. . . Scientific Principles and Terms 



. . . EVALUATING 

 FISHERY RESOURCE 

 LEVELS 



ics of these protected species, but the ter- 

 minology of underutilized, fully utilized, 

 and overutilized does not apply. Instead, 

 marine mammals are referred to as de- 

 pleted when their population size is below 

 the level of maximum net production 

 (i.e., analogous to LTPY for a fishery 

 resource), which is often referred to as the 

 optimum population size. Protected 



species are also classified as "threatened" 

 or "endangered" under the ESA. A species 

 is considered threatened if it is likely to 

 become an endangered species in the fore- 

 seeable future throughout a significant por- 

 tion of its range. A species is considered 

 endangered if it is in danger of extinction 

 throughout a significant portion of its 

 range. 



Marine fisheries research has 

 long been necessary. Here (top 

 photo) Spencer Baird, first U.S. 

 Fish Commissioner, shoves off 

 on a nearshore collecting trip off 

 Woods Hole, Mass. His assistant, 

 and later second U.S. Fish 

 Commissioner, George Brown 

 Goode, sits in the bow. Today 

 marine fisheries research is 

 conducted at sea with modern 

 NOAA research vessels like the 

 Miller Freeman (bottom, 

 PMC/NOAA photo). 



