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Protected Resources Division
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Monitoring and Evaluation
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The SWFSC Protected Resources Division conducts management-related research on the marine mammals and marine turtles in the eastern Pacific Ocean. We are guided by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act (MSRA) and the management needs of NOAA and the U.S. delegations to a number of international agreements. Our focus areas are the US Exclusive Economic Zone in the eastern Pacific, and the greater Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP).
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Strategic research and new tool development
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PRD has a strong history of strategic research, and continues to develop new monitoring methods and new tools to aid managers, including defining ‘units to conserve’ and engaging in risk assessment. Our research efforts span the entire migratory range of marine mammal and turtle populations from the Bering Sea to the tropical Pacific, and taxonomic research necessarily spans the entire globe for some species. We monitor the life history, condition and health of populations, perform regular abundance estimates, advance studies of marine mammal acoustics, and strive to interpret these results in an ecosystem context.
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Informing management decisions
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PRD’s mission is to provide scientific advice to NOAA Fisheries Southwest Regional Office and Office of Protected Resources, the Fishery Management Councils of the Region, and U.S. delegations to regional and international resource management institutions. This advice is based on research designed to assess how marine mammals and turtle are affected by anthropogenic activities, and to monitor the status of these animals and the ecosystems on which they depend, especially species that are depleted, threatened, or endangered.
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| Last modified:
9/15/2009 |
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