Under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies must consult with NOAA Fisheries on activities that may affect ESA-listed species. These inter-agency consultations are designed to help federal agencies in fulfilling their duty to ensure that their actions do not jeopardize the continued existence of a species, or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitat.
NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources issues Biological Opinions to document our Opinions on how federal agencies’ actions affect ESA-listed species and critical habitat. Where appropriate, these Opinions provide an exemption for the “take” of listed species (e.g., harassment, harm, pursuit, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, or collecting) while specifying the extent of take allowed, the reasonable and prudent measures that would minimize impacts from the federal action, and the terms and conditions with which the federal action agency must comply.
Biological Opinions Available Online
Biological Opinions Issued by NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources
Biological Opinions issued since 2014 by the NOAA Fisheries’ Headquarters Office of Protected Resources are linked below, by action agency. (Opinions for pesticide consultations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are listed separately, on our Pesticide Consultations page.)
Older Biological Opinions issued since 2010 can be found in the NOAA library repository.
The Public Consultation Tracking System can also be used to search for Biological Opinions issued by NOAA Fisheries.
Coast Guard
- Programmatic Letter of Concurrence on the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Events Program, U.S. Caribbean
- Biological Opinion on the Use of Dispersants and In-Situ Burning in the United States (U.S.) Caribbean
Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Environmental Protection Agency
Note that opinions specific to pesticide consultations with Environmental Protection Agency are listed separately and can be found on the our Pesticide Consultations page.
Department of Defense
- Biological and Conference Opinion on U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing and the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Promulgation of Regulations Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the Navy to “Take” Marine Mammals Incidental to Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing
- Biological Opinion on (1) U.S. Military Mariana Islands Training and Testing Activities; and (2) the National Marine Fisheries Service's Promulgation of Regulations and Issuance of a Letter of Authorization Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the U.S. Navy to "Take" Marine Mammals Incidental to Mariana Islands Training and Testing Activities from August 2015 through August 2020
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Letter of Concurrence Issued for National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ultra Long Duration Balloon Program
NOAA National Ocean Service
NOAA Fisheries – Scientific Research Permits
Biological Opinions Issued by NOAA Fisheries Regional Offices
NOAA Fisheries’ regional offices issue biological opinions on a wide range of actions including federal fisheries, offshore oil and gas leasing and exploration activities, seismic surveys, dredging, offshore wind, and hydroelectric activities, among others. Biological opinions issued by regional offices can be found below: