A right whale breaching. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Christin Khan
2016 National Recovery Program Review
NOAA Fisheries convened an independent review panel to review the agency’s implementation of its National Recovery Program under the Endangered Species Act.
Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act requires the Secretary to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of listed species. The ESA defines “conserve” as to use all methods and procedures which are necessary to bring a listed species to the point where the protections of the ESA are no longer necessary. This review:
- Evaluated whether the current recovery planning process results in effective recovery plans that serve as roadmaps to recover the species.
- Evaluated the effectiveness of the recovery planning process, including the quality of the recovery plans, the implementation of recovery actions, and the monitoring of recovery progress.
- Provided recommendations to improve recovery plans as well as the recovery planning and implementation process to increase the likelihood of recovering species.
Reports, Presentations, and Materials
Final Report
- Recovery Program Review Synthesis Report (PDF, 75 pages)
- NOAA Fisheries Response and Timeline (PDF, 15 pages)
Program Review
- Terms of Reference (PDF, 10 pages)
- Panelist Biographies (PDF, 3 pages)
- Agenda (PDF, 4 pages)
Presentations
- Atlantic Salmon (PDF, 26 pages)
- Cook Inlet Beluga Whales (PDF, 29 pages)
- Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals (PDF, 7 pages)
- Hawaiian Monk Seals (PDF, 21 pages)
- Johnson's Seagrass (PDF, 12 pages)
- Leatherback Sea Turtles (PDF, 23 pages)
- Loggerhead Sea Turtle (PDF, 15 pages)
- North Atlantic Right Whale (PDF, 20 pages)
- Puget Sound Chinook Salmon (PDF, 20 pages)
- Smalltooth Sawfish (PDF, 13 pages)
- Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon (PDF, 20 pages)
- Recovery Program and Process (PDF, 33 pages)
- Which Species Should Have a Recovery Plan? (PDF, 8 pages)
- Legal Framework for ESA Recovery Planning and Implementation (PDF, 29 pages)
Background Material
- NMFS GPRA ESA Species Status (PDF, 2 pages)
- Recovery Plan and Review Status—Tracking Population Status (PDF, 140 pages)
- ROAR Recovery Action Report (PDF, 2 pages)
- MAFAC Recovery Actions Retrospective Analysis (PDF, 28 pages)
- Policy and Guidance (PDF, 1 page)
- Statute
Materials Shared by Panelists
- U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries 7(a)(1) Exploratory Paper (PDF, 3 pages)
- U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Enhancement Vision Overview—Draft (PDF, 29 pages)
- U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Species Status Assessment Overview—Draft (PDF, 23 pages)
- Federal Agency Restoration Matrix (PDF, 3 pages)
- NOAA Habitat Funding Opportunity Matrix—External Funding FY 2016 (PDF, 2 pages)
- Species in the Spotlight Atlantic Salmon Priority Actions 2016–2020
- Oregon Coast Coho Business Plan Table of Contents—Draft (PDF, 2 pages)
- Converse et al. 2011 Decision-Analytic Approach (PDF, 11 pages)
Contact Us
For more information or questions about the National Recovery Program, contact Therese Conant (therese.conant@noaa.gov), NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.
More Information
A right whale breaching. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Christin Khan
