Overview

The Sustainable Fisheries Division (SFD) is the primary division in PIRO responsible for overseeing and implementing fishery management plan actions, authorized under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, governing domestic fisheries in the western Pacific. SFD objectives are consistent with NOAA Fisheries Strategic Plan Objectives as follows:

•  Maintain healthy stocks important to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries.
•  Eliminate overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks important to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries.
•  Increase long-term economic and social benefits to the nation from living marine resources

SFD administers three major programs: fisheries management, fishing permits,  and protected species workshops. To better serve our constituents and the public, SFD collaborates with PIRO’s other divisions and programs, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Office for Law Enforcement for Pacific Islands, NOAA Office of General Counsel for Pacific Islands, and NMFS headquarters Office of Sustainable Fisheries.