NMFS PROTECTED SPECIES TOOLS

Environmental change and anthropogenic impacts are a serious conservation and management concern for protected and other non-target megafauna species such as sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks, and seabirds. In the United States, management actions and environmental policies are geared towards reducing impacts on critical species from fisheries bycatch, oil spills, habitat change, and climate change. Implementing the appropriate regulatory or management action requires data and appropriate data-analysis frameworks. For example, under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, reference points are required to be estimated for all target and non-target species considered a part of the fishery. Under the Endangered Species Act, analyses are needed to inform the question of whether proposed actions will jeopardize listed species. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, limits to direct human-caused mortality and serious injuries must be estimated... Common traits of many marine megafauna include slow..