This measure tracks the progress of ongoing or completed recovery actions included in NMFS approved recovery plans for species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Recovery plans include a list of actions necessary to de-list the species. These include actions that may be completed in a year or that may take many years to complete or are ongoing. Recovery of a species may take decades. Completed recovery actions shows incremental progress.

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.

The process of designating or expanding National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) and National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) can take several years. To provide more regular updates, measure tracks progress in advancing proposed designations and expansions through these processes. The area for a proposed expansion or designation is only added to the measure once it completes a step in process, and only steps completed on or after 10/1/2021 are counted. For Sanctuaries, target and actual areas (sq. miles) are estimated based on proposal information; they remain estimates until actual designation or expansion is complete. For NERRs, the area for a proposed reserve cannot be estimated (and therefore are not included in targets or actuals) until the state-directed site selection process is complete and a range of alternatives (i.e., proposed reserve boundaries) has been developed for the environmental analysis process.

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.

The AHHI provides an indicator of the overall amount of U.S. EEZ that is currently surveyed to an appropriate level of certainty to support safe navigation. The index is measured based on an internal model that assessed the degree of certainty needed for a a given area based on several factors – for instance, highly tracked and shallower areas need higher resolution surveys, and must be resurveyed more frequently to capture natural and human-caused changes (e.g., from storms, dredging, or maritime accidents). The index has a maximum score of 300; areas that are more important to maritime industry are weighted more heavily in the index.

Volunteers are a critical part of national marine sanctuaries and help support science, education, and conservation priorities. Volunteers assist in many projects, such as citizen science, monitoring, education support, and marine debris cleanups. Volunteer hours can also be assigned a value through the widely used nonprofit organization, Independent Sector, which provides a yearly estimate of what a volunteer hour is worth. Using this number, each year ONMS calculates how much in-kind support our volunteers provide.

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.

Seaports with access to Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (PORTS®) data move vessels and their cargo more safely and efficiently, and this measure tracks the number of top U.S. seaports that have access to PORTS® data. To create a list of the Nation’s top 175 seaports, NOS selected the top 152 ports by international tonnage, accounting for more than 99.9% of all direct imports and exports by tonnage in 2016. NOS added to this list 23 seaports that are critical to coastal military installations, the Nation’s energy supply, or commercial marine fisheries landings.

The AHHI provides an indicator of the overall amount of U.S. EEZ that is currently surveyed to an appropriate level of certainty to support safe navigation. The index is measured based on an internal model that assessed the degree of certainty needed for a a given area based on several factors – for instance, highly tracked and shallower areas need higher resolution surveys, and must be resurveyed more frequently to capture natural and human-caused changes (e.g., from storms, dredging, or maritime accidents). The index has a maximum score of 300; areas that are more important to maritime industry are weighted more heavily in the index.

Each site within the National Marine Sanctuary System conducts education through formal education, informal education, and outreach for education. Programming includes hands-on activities as well as distance learning. K-12 student participation is tracked in both formal and informal education programs by counting the number of students participating in these programs. Data is collected yearly from each site and headquarters and is summarized system wide. Using these methods we can track the number of K-12 students engaged in formal or informal education and stewardship programs.