Budget in discussing all of the issues, and received good support throughout the 

 process. 



The implementation of this plan is already beginning to unify the agency and help 

 us to retnink our operations. This plan furthers our commitment to an environ- 

 mental strategy that promotes sustainable development and proves environmental 

 protection and economic growth can — and must — go hand in hand. 



ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP 



NOAA's mission includes promoting global environmental stewardship in order to 

 conserve and wisely manage the Nation's marine and coastal resources. This area 

 of our plan consi.sts of four elements — Build Sustainable Fisheries, Recover Pro- 

 tected Species, Coastal Ecosystems Health and Modernize Navigation and Position- 

 ing Services. 



Build Sustainable Fisheries 



One of NOAA's most significant goals for the next decade is to build sustainable 

 fisheries by refocusing policies and fishery management planning on increased sci- 

 entific information, rather than letting controversy and confusion drive the decision 

 making. To achieve this NOAA will conduct programs to assess the status of fishery 

 resources, advance fishery predictions, manage for economic growth and promote a 

 healthy fishing industry, ensure adequate compliance, reduce bycatch and accelerate 

 the growth of U.S. aquaculture. Work is conducted on these programs mostly by the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with support from Sea Grant and others. 



In FY 1995, $259 million is requested to Build Sustainable U.S. Fisheries. In- 

 creases of $40.6 million are proposed to maintain ongoing operations and to develop 

 fisheiy management plans to address more efi'ectively the desperate situation facing 

 the Nation's fisheries. We will continue financial support for the eight Regional 

 Fishery Management Councils, and increase funding for the Fishery Reinvestment 

 Program to assist the fishing industry during periods of stock rebuilding. 



In FY 1995, NOAA proposes to increase fisheries fees for living marine resources 

 by $82 million. Four categories of fisheries user fees are proposed in the Administra- 

 tion's amendments to-the Magnuson Act. They are: expansion of permit fees beyond 

 administrative costs; a levy on the first sale value of fish; a levy on the value of 

 the fish harvested under individual transferable harvest shares; and fees to cover 

 costs of special management measures that directly benefit specific fisheries and 

 fish harvesters (e.g., observers). This proposal was developed after a series of meet- 

 ings with representatives of Congress and industry-constituent groups to develop a 

 f)roposal which is both fair and practical. Our guiding principles. in developing these 

 ees include the idea that the fees be reasonable and not represent an onerous bur- 

 den and that revenues generated by the fees be used to benefit the people paying 

 the fees. 



The income from these fees will be used to offset the cost of proposed increases 

 for living marine resource programs, including developing and implementing ambi- 

 tious fishery management plans addressing such problems as uncontrolled access in 

 fisheries, overcapitalization, overfishing, controversial allocation decisions between 

 various fishing groups, and incidental catch. This efTort will provide a significant 

 step in the sustainable development of the fisheries industry. Establishing fees is 

 an important factor in the investment for our living marine resource programs in 

 FY 1995 and the future. 



Recover Protected Species 



NOAA strives to be a leader in preserving marine biodiversity by balancing ex- 

 ploitation of natural resources with management of protected species. NOAA's pri- 

 mary challenge is to bring about the recovery of protected species to optimal levels 

 so that we no longer must require extreme conservative protective measures under 

 the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. To achieve 

 this goal NOAA will reduce the impact of human activity on protected species, as- 

 sess the status of protected species, implement conservation/recovery plans and 

 avoid future listings. 



For FY 1995, NOAA requests a total of $50.6,million, a net increase of $19.2 mil- 

 lion over the FY 1995 base, to continue to fulfill the statutory responsibilities of the 

 Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 



Coastal Ecosystems Health 



No other area in the United States is as vital to our economy and ecology as the 

 coast, and no other area in the United States is as threatened. Coastal counties oc- 

 cupy only 16 percent of U.S. land area but contain more than 50 percent of the U.S. 

 population. NOAA will work with other State and federal agencies to ensure that 



