Office of Protected Resources

Office of Protected Resources
Name	Office of Protected Resources
Formation	1973
Headquarters	Silver Spring, Maryland
Parent organization	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Region served	United States

Contents

Office of Protected Resources The Office of Protected Resources provides conservation leadership within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and implements provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It works alongside agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Department of Commerce to coordinate recovery planning, habitat protection, and regulatory compliance for species and ecosystems. The office interacts with tribunals like the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, consults with bodies such as the International Whaling Commission, and partners with organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Overview

The Office of Protected Resources operates within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and serves as a central authority on marine species policy, restoration, and science, interfacing with statutes including the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It provides technical guidance referenced by cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and by rulemaking actions published in the Federal Register, and it collaborates with research programs such as the National Marine Fisheries Service science centers, the National Ocean Service, and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. The office supports management measures invoked in contexts like the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, engages with policy frameworks used by the Environmental Protection Agency, and contributes expertise cited by commissions such as the Marine Mammal Commission.

The office oversees recovery planning and species status review processes under the Endangered Species Act and administers permit and authorization programs under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, coordinating activities with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. It manages programs that produce critical habitat designations used in litigation before courts like the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and supports monitoring initiatives conducted by institutions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The office administers grant and cooperative agreement programs that fund conservation projects implemented by groups including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Ocean Conservancy, and the American Cetacean Society.

The office exercises statutory authorities derived from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act and issues regulatory determinations that are reviewed in venues such as the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Its regulatory instruments appear in the Federal Register and are coordinated with rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act, while legal disputes often involve parties like the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Resources Defense Council, and industry stakeholders including the American Petroleum Institute. The office’s consultations under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act are integrated into federal actions by agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the National Park Service.

Organizationally situated within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the office comprises divisions focused on species conservation, recovery planning, scientific assessment, and permitting, and reports through chains that include leadership from the Department of Commerce and the Secretary of Commerce. Senior officials coordinate with advisory bodies like the Marine Mammal Commission and the National Research Council, and engage with academic partners from universities such as University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Washington, and Duke University. Leadership appointments are informed by policy guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and oversight interactions with congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the United States House Committee on Natural Resources.

Notable initiatives overseen or supported by the office include recovery planning for species listed under the Endangered Species Act such as the Hawaiian monk seal, the North Atlantic right whale, and the Steller sea lion, collaborative efforts on ocean noise reduction referenced in reports by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and participatory conservation projects with organizations like the Ocean Conservancy and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Outcomes attributed to these programs appear in delisting decisions, critical habitat protections, and settlement agreements involving litigants such as the Center for Biological Diversity and industry parties, and are reflected in monitoring results reported by research entities including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.