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Providers > GOVERNMENT AGENCIES-U.S. FEDERAL AGENCIES > DOC > NOAA > DOC/NOAA/NMFS/AFSC

Preferred term

DOC/NOAA/NMFS/AFSC  

Definition

  • The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) is the research branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service responsible for research on living marine resources in the coastal oceans off Alaska and off parts of the west coast of the United States. This region of nearly 3 million square miles includes the North Pacific Ocean and the eastern Bering Sea which support some of the most important commercial fisheries in the world. These waters are also home to the largest marine mammal populations in the Nation. The mission of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center is to plan, develop, and manage scientific research programs which generate the best scientific data available for understanding, managing, and conserving the region's living marine resources and the environmental quality essential for their existence. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center conducts field and laboratory research to help conserve and manage the region's living marine resources in compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1996, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Center scientists compile and analyze broad databases on fishery, oceanography, marine mammal, and environmental research. These data are used to develop policies and strategies for fisheries management within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, monitor the health of the region's marine mammal populations, and assess the impacts of chemical contaminants and physical alterations on select organisms and marine habitats. The primary responsibilities of the Center are to provide scientific data and technical advice to: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council The Pacific Fishery Management Council The NMFS Alaska Regional Office U.S. representatives participating in international fishery and marine mammal negotiations The fishing industry and its constituents The Center also coordinates fisheries and marine mammal research with other Federal and state agencies, academic institutions, and foreign nations. Research programs at the Center are managed and conducted through the Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division Resource Ecology and Fisheries Management Division National Marine Mammal Laboratory Auke Bay Laboratory Program objectives are carried out at the AFSC Directorate in the NOAA Western Regional Center's Sand Point Facility in Seattle, Washington, and from facilities in Alaska and Oregon. Website: "http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/" [Summary provided by AFSC] (en)

Broader concept

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https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/4271e7d0-b722-4039-9d1a-ee3a0d2c5de0

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