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| Constituency Services Branch (Permits) |
| The Constituency Services Branch is responsible for administering the Region's vessel/dealer permit programs and obtaining approval for new or modified information collection programs. They prepare pplications and instructions for obtaining federal fishing permits. Determine standards for evaluating the completeness of submitted applications and supporting documents and for determining the applicant's eligibility to receive a permit. Evaluate applications and, depending on applicant's ability to meet the established criteria, issue permits or forward rejection notifications in a timely manner. Additionally, the branch is responsible for managing the Region's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, records management and preparation of administrative records, and education and community outreach programs. |
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| Sustainable Fisheries Division |
| The Sustainable Fisheries Division is entrusted with the conservation, management, and protection of marine fishery resources inhabiting federal waters off the southeastern United States from North Carolina through Texas and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Division is the Region’s focal point for implementing NMFS' primary legislative authority for fisheries management and research, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA). The Division works directly with the Region’s three fishery management councils established by Congress to perform the mandates of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. |
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| Fisheries Social Science Branch |
| The SERO Fisheries Social Science Branch (FSSB) conducts applied economic and sociocultural research, analysis, and data collection on the use and management of living marine resources. This includes use of existing fisheries data bases, field research and data collection, and interdisciplinary collaboration with the Southeast Fishery Management Councils, NOAA Fisheries, state fisheries agencies, universities, and contractors. For specific regulatory policies, actions and alternatives, the work is conducted, summarized, reviewed, and published by Southeast Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries in accord with federal law, executive orders, regulations, and guidelines. See the Publications section of the FSSB page for select reports. |
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| Habitat Conservation Division |
| The Habitat
Conservation Division (HCD) of the Southeast Region focuses
it's efforts on conserving coastal habitats in the eight
coastal states from North Carolina to Texas, and Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The HCD has branch offices in
Texas, Louisiana, North and South Carolina and Florida. The
bulk of the workload relates to direct involvement with the
wetland and civil works programs of the U. S. Army Corps
of Engineers where we review proposals to alter coastal wetlands.
In the Southeast Region, we review more than 50 percent (between
4,000 and 6,000 per year) of all permit requests and federal
projects handled nationwide by the NMFS. |
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| Protected Resources Division |
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| The
Protected Resources Division is responsible for the conservation,
management, and protection of marine mammals and endangered
and threatened species occurring in waters of the southeastern
United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Protected and Endangered Resources Division administers
provisions of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered
Species Act (ESA) for the
NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Region. |
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| State/Federal
Liaison Branch (Grants) |
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| The
State/Federal Liaison Branch is responsible for facilitating
the conservation, development and management of marine
and estuarine resources in the U.S. Territorial Sea and
the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through competitive and
noncompetitive grants and cooperative financial assistance
programs. |
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