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Dhis will be my final column in my role as the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. It has been one of the greatest honors in my professional career to serve [...]

'These proposed modifications will affect about 2,500 lobster trap/pot vessels that will have to make changes to the way they fish.' --Chris Oliver, outgoing NMFS [...]

The United States is recognized as a global leader in sustainable fisheries thanks to our fishermen, scientists, conservationists and many other partners, who work collaboratively to continuously expand and improve [...]

Back in May, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the allocation of $300 million in fisheries I assistance funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also called the [...]

In many fisheries, bycatch reduction is a priority for NOAA Fisheries, and a key component in managing and maintaining sustainable fisheries and supporting America's coastal communities. Recently, we announced $2.3 [...]

In my July column, I wrote about the president's Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. NOAA Fisheries has acted quickly to implement the executive order and [...]

OAA Fisheries and our many partners continue to build on the United States' successful fisheries management approach to help us meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. As reflected in [...]

As we are all well aware, your industry and our operations continue to be impacted by the ongoing coronavirus. While my staff and I have maintained an extremely high level [...]

We are all aware of the recent struggles our nation's economy and food supply chains have been experiencing and the terrible effects on our wild capture, recreational and aquaculture industries. [...]

Providing seafood to the country remains an essential function even in these extraordinary times. Adequately monitoring U.S. fisheries remains an important part of that process. However, in recognition of numerous [...]

The value of U.S. commercial fisheries landings remains strong and has a broad positive impact on the U.S. economy. NOAA Fisheries recently released Fisheries of the United States 2018, a [...]

NOAA Fisheries, in close coordination with the regional fishery management councils and state partners, is responsible for fostering healthy, productive and sustainable marine fisheries. Since 1996, NOAA Fisheries has reported [...]

NOAA Fisheries is committed to the sustainable management of our nation's fishery resources, including bluefin tuna. We domestically manage western Atlantic bluefin tuna based on recommendations adopted by the International [...]

On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico and took the lives of 11 workers. The explosion also resulted in [...]

As we sail into 2020, it is appropriate to look to the future and where NOAA Fisheries is heading. In November 2019 I attended the first-ever White House Ocean Science [...]

This is my last column of the calendar year, and I want to recount some of the biggest milestones from 2019. The first was our announcement regarding the continued high [...]

Talk about a headline--'West Coast Fisheries' Comeback of the Century.' What does a comeback have to do with fisheries? A lot, especially on the West Coast. In October, as part [...]

This month, I am highlighting three topics--the settlement with Carlos Rafael, the recent scoping meetings we held on North Atlantic right whales, and National Seafood Month. In settling the government's [...]

As stakeholders in the national effort to manage and maintain sustainable fisheries, I want you to know about NOAA Fisheries' new Strategic Plan. Released in July, the plan includes three [...]

This past June, Mother Nature reminded us she always has the final say. Here's what happened. As our Northeast Fisheries Science Center team was conducting the final leg of the [...]

Our agency leadership met recently with the regional fisheries management Council Coordination Committee in South Carolina. This is a regular meeting we have with the chairs, vice chairs, and executive [...]

The health and safety of our fisheries observers and at-sea monitors is a priority for the agency. They are our ears and eyes on the water in U.S. ocean fisheries [...]

The fishing industry has expressed concern about the effects of rapid wind energy development on coastal communities and sustainable fisheries, particularly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. While wind can [...]

I know it seems like a subject that's over and done with now, but I do want to take this month's column to address how NMFS is getting back up [...]

Good news regarding landings, value and overall economic impact of the nation's marine fisheries was front and center recently when we released two flagship reports, Fisheries of the United States [...]

The Alaska pollock fishery is one of the largest and most valuable fisheries in the world. In 2016, commercial landings of pollock totaled more than 3.35 billion pounds and were [...]

Monitoring and measuring the impacts of changing ocean conditions on U.S. fisheries and protected resources and sharing that information with managers, researchers and the public is a top priority for [...]

I experienced a bit of deja vu at the American Fisheries Society annual meeting this summer. There, I met a dozen or so graduate students from all over the United [...]

In July, limited operations got back underway in two high visibility sectors in the Northeast--sectors VII and IV. The interim rule that allowed operations to restart opened the door for [...]

Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing is an issue that comes up frequently in this column. It has negative effects on fisheries, marine ecosystems, food security and coastal communities globally. It [...]

'Rebuilding stocks to fully utilize our fisheries is one way NOAA can reduce our nation's seafood deficit.' --Chris Oliver, NMFS [...]

Highly migratory species--tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish--travel long distances and often cross domestic boundaries. NOAA Fisheries manages highly migratory species in waters of the U.S. Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico [...]

At NOAA Fisheries, summer is time for research cruises, surveys and other fisheries science related projects. Cooperative research, where fishermen, researchers and other stakeholders work together to collect fundamental information [...]

With summer on its way, I hope you will be enjoying the warmer weather and marine-related activities that come with it. With upticks in both recreational and commercial fishing, as [...]

The past year has been devastating for North Atlantic right whales--at least 18 whales have died in the United States and Canada, and the number of calves being born is [...]

This will be my first year attending the Seafood Expo North America trade show in Boston, and as the assistant administrator of NOAA Fisheries, I am looking forward to introducing [...]

In my last column, I pointed out that one of our top priorities for 2018 is maximizing fishing opportunities while ensuring the sustainability of fisheries and fishing communities. One of [...]

As part of our mission of science and stewardship, we also enforce regulations in order to safeguard our natural marine resources. Our special agents and enforcement officers have a big [...]

Sound science is the backbone of everything we do at NOAA Fisheries. This includes investing in and prioritizing technologies like electronic monitoring. Since 2006, we've provided more than $27 million [...]

Communicating this fact to the consumer is challenging. They are in a hurry, and making choices between seafood and a million other things for their families. That's why we created [...]

Every October, we celebrate seafood and U.S. fisheries with National Seafood Month. Our most recent statistics show U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.7 billion pounds of seafood valued at $5.2 billion, [...]

Greetings, my name is Chris Oliver, and I have been serving as the head of NOAA Fisheries since June 19. I look forward to working with all of1 our partners, [...]