During any emergency, NOAA Fisheries’ primary objective is to provide technical advice and recommendations, including Best Management Practices and other guidance, for minimizing or addressing the adverse effects of emergency response activities on our trust resources. Federal action agencies which fund, permit, or carry out activities that may affect threatened or endangered species, their critical habitat, or essential fish habitat, are required to consult with NOAA Fisheries regarding the potential impacts of their actions on these trust resources. The Southeast Regional Office offers expedited consultations during urgent emergency situations involving an act of God, disasters, casualties, and national defense or security emergencies. Included are response activities which must be taken during hazardous material clean-up, response to natural disasters, or actions to protect public safety. These emergency consultations are intended to enable Federal agencies to complete their critical missions in a timely manner while minimizing the adverse effects of response activities on our trust resources, recognizing that public safety takes precedence if there is a conflict between the two. We do not offer expedited consultation services for remedial actions or mitigation activities that are taken after an emergency situation has ended that are intended to address damages that occurred during the emergency.
Emergency Endangered Species Act and essential fish habitat consultations can be initiated by emailing the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office at nmfs.ser.emergency.consult@noaa.gov. Federal agencies should contact us early in response planning, but may consult after-the-fact, if consultation on an expedited basis is not practicable before taking an emergency response action.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Maronda Hastie sailed aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II. Since 1995 the bottom longline survey has been conducted on the Oregon II for shark and bony fish research. Credit: NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations
Oceanic whitetip shark. Hawaiʻi longline fishermen use leaders to connect weighed branch lines and baited hooks. A new rule prohibits steel wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, starting May 31, 2022. The rule aims to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks caught as bycatch in the Pacific Islands region. Credit: Andy Mann
Right whale #3853 swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back. The whale was observed 5 days previously offshore of Georgia without propeller wounds. It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not, as it has not been re-sighted since. Vessel collisions are a leading cause of right whale mortality. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).
North Atlantic right whale Catalog #3560 ‘Snow Cone’ sighted December 2, 2021 entangled and with a new calf. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taken under NOAA permit 20556.