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HABITAT
CONSERVATION DIVISION PARTNERSHIPS
The Habitat Conservation Division (HCD) of
NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office works in partnership with
a variety of federal, state, local, and private entities. Because there
are no funds or staff dedicated to these efforts the HCD tries to accommodate
those partnerships that are mandated or engender the best potential to protect
Essential Fish
Habitat.
REGIONAL - NC -
SC -
GA - FL -
AL - MS
- LA - TX
- PR/VI
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)
Habitat Program -
Link to ASMFC (Exit NOAA)
The ASMFC was formed by the 15 Atlantic coast states in 1942 in recognition
that fish do not adhere to political boundaries. The goal of the ASMFC
Habitat Program is to improve fisheries habitat conservation through policy
development and education.
- Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC)
Habitat Program -
Link to GSMFC (Exit NOAA)
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) is an organization of the
five states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida), whose
coastal waters are the Gulf of Mexico. A compact was signed by the five Gulf
States in 1949. The Habitat Program is a joint program between the Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council.
- Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) -
Link to GOMA
(Exit NOAA)
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is the Gulf States response to the
U.S. Ocean Commission report and subsequently the US Ocean Action Plan
released by the White House in December 2004. These reports noted certain
ocean-related problems nationwide and among other solutions, called for an
integrated management approach for the Gulf of Mexico, led by surrounding
states. The state-federal
alliance has outlined five priorities for restoring, protecting and improving
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico: 1) Improving and protecting water
quality; 2) Restoring coastal wetlands and estuarine ecosystems; 3) Reducing
pollution and nutrient loading; 4) Identifying and characterizing Gulf
habitats to support coastal management; and, 5) Expanding environmental
education to improve stewardship.
- National Fish Habitat Action Plan
- Link to
fishhabitat.org (Exit NOAA) The plan was born in 2001 when an ad hoc
group supported by the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council explored
the notion of developing a partnership effort for fish on the scale of what
was done for waterfowl in the 1980s through the North American Waterfowl
Management Plan. The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is a rallying
point for a wide range of fish and aquatic habitat interest groups. It
contains extensive input from numerous partners and stakeholders. It is
endorsed by state fish and wildlife agency leaders, and 19 federal agencies
have formed a caucus to better coordinate their activities in support of the
plan. With its strong base of support, its focus on the use of existing and
emerging science, and its emphasis on the importance of partnerships, the plan
presents a historic opportunity to launch a new era in fisheries conservation.
- NOAA National Ocean Service Gulf Coast Service
Center Steering Committee -
- Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) -
Link to
SARP (Exit NOAA) The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP)
was initiated in 2001 to address the myriad issues related to the management
of aquatic resources in the southeastern United States. The intent of
the SARP is to develop State and Federal partnerships that will extend beyond
the traditional boundaries of fishery resource management agencies and will
establish a commitment to truly work together for the benefit of the resource.
SARP focuses on six key issue areas of greatest concern and interest to the
Southeast: 1) Public Use; 2) Fishery Mitigation; 3) Imperiled Fish and Aquatic
Species Recovery; 4) Inter-jurisdictional Fisheries; 5); Aquatic Habitat
Conservation; and, 6) Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS).
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NORTH CAROLINA
PARTNERSHIPS
-
Albemarle-Pamlico
National Estuary Program (APNEP) -
Link to APNEP (Exit NOAA)
The APNEP formerly known as the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study (APES) - was
among the first National Estuary Programs established by the US EPA in 1987.
The mission of the APNEP is to identify, restore, and protect the significant
resources of the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system. Unlike traditional
regulatory approaches to environmental protection, the APNEP is a cooperative
effort jointly sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
cooperation with the Virginia Department on Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
This unique program that targets a broad range of issues and engages local
communities in the process.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
PARTNERSHIPS
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GEORGIA PARTNERSHIPS
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FLORIDA PARTNERSHIPS
- Florida Coordinating Council on Mosquito Control (FCCMC)
- Subcommittee on Managed Marshes (SOMM) -
Link to
FCCMC (Exit NOAA) NMFS HCD is a member of SOMM and participates in
activities which produce benefits for fishery resources. During the late
1970's and early 1980's , considerable disagreement occurred between Florida's
mosquito control agencies and agencies responsible for environmental
protection. These disagreements were primarily over: 1) how to manage
salt-marsh impoundments and, 2) the non-target effects of aerial adulticiding.
These conflicts resulted in the legislative formation (Chapter 388, Florida
Statutes) of the Florida Coordinating Council on Mosquito Control (FCCMC) and
its Subcommittee on Managed Marshes (SOMM). There are about 27,000 acres
of impounded wetlands within the Indian River Lagoon alone that have been
reconnected either directly or through a rotational impoundment management
scheme.
- Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP)
- Link to CHNEP (Exit NOAA)
The EPA's National Estuary Program was established by the U.S. Congress in
1987 to improve the quality of estuaries of national significance. The
Charlotte Harbor NEP is a partnership that
protects the estuaries and watersheds from Venice to Estero Bay to Winter
Haven. This partnership gives citizens, elected officials, resource managers,
and commercial and recreational resource users in the 4,400-square-mile study
area a voice to address diverse resource management concerns including fish
and wildlife habitat loss, water quality and water flow. The watershed in the
study area includes all or parts of Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Polk,
Hardee and DeSoto counties. NMFS HCD staff are active members of the
Management Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee.
-
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC)
Florida/Alabama Habitat Advisory Panel -
- Tampa Agency on Bay Management (Tampa ABM)
- Link to Tampa
ABM (Exit NOAA) The Agency on Bay Management, the natural resources
committee of the Tampa Bay Regional Council, remains the primary community
organization focusing on the protection and management of the Tampa Bay
estuary. This association of representatives from the recreational, commercial
fisheries, industrial, regulatory, academic and scientific sectors, local,
regional, state and federal governments, and legislators was instituted in
1985 to address issues and opportunities affecting the Bay. The Agency serves
as a broad-based forum for open discussion of the myriad issues involving the
estuary, and as a voice for protection, restoration and wise use of the Bay by
the entire region.
- Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP)
- Link to TBEP (Exit NOAA)
The EPA's National Estuary Program was established by the U.S. Congress in
1987 to improve the quality of estuaries of national significance. The Tampa
Bay National Estuary Program (TBNEP) was established in 1991 as a partnership
of Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties; the cities of Tampa, St.
Petersburg and Clearwater; the Southwest Florida Water Management District;
the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Upon adoption of an Interlocal Agreement in 1998, the
Tampa Bay National Estuary Program became simply the Tampa Bay Estuary
Program, in recognition of its reorganization as a truly regional alliance.
- Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP)
-
Link to SBEP (Exit NOAA)
The SBEP is one of 28 National Estuary Programs in the United States. The
EPA's National Estuary Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1987 to
improve the quality of estuaries of national significance. SBEP began in
June 1989 when Sarasota Bay was designated by the U.S. Congress as an "estuary
of national significance " in the Water Quality Act of 1987.
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ALABAMA PARTNERSHIPS
- Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP)
- Link to MBNEP (Exit
NOAA) Recognizing the importance of the Mobile Bay Estuary and the
threats posed to its health by local growth and development, a team of
investigators, led by the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission,
developed the nomination package for Mobile Bay's inclusion in the National
Estuary Program adopted in 1995.
-
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC)
Florida/Alabama Habitat Advisory Panel -
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MISSISSIPPI
PARTNERSHIPS
-
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC)
Louisiana/Mississippi Habitat Advisory Panel -
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LOUISIANA
PARTNERSHIPS
- Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP)
-
Link to
BTNEP (Exit NOAA) The EPA's
National Estuary Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1987 to
improve the quality of estuaries of national significance.
The BTNEP's challenge is
to coordinate all agency and stakeholder efforts related to restoration in the
Barataria-Terrebonne system and to create a sense of environmental stewardship
for the natural resources of the estuary complex. The program is focusing on
the following issues to effect change and understanding of this complex
system.
-
Caernarvon, Davis Pond, and
Cameron-Creole Advisory Committees -
- Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and
Restoration Act (CWPPRA) (a.k.a. Breaux Bill) Task Force
-
Link to
CWPPRA (Exit NOAA)
-
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC)
Louisiana/Mississippi Habitat Advisory Panel - In 1990
Congress passed the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act
(CWPPRA) which funds wetland enhancement projects nationwide, designating
approximately $60 million annually for work in Louisiana.
The CWPPRA Task Force annually develops a list of
high-priority projects to be constructed. The projects funded by CWPPRA
all focus on marsh creation, restoration, protection or enhancement.
- Louisiana Aquatic Invasive Species Council
-
- Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Nuisance
Species (MRBP) -
Link to MRBP (Exit NOAA) - The Mississippi Interstate Cooperative Resource
Association (MICRA) has hosted the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic
Nuisance Species (MRBP) since 2003 under the oversight of the National ANS
Task Force headquartered in Washington, D.C. The MRBP project area includes
the entire Mississippi River Basin, the largest watershed in the United States
(see map below). Details on formation of the MRBP can be found on our Panel
Formation page. The MRBP adopted a formal Operational Guidance Document on
July 15, 2006.
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TEXAS PARTNERSHIPS
- Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries
Program (CBBEP)
- Link to CBBEP (Exit NOAA)
The CBBEP was officially established in early 1994 as part of a network of
twenty-eight National Estuary Programs established by the U.S. Congress to
promote long-term planning and management of nationally significant estuaries.
The Program originally started as a federal and state agency effort during the
planning phase. However, participants wanted to localize and take ownership of
the Program hence, the creation of a non-profit organization led by a local
Board of Directors.
- Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP)
- Link to GBEP (Exit
NOAA) - The GBEP, a program of The Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ), is part of a network of twenty-eight National Estuary Programs
(NEP) in the United States, working with local stakeholders to restore and
protect estuaries of national significance that are threatened by pollution,
development, or overuse. Galveston Bay became part of the National Program in
1988.The EPA's National Estuary Program was established by the U.S. Congress
in 1987 to improve the quality of estuaries of national significance.
-
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) Tedxas
Habitat Advisory Panel -
- Houston - Galveston
Navigation Channel -
Link to
BetterBay.org (Exit NOAA) - Enhancing Galveston bay
environmentally and economically through responsible and creative utilization
of materials dredged during the expansion of the Houston-Galveston Navigation
Channel. The Beneficial Uses Group (BUG), the Port of Houston Authority
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers together are committed to clean, restore,
improve and protect our environment and ensure a balanced and thriving
ecosystem in Galveston Bay.
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PUERTO
RICO - U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS PARTNERSHIPS
- San Juan Bay National Estuary Program (SJBNEP)
- Link to SJBNEP (Exit NOAA)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program was
established by the U.S. Congress in 1987 to improve the quality of estuaries
of national significance. In recognition of the continued threats facing
the estuary system, the Governor of Puerto Rico nominated the SJBE system for
the National Estuary Program (NEP) in 1992. The mission of the NEP is to
protect and restore the health of estuaries while supporting economic and
recreational activities.
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