This measure highlights change in jobs that communities or businesses generate or save due to Sea Grant assistance (i.e., providing information to help communities, industries or businesses expand, make better decisions or avoid mistakes). Sea Grant provides the information and training that informs business decisions, and in some cases firms create or sustain jobs as a result. A job created is a new position created and filled as a result of Sea Grant activities. An existing position that is filled with a Sea Grant-trained applicant should not be reported in this measure. A job sustained is an existing, filled position that is sustained as a direct result of Sea Grant activities. A job cannot be reported as both created and sustained in the same year.

NOAA and NMFS support research to advance commercial-scale marine aquaculture production. This is done through commercial scale demonstration facilities in collaboration with—and co-funded by— industry and coastal seafood communities to facilitate the commercial viability of marine aquaculture production. Additionally, NOAA will use aquaculture research to remove production bottlenecks for shellfish and finfish related to siting, disease, genetics and genomics, hatchery seed stock, and feed availability. Performance is measured by calculating the number of either unique or completed stages in ongoing projects which directly advance marine aquaculture production.

This measure tracks the number of dives that use imagery/video as well as other sensors that provided a multidisciplinary first-look at an unknown or poorly understood area of the ocean. These data can be collected using a variety of platforms including ROVs, AUVs, ASVs, etc. OER recognizes a distinction between exploration and characterization. Exploration is conducted using a suite of tools and techniques that provides a multidisciplinary first-look at an unknown or poorly understood area of the ocean. The outcome is intended to be sufficient to inform follow-on characterization, which provides comprehensive data for a specific area of interest of the seafloor, sub-bottom, and/or water column that supports specific research, resource management, policymaking, or applied mission objectives (this is not depth dependant unlike the mapping statistics).

This measure tracks Sea Grant’s success in assisting industry personnel with the adoption of responsible harvesting and processing techniques that improve social, economic, and ecological sustainability. Industry personnel include recreational, commercial (wild and cultured), and subsistence fishery participants, processors, and retailers. Practices include techniques, technologies and best management practices adopted. Fisheries sustainability and seafood safety refers to any combination of the ability of the ecosystem to remain diverse and productive; the social, cultural, and economic resilience of the fishing community; personal or crew safety; and quality and safety of the seafood product.

This measure tracks success in translating research findings into useful tools, technologies and information services that improve the use and management of coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes ecosystems. This measure communicates the number of Sea Grant products (e.g., planning and mapping tools, sensors, observation tools, genetic markers, decision-support tools, or data-sharing websites) that address the management of land, water and living resources in coastal areas resulting from Sea Grant activities (whether research, extension, education or communications) and used by partners or customers. The data will be collected from the Sea Grant Network-wide database; only previously unreported tools, technologies and information services will be included in the annual number.

This measure accounts for annual contributions to the overall percentage of the US Waters that have been mapped to a depth greater than 200 meters. It is based upon the data holdings of the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and reflects reporting from all data sources.

This measure tracks the percentage of Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI) fish stocks for which adequate assessments are available. Assessments are vital to determine the scientific basis for supporting and evaluating the impact of fishery management actions. To be deemed adequate, assessments must be based on recent quantitative information sufficient to determine current stock status (abundance and mortality) relative to established reference levels and to forecast stock status under different management scenarios

This measure shows the average number of days to complete an informal ESA Section 7 consultation. Federal agencies must consult with NOAA when any project or action might affect an ESA-listed marine species or a critical habitat. The process begins as informal consultation, but if it is determined that the action is likely to adversely affect a listed species and/or its critical habitat, the consultation must be formal. A large majority of consultations are handled informally.

The Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI) is comprised of 175 stocks (down from 199 beginning in FY 2020) selected for their economic, ecological, and social importance, that represent 83% of total catch. Each stock is given a score between 0 and 4 (0=status unknown; 4=meets all sustainable fishing criteria). The index (scored on a 1,000 point scale) increases when NMFS determines that a stock is either no longer subject to overfishing, no longer overfished, or its biomass has rebuilt or increased to at least 80 percent of target.

This measure tracks the number of protected species stocks for which adequate assessments are available. Assessments are vital to determine the scientific basis for supporting and evaluating the impact of management actions. To be deemed adequate, assessments must be based on recent quantitative or qualitative analysis sufficient to determine current stock status based on a variety of data category levels (e.g., life history, threats, stock structure, assessment quality, assessment frequency, and abundance), and conservation status. Stock status projections are highly dependent on survey frequencies, assessment time frames, and fiscal constraints. This measure covers the protected species stocks covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The number of such stocks continues to increase as new species are listed and as new stocks of listed species and marine mammals are identified— the latter typically indicates increased knowledge about population stock structure.