Marine Fisheries Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan. Report of the National Marine Fisheries Service Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan Team.

摘要

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has a mandated responsibility to sustain marine fisheries and associated habitats. The Marine Fisheries Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan (HAIP) defines NMFS unique role in pursuing habitat science and in developing habitat assessments to meet this mandate. Th rough this Plan, NMFS establishes the framework to coordinate its diverse habitat research, monitoring, and assessments and to guide the development of budget alternatives and increased support for habitat science. The HAIP has been developed by a team of scientists from NMFS Headquarters Offices and Science Centers. This Plan represents input from a variety of NMFS staff engaged in habitat science, stock assessments, and resource management at the six Science Centers and Regional Offices, the Office of Science and Technology, the Office of Habitat Conservation, and science program managers at each Science Center. The scope of the HAIP is restricted to the 519 managed stocks and stock complexes within Fishery Management Plans, with particular focus on the 230 stocks in the Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI). The conclusions and recommendations of the HAIP, however, can be applied more broadly to other managed and protected species.