Marine Fisheries Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan
Geographical coverage
| Geographical scale of the assessment | National |
|---|---|
| Country or countries covered | United States |
| Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name |
Geographical scale of the assessment
National
Country or countries covered
United States
Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name
Conceptual framework, methodology and scope
Assessment objectives
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 the NMFS's unique role in pursuing habitat science and in developing habitat assessments to meet this mandate. Through 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.
Mandate for the assessment
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment
Other (please specify)
Developed by team of leading habitat scientists within NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service
URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted
System(s) assessed
- Marine
- Coastal
- Inland water
Species groups assessed
The approximately 500 fish stocks managed under the U.S.’s Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, with a focus on the 230 stocks that are included in the Fish Stock Sustainability Index (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/statusoffisheries/SOSmain.htm#07), and that comprise over 90% of U.S. landings.
Ecosystem services/functions assessed
Provisioning
- Food
Regulating
- Productivity of marine fish stocks
Supporting Services/Functions
- The role of habitat in the production of fishery stocks
Cultural Services
- Commercial and recreational fisheries
Scope of assessment includes
Drivers of change in systems and services
Yes
Impacts of change in services on human well-being
Yes
Options for responding/interventions to the trends observed
No
Explicit consideration of the role of biodiversity in the systems and services covered by the assessment
No
Timing of the assessment
Year assessment started
2008
Year assessment finished
2010
If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish
Periodicity of assessment
Unknown
Assessment outputs
Report(s)
NMFS. 2010. Marine fisheries habitat assessment improvement plan. Reports of the National Marine Fisheries Service Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan Team. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-108, 115 p.
Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)
Journal publications
Training materials
Other documents/outputs
Tools and processes
Tools and approaches used in the assessment
- Questionnaire
Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component
Questionnaire used to assess the capabilities and needs of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s fisheries science centers for researching and assessing habitat.
Key stakeholder groups engaged
Fisheries scientists in the National Marine Fisheries Service
The number of people directly involved in the assessment process
10-100
Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge
- Knowledge of scientists about the capabilities and needs of the National Marine Fisheries Service to conduct research and assess habitats.
Supporting documentation for specific approaches, methodology or criteria developed and/or used to integrate knowledge systems into the assessment
Assessment reports peer reviewed
No
Data
Accessibility of data used in assessment
Policy impact
Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions
Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment
No
Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews
Capacity building
Capacity building needs identified during the assessment
The report documents the needs in terms of staff and scientific expertise for the National Marine Fisheries Service to achieve three tiers of excellence in conducting habitat assessments.
Actions taken by the assessment to build capacity
Access to funding, Workshops
How have gaps in capacity been communicated to the different stakeholders
Report-outs to senior agency managers, and development of requests for program development and funding through the agency’s strategic planning process.
