Report of the 2018 Meeting of NOAA Fisheries’ National Seabird Program

NOAA Fisheries’ National Seabird Program (NSP) was created in response to Executive Order (EO) 13186 (Responsibilities of Federal Agencies to Protect Migratory Birds) and the U.S. National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. The NSP is a crosscutting group of managers and scientists who work domestically and internationally to protect and conserve seabirds as guided by statutes and emerging agency priorities. The NSP has two overarching goals: (1) mitigate bycatch and (2) promote seabirds as ecosystem indicators. In 2018, the NSP convened a two-day meeting to: (1) revisit and refine the NSP mission and vision, and (2) draft a five-year NSP strategic plan. NSP representatives from every NOAA Fisheries science center, and regional and headquarters office, as well as invited participants from NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMCs) were in attendance.