammal or attempting to do so. It also prohibits the import and export of marine mammals and their parts or products.</p><p dir="ltr">Exceptions to these prohibitions include:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Permitted incidental take (e.g., unintentional take) by commercial fisheries managed through the <a href="/marine-mammal-authorization-program">Marine Mammal Authorization Program</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="/insight/permits-and-authorizations-protected-species#what_types_of_permits_and_authorizations_are_available_for_endangered_and_threatened_species?">Authorized incidental take</a> that may occur during <a href="/insight/permits-and-authorizations-protected-species#for_what_activities_does_noaa_fisheries_issue_permits?">non-fishing activities</a> including oil and gas development, military readiness activities, renewable energy projects, construction projects, and research. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="/insight/permits-and-authorizations-protected-species#for_what_activities_does_noaa_fisheries_issue_permits?">Permitted directed take and import for scientific research, enhancement, commercial or educational photography, and public display</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Permitted import, export, and receipt of parts for scientific research.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Pre-act determinations for marine mammal parts taken before December 21, 1972.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="/topic/consultations/tribal-consulations">Take by Alaska natives for subsistence use</a> or to create and sell authentic articles of handicrafts and clothing. </p></li></ul><p dir="ltr">In addition to managing the taking of marine mammals, NOAA Fisheries also performs the following conservation and management actions:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Develops and implements conservation plans for species designated as depleted. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Develops and implements<a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-take-reduction-plans-and-teams"> take reduction plans</a> to minimize dead and seriously injured marine mammals in commercial fishing gear. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Coordinates the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network to support the mandates of the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/content/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program-mmhsrp">Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program</a>.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/convention-international-trade-endangered-species-wild-fauna-and">Partner with other nations to ensure that international trade does not threaten species</a>. </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><a href="/topic/enforcement">Investigates and prosecutes violations of the MMPA</a>.</p></li></ul><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/marine-mammal-protection-act">Read the full text of the MMPA</a></p><h3>Co-Management with Alaska Native Organizations</h3><p dir="ltr">Co-management involves collaboration between the federal government and Alaska Native Organizations to conserve marine mammal populations in Alaska.</p><p dir="ltr">Co-management efforts have integrated the field skills and traditional/indigenous knowledge of Alaska Native hunters with the scientific and technological expertise of agency scientists. This integration enhances understanding of marine mammals including their stock structure, status, trends, movement and habitat-use patterns, responses to climate change, animal health and condition, contaminants, and disease. Sampling of Native-harvested animals for scientific purposes (e.g., biosampling) has provided tissues for a variety of studies. Education and outreach efforts have trained hunters in good hunting practices and biosampling and familiarized Alaska Native youth with cultural and subsistence traditions. Such efforts contribute significantly to marine mammal conservation and the maintenance of subsistence cultures.</p><h4>Indigenous People's Council for Marine Mammals</h4><p dir="ltr">Find Memoranda of Agreement between NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Geological Survey, and the <a href="http://ipcommalaska.org/">Indigenous People's Council for Marine Mammals</a> that provide direction for developing MMPA Section 119 agreements to promote the sustained health of marine mammal species:</p><ul><li><a href="/s3/dam-migration/ipcomm-umbrellaagr06-akr.pdf">2006 Agreement</a> (PDF, 9 pages)</li><li><a href="/s3/dam-migration/ipcomm-umbrellaagr97-akr.pdf">1997 Agreement</a> (PDF, 23 pages)</li></ul><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-mammal-protection/co-management-marine-mammals-alaska">Learn more about the co-management of marine mammals in Alaska</a></p><h3>Regulations, Policies, and Guidance</h3><p dir="ltr">We have issued regulations, national policies, and guidance to promote efficiency and consistency in implementing the MMPA to conserve and recover marine mammal species.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-protection-act-policies-guidance-and-regulations">Find MMPA policies and guidance</a></p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="Marine Mammal Protection Act-title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="Marine Mammal Protection Act-gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/marine-mammal-protection">Marine Mammal Protection</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-protection-act-policies-guidance-and-regulations">MMPA Policies, Guidance, and Regulations</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/permits-and-forms#protected-species-permits">Marine Mammal Permits and Authorizations </a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/guidelines-safely-deterring-marine-mammals">Proposed Guidelines for Safely Deterring Marine Mammals</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/marine-life-in-distress/marine-mammal-health-and-stranding-response-program">Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/marine-mammal-protection/marine-mammal-stock-assessments">Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__content" id=national-environmental-policy-act> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">National Environmental Policy Act</h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t4-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p>The National Environmental Policy Act, enacted in 1969, requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their major proposed actions. Its primary goal is to foster better decision making that takes into account all of the environmental impacts of an action and involves the public in that decision making.</p><p>The range of actions covered by NEPA is broad and includes:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Making decisions on permit applications</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Adopting federal land management actions</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Constructing highways and other publicly-owned facilities</p></li></ul><p>When NOAA Fisheries undertakes a federal action, the first thing we have to do is decide if the action is subject to NEPA environmental review. A federal action is an activity, such as a plan, project or program, which may be funded, regulated, conducted, or approved by a federal agency. If the action is subject to NEPA review, then we must document the environmental impacts at one of three levels of NEPA analysis by preparing a:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Brief memorandum to the administrative record documenting that the activity qualifies for a categorical exclusion</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Concise environmental assessment, and if appropriate, a finding of no significant impact</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Detailed environmental impact statement</p></li></ul><p>We also provide information for use in NEPA documents prepared by other federal agencies. When another federal agency comes to us to obtain a permit or authorization, we review and provide comments on these documents. Once they are complete, we can adopt them as our own analysis for our permitting or authorization action. Through this process, we seek to ensure that impacts to marine wildlife resources are adequately described and that needed mitigation is provided.</p><p>We are responsible for implementing and enforcing more than 40 laws and policies to protect living marine resources. These include laws to deal with illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; illegally trading fish and wildlife; and even the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, which designates and protects areas of the marine environment with special national significance.</p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="National Environmental Policy Act-title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="National Environmental Policy Act-gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/ceq-msa-conformity-letter-28dec2015.pdf">NEPA Magnuson-Stevens Act Procedures (PDF, 17 pages)</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/02/23/2016-03684/national-environmental-policy-act-compliance-for-council-initiated-fishery-management-actions-under">Policy Revisions to Comply with Magnuson-Stevens Act</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="http://www.nepa.noaa.gov/">NOAA NEPA Coordination</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/resource/document/review-social-impact-assessment-included-national-environmental-policy-act">Social Impact Analysis in NEPA Documents</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__content" id=more-laws> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">More Laws</h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t5-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><h3 dir="ltr">American Fisheries Act</h3><p dir="ltr">Signed into law in 1998, the purpose of the act was to tighten U.S. ownership standards that had been exploited under the Anti-Reflagging Act, and to provide the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands pollock fleet the opportunity to conduct their fishery in a more rational manner while protecting non-AFA participants in other fisheries. The AFA established sector allocations in the BSAI pollock fishery, determined eligible vessels and processors, allowed the formation of cooperatives, set limits on the participation of AFA vessels in other fisheries, and imposed special catch weighing and monitoring requirements on AFA vessels.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/alaska/commercial-fishing/american-fisheries-act-pollock-fisheries-management">Learn more about the AFA and pollock fisheries management</a></p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.congress.gov/105/plaws/publ277/PLAW-105publ277.pdf#page=617">Read the AFA as signed in 1998</a></p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.congress.gov/111/plaws/publ281/PLAW-111publ281.pdf">Read AFA amendments in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010</a></p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:16%20section:1851%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title16-section1851)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true">Read the AFA, current, statutory note to MSA, 16 USC 1851, "Bering Sea Pollock Fishery"</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Animal Welfare Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Animal Welfare Act ensures humane care and treatment for certain animals that are exhibited to the public, bred for commercial sale, used in medical research, or transported commercially. Marine mammals on public display at aquariums fall under this act.</p><p dir="ltr">Facilities using regulated animals for regulated purposes must provide their animals with adequate housing, sanitation, nutrition, water and veterinary care, and they must protect their animals from extreme weather and temperatures. U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Care is the unit within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that upholds and enforces the act.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-welfare-act">Learn more about the Animal Welfare Act</a></p><h3><span>Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act</span></h3><p><span>The Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act of 1984 provides the legislative authority to establish the U.S. AMLR Program, implementing the United States’ strategic goal of managing Southern Ocean resources using an ecosystem approach.</span></p><p><span>The program (working with the U.S. Department of State) supports U.S. participation in the Commission and Scientific Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and conducts directed research toward achieving the conservation objectives of the Convention.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/insight/studying-and-conserving-antarctic-ecosystems"><span>Learn more about our Antarctic research</span></a></p><h3 dir="ltr"><span>Antiquities Act</span></h3><p><span>The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives the President of the United States the authority to create national monuments from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. There are five Marine National Monuments in U.S. waters, including four in the Pacific Ocean and one in the Atlantic Ocean. </span></p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/pacific-islands/habitat-conservation/marine-national-monuments-pacific"><span>Learn more about monuments in the Pacific</span></a></p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/new-england-mid-atlantic/habitat-conservation/northeast-canyons-and-seamounts-marine-national"><span>Learn more about the monument in the Atlantic</span></a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Atlantic Tunas Convention Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975 authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to administer and enforce all provisions of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to which the United States is a party. ICCAT conducts stock assessments on species of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and billfish. Based on these stock assessments, member nations negotiate quotas and other management recommendations for these species. Ideally, the management recommendations rebuild overfished stocks and allow for sustainable fishing of these species across the Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://coast.noaa.gov/data/Documents/OceanLawSearch/AtlanticTunasConventionActof1975.pdf">Learn more about the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Aquaculture Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The National Aquaculture Act of 1980 is a U.S. federal law that is intended to promote and support the development of aquaculture. The act aims to encourage development of aquaculture in the United States because aquaculture has the potential to reduce the U.S. trade deficit in fisheries products, augment existing commercial and recreational fisheries, and produce other renewable resources.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/National%20Aquaculture%20Act%20Of%201980.pdf">Learn more about the National Aquaculture Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Billfish Conservation Act</h3><p dir="ltr">In passing the Billfish Conservation Act, Congress recognized the conservation challenges facing billfish populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Section 4(a) of the act prohibits any person from offering billfish or billfish products for sale, selling them, or having custody, control, or possession of them for purposes of offering them for sale.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/billfish-conservation-act">Learn more about our role in the Billfish Conservation Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Coastal Zone Management Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Coastal Zone Management Act provides for the preservation, protection, development, restoration, and enhancement of our nation’s coastal zone resources for current and future generations. Under the act, there is a state-federal consistency provision that requires federal actions undertaken by federal agencies be consistent with enforceable policies of approved state management plans.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/act/">Learn more about the Coastal Zone Management Act</a></p><h3><strong>Federal Power Act</strong></h3><p>The Federal Power Act requires non-federal hydropower facility owners to obtain a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before operating their project. The act authorizes NOAA Fisheries to issue mandatory conditions for fish passage and to recommend other protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures for fish that migrate between freshwater and saltwater—such as salmon, shad, steelhead, river herring, eel, and sturgeon—and their habitat. Many of these species are listed as threatened or endangered and have critical habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act, or are managed fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.ferc.gov/">Learn more about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act requires that all federal agencies consult with NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state wildlife agencies when proposed actions might result in modification of a natural stream or body of water. Federal agencies must consider effects that these projects would have on fish and wildlife development and provide for improvement of these resources.</p><p dir="ltr">Under this act, we provide comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during review of projects under section 404 of the Clean Water Act (concerning the discharge of dredged materials into navigable waters) and section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (obstructions in navigable waterways). Our comments aim to reduce environmental impacts to migratory, estuarine, and marine fisheries and their habitats.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.usbr.gov/power/legislation/fwca.pdf">Learn more about the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Fur Seal Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Fur Seal Act prohibits the taking of North Pacific fur seals, except by Alaska natives for subsistence purposes or by permit from NOAA Fisheries.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/species/northern-fur-seal#conservation-management">Learn more about fur seal laws and treaties</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">High Seas Fishing Compliance Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The High Seas Fishing Compliance Act requires that all commercial fishing vessels registered in the United States have a permit to fish on the high seas. The high seas are those waters extending beyond the exclusive economic zone, or seaward of 200 miles. Those holding this permit must comply with international living marine resource agreements, including any measure implementing such agreements. Permit holders are required to record all fishing efforts on the high seas.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/high-seas-fishing-compliance-act-guide-revised-regulations">Learn more about permitting, reporting, and requirements for vessel monitoring systems and fishery observers</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act was passed in 2015 to combat <a href="/topic/international-affairs/iuu-fishing">IUU fishing</a> and seafood fraud internationally. IUU fishing undermines both the economic and environmental sustainability of our nation’s fisheries. Combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud is critical to sustaining the resilience of our global ocean fisheries, to leveling the playing field for the U.S. fishing and seafood industries, and to protecting the United States’ reputation as a leader in sustainable seafood.</p><p dir="ltr">The legislation includes several provisions designed to prevent illegally harvested fish from entering the United States and supports efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries around the world, including the <a href="http://www.fao.org/fishery/psm/agreement/en">Port State Measures Agreement</a>. This agreement aims to prevent vessels carrying fish caught illegally from entering U.S. ports and keeping illegal product out of our markets.</p><p dir="ltr">Together, the IUU Fishing Enforcement Act and the Port State Measures Agreement protect domestic fishermen from unfair competition and ensure consumer confidence in the seafood supply chain.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/international-affairs/illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing">Learn more about U.S. efforts to combat IUU Fishing</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Lacey Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Lacey Act, passed in 1900 as the first federal law protecting wildlife, was originally created to protect game and wild birds by making it a federal crime to poach game in one state with the purpose of selling the animal in another state. Today, the act reinforces other federal, state, and foreign wildlife protection laws by making it an offense to take, possess, transport, or sell wildlife that has been taken in violation of any law. The act also prohibits the falsification of documents for most shipments of wildlife (a criminal penalty) and makes the failure to properly mark wildlife shipments an offense (civil penalty).</p><p dir="ltr">The Lacey Act has been amended several times since its inception in 1900. The most significant amendments were those of 1969, 1981, and 1988. Among other changes, the 1969 amendments expanded the act to include amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, and crustaceans. As it relates to NOAA Fisheries, the 1981 amendments expanded the scope of the act in response to an increase in the illegal trade of fish and wildlife, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, new language was adapted, and the penalties for civil and criminal violations were increased.  </p><p dir="ltr">The Lacey Act is considered one of the broadest and most comprehensive federal laws that conservation enforcement personnel can employ to protect wildlife.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fws.gov/law/lacey-act">Learn more about the Lacey Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr"><strong>Migratory Bird Treaty Act</strong></h3><p dir="ltr">The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, purchase, or barter, any migratory bird, or the parts (feathers), nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid federal permit. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues permits for otherwise prohibited activities under the act.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php">Learn more about the act and the birds that are protected</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">National Invasive Species Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The National Invasive Species Act is a U.S. federal law intended to prevent invasive species from entering inland waters through ballast water carried by ships. This act reauthorized and amended a previous measure, the Non-Indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/invasive-and-exotic-marine-species">Learn more about invasive and exotic marine species</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">National Marine Sanctuaries Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The primary objective of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act is to protect marine resources, such as coral reefs, sunken historical vessels, or unique habitats. The act authorizes the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to designate and protect areas of the marine environment with special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, scientific, cultural, archeological, educational or esthetic qualities as national marine sanctuaries.</p><p dir="ltr">The National Marine Sanctuary System includes 13 national marine sanctuaries and five marine national monuments. <a href="/about/office-law-enforcement">NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement</a> is responsible for the compliance with and enforcement of sanctuary regulations.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/">Learn more the National Marine Sanctuary System</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Northern Pacific Halibut Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Northern Pacific Halibut Act is the implementing legislation for the Convention between the United States and Canada for the Preservation of the Halibut Fishery of the Northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. The act was created to conserve, manage, and rebuild the halibut stocks in the Convention Area to those levels that would achieve and maintain the maximum sustainable yield from the fishery.</p><p dir="ltr">It authorizes the U.S. Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, to accept or reject on behalf of the United States the halibut fishery regulations and management recommendations developed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission. The act also authorizes the <a href="https://www.npfmc.org/">North Pacific Fishery Management Council</a> and the <a href="http://www.pcouncil.org/">Pacific Fishery Management Council</a> to develop, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to implement, additional halibut fishery regulations governing the U.S. portion of Convention waters.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title16-section773&f=treesort&num=0&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjE2IHNlY3Rpb246NzczIGVkaXRpb246cHJlbGltKSBPUiAoZ3JhbnVsZWlkOlVTQy1wcmVsaW0tdGl0bGUxNi1zZWN0aW9uNzczKQ%3D%3D%7CdHJlZXNvcnQ%3D%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim">Learn more about the Northern Pacific Halibut Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Oil Pollution Act of 1990</h3><p>In response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the U.S. Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The act amended the Clean Water Act and addresses issues associated with preventing, responding to, and paying for oil pollution. Responsible parties are made accountable for the clean up costs. Parties that spill/discharge oil into the environment must also respond to impacted wildlife. In addition, responsible parties are required to have an Oil Spill Response Plan developed in consultation with NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-pollution-act-1990-30-years-spill-response-and-restoration">Learn more about the Oil Pollution Act </a> </p><h3 dir="ltr">Shark Conservation Act</h3><p dir="ltr">The Shark Conservation Act allows for sustainably managed shark fisheries while eliminating the harmful practice of finning—a process of removing shark fins at sea and discarding the rest of the shark. The act requires that all sharks in the United States, with one exception, be brought to shore with their fins naturally attached.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/content/shark-conservation-act">Learn more about our role in the Shark Conservation Act</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">Whaling Convention Act</h3><p>The Whaling Convention Act implements the United States’ obligations under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which provides for the conservation of whale stocks and the management of whaling. Among other things, the act prohibits whaling in violation of the Convention. And under the act, we co-manage subsistence whale hunts regulated by the International Whaling Commission.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/marine-mammal-protection/co-management-marine-mammals-alaska">Learn more about co-management of subsistence hunts with Alaska Natives</a></p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/foreign/international-affairs/international-whaling-commission">Learn more about NOAA Fisheries and the International Whaling Commission</a></p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="More Laws-title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="More Laws-gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/insight/laws">Learn More About the Laws That Drive Our Work</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/enforcement">Law Enforcement</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__content" id=policies> <div class="row"> <div class="subnav-tab__main col-md-12 col-lg-8"> <h2 class="subnav-tab__title">Policies </h2> <div class="subnav-tab__main-content"> <div class="wyswyg-edit field field--name-field-t6-content field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field--item"><p dir="ltr">There are several policies that determine how we manage and study living marine resources. Policies are statements of and instructions for implementing high-level direction and positions that guide organizational decisions and actions. These written policies promote accountability and consistency in management and science practices. They also demonstrate our commitment to implementing identified priorities.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Aquaculture Policy</h3><p dir="ltr">In the United States, marine aquaculture operates within one of the most comprehensive regulatory environments in the world. We play a central role in developing and implementing marine aquaculture policies. We work to ensure that aquaculture complies with existing federal laws and regulations that we enforce under our marine stewardship mission.</p><p dir="ltr">Projects that are sited in U.S. waters must meet a suite of federal, state, and local regulations. These regulations ensure environmental protection, water quality, food safety, and protection of public health. Science and adaptive management inform NOAA policy, regulatory, and management decisions regarding aquaculture in marine waters.</p><p dir="ltr">We are working with federal, state, and tribal partners on a variety of initiatives. These initiatives stem from the 2011 aquaculture policies, the recent National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan and its mandates under the <a href="/topic/laws-policies#magnuson-stevens-act">Magnuson-Stevens Act</a>, and the National Aquaculture Act. </p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/noaa-aquaculture-policies">Learn more about our Marine Aquaculture Policy</a></p><h3>Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Policy</h3><p dir="ltr">Resilient, productive ocean fisheries are critical to our economy and way of life. Managing these fisheries over the long-term means taking into account more than just one species at a time. It requires a holistic, science-based approach that looks at the entire ecosystem. This approach is known as <a href="/insight/ecosystem-based-fisheries-management">ecosystem-based fisheries management</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">NOAA Fisheries has developed an <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/ecosystem-based-fisheries-management-policy">agency-wide EBFM policy</a>, which outlines a set of principles to guide our actions and decisions over the long-term. It directs continued progress toward development and implementation of EBFM approaches. It also ensures our commitment to incorporate EBFM into the agency’s resource management decisions.</p><p dir="ltr">We developed a <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/resource/document/ecosystem-based-fisheries-management-road-map">road map to guide implementation of the EBFM policy</a> over the next five years. The road map outlines actions we can take now to further the policy’s six guiding principles:</p><ol><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Implement ecosystem-level planning.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Advance our understanding of ecosystem processes.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Prioritize vulnerabilities and risks of ecosystems and their components.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Explore and address trade-offs within an ecosystem.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Incorporate ecosystem considerations into management advice.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Maintain resilient ecosystems.</p></li></ol><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/topic/ecosystems/management">Learn more about ecosystems-based management</a></p><h3>National Habitat Policy</h3><p dir="ltr">Healthy habitat is vital to protecting coastal and ocean ecosystems and communities. In turn, healthy habitat is important for achieving the NOAA mission. We are responsible for ensuring the nation has a strong network of healthy habitats. These habitats sustain resilient and thriving marine and coastal resources, communities, and economies. However, with widespread loss and deterioration of coastal and marine habitats, we are in danger of losing this natural infrastructure. We are committed to confronting these challenges for many years.</p><p dir="ltr">The NOAA National Habitat Policy acknowledges that healthy habitat is crucial to our agency programs and activities. This long-term policy outlines a set of guiding principles that applies to all of NOAA’s habitat work. It will influence future actions and priorities related to habitat conservation, allowing us to be more efficient and effective. It’s a clear statement of our dedication to habitat conservation and resilient ecosystems and communities.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://www.noaa.gov/organization/administration/nao-216-17-noaa-national-habitat-policy">Learn more about our National Habitat Policy</a></p><h3 dir="ltr">National Saltwater Recreational Fishing Policy</h3><p dir="ltr">This national policy aims to better serve millions of our nation’s recreational saltwater fishermen and their coastal communities. The policy reflects fishermen’s voices on existing and emerging concerns, including public access, resource stewardship, regulatory education, science innovation, and better lines of communication between state and federal rulemakers and the community.</p><p><a class="alt-link--more" href="/national/recreational-fishing/national-saltwater-recreational-fisheries-policy">Learn more about our National Saltwater Recreational Fishing Policy</a></p><h3>Ocean Noise Policy</h3><p dir="ltr">Increasing human activity is contributing to rising levels of underwater noise. Due to the efficiency with which sound travels underwater, aquatic animals have evolved to use acoustic cues in a wide variety of contexts. These cues support their survival and reproductive success, including selecting mates, finding food, maintaining group structure and relationships, avoiding predators, and navigation. Increasing noise levels can impact the animals and ecosystems that inhabit these places including through acute, chronic, and cumulative effects.</p><p dir="ltr">The Ocean Noise Policy codifies our commitment to working to reduce the impacts of human-made noise on marine organisms. It outlines how we will implement the NOAA Ocean Noise Strategy—a ten year strategy that addresses scientific and management actions.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="https://oceannoise.noaa.gov/">Learn more about our Ocean Noise Strategy</a></p><h3>Other NOAA Fisheries Policy Directives</h3><p dir="ltr">NOAA Fisheries policy directives undergo an extensive internal review across NOAA Fisheries offices around the country and reflect our organization’s positions as a whole. They also provide specific instruction for how we implement key statutory requirements like the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.</p><p dir="ltr"><a class="alt-link--more" href="/national/laws-and-policies/policy-directive-system">Explore our policy directives</a></p></div> <div class="tab-meta-data hidden"> <div class="meta-page-heading"></div> <div id="Policies -title" class="meta-title"></div> <div id="Policies -gt" class="meta-decs"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="subnav-tab__sidebar col-md-12 col-lg-4"> <div class="info-links"> <h2 class="info-links__title">More Information </h2> <ul class="list--arrow info-links__links"> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/national/laws-and-policies/policy-directive-system">NOAA Fisheries Policy Directives</a> </li> <li class="info-links__links-item"> <a class="link" href="/topic/international-affairs#international-engagement">International Agreements</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> 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