NOAA Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries

The Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) is a Headquarters program office of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS or NOAA Fisheries Service). OSF works to manage fish stocks important to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries through guidance and support of Regional Offices and Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMC). OSF also strives to facilitate effective communication between and among constituents and supports a variety of seafood safety measures.

Fisheries Management
OSF helps to implement the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSA), which:

• Mandates the use of annual catch limits and accountability
  measures to end overfishing
• Provides for widespread market-based fishery management
  through catch shares, and
• Calls for increased international cooperation

OSF coordinates the NMFS annual report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries, as well as the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP), and manages Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) fisheries.

• Developing guidance on Council operations and administration
• Overseeing the clearance of regulatory actions
• Providing guidance with respect to social impacts of management programs and social impact assessments

OSF also oversees all document processing, including proposed and final regulations, for publication in the Federal Register, and prepares Social Science Guidelines.

Partnerships
OSF partners with state and federal agencies to provide communication avenues among our constituents and Councils. OSF provides national policy and oversight for NMFS interactions with coastal states and island territories, Interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions (IMFC), and national groups. OSF works to increase communication between the agency, our constituents and the general public.