Policy

The Office of Policy develops and executes integrated strategies for NOAA Fisheries’ long-range planning, policy development, coordination, and implementation. The Office is responsible for effective NOAA and external relations on issues of policy development, communications, consistency, and tracks and helps resolve policy issues affecting NOAA Fisheries and its programs. In support of this responsibility, the Office of Policy provides secretariat support for the NOAA Fisheries Leadership Council and NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC).

The Office of Policy reports to the Directorate and serves the Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries and the three Deputy Assistant Administrators (Regulatory Programs, Operations, and the Director of Scientific Programs). Determining policy is one of the most important functions of NOAA Fisheries leadership. Policy provides a focus and context for NOAA Fisheries' actions and a guide for the behavior of the organization and its members.

The Office of Policy helps create policy guidance through research, analysis, and review of programmatic, organizational, and budgetary implications of current or proposed actions, and develops and manages subsequent processes for policy implementation and integration. The Office identifies future national-level requirements for living marine resource and habitat stewardship and develops plans and recommends programs to respond to those requirements.

Office of Policy Links:

NOAA Fisheries Policy Directives System (PDS). The PDS establishes the framework for formulating NOAA Fisheries policy, and serves as the repository for NMFS policies and procedures. The PDS processes, requirements and holdings are maintained in a publicly-accessible website.

Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC). The Office of Policy serves as the Executive Secretary for MAFAC, a Federal Advisory Committee to NOAA. MAFAC advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The members, representing a wide spectrum of fisheries, environmental, academic, state, tribal, consumer and other related national interests, draw on their expertise and other appropriate sources to evaluate and recommend priorities and needed changes in national programs.

NOAA Fisheries Leadership Council. The Office of Policy also provides secretariat support for the NOAA Fisheries Leadership Council,  the senior policy making and advisory body for Agency policy, decision making, strategy, direction, and guidance serving the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries.

Electronic Monitoring and Electronic Reporting: Policy and Planning. NOAA Fisheries initiated a strategic effort to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting electronic technologies to achieve a more cost-effective and sustainable approach and take advantage of the range of current and emerging technologies. As part of the effort, NOAA Fisheries released a discussion draft document with advice and best practices for NOAA Fisheries and Councils to evaluate and apply (where applicable) in developing regionally-appropriate fishery dependent data collection programs using electronic monitoring (EM) and electronic reporting (ER). The Office of Policy is seeking additional advice and best practices from the public to incorporate into the document through September 30th, 2013. 

Fishing Community Sustainability (under construction). To meet the need for accessible information about strategies fishermen and fishing communities can and are using to adapt to new management strategies, the Office of Policy is working on a non-prescriptive guidance document that lays out a general framework for developing Fishing Community and Regional Fishing Association entities. The guidance aims to increase the accessibility of these entities, making it easier for Councils and stakeholders alike to assess their appropriateness during the design and development of new and existing Limited Access Privilege Programs.