Digest of Federal Resource Laws of Interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Authorization Act

Title III, NOAA Marine Fishery Programs, authorizes appropriations for NOAA fishery programs and directs new marine fishery activities to be carried out by NOAA.

• A Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Resources Office is to be established within NOAA. The office will provide technical assistance to NOAA and "other Federal departments and agencies" in researching and monitoring Chesapeake Bay conditions, and is required to develop and implement a strategy to assist the Chesapeake Bay Program in meeting its commitments.

Title V, the National Marine Monitoring Program, establishes a national coastal ecosystem and water quality monitoring system.

• Comprehensive Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Program. EPA and the Department of Commerce are to jointly develop and implement a program to collect and analyze data on the environmental quality of coastal ecosystems. The program is to be developed in conjunction with "other Federal ... authorities." While the Fish and Wildlife Service is not specifically named, it should participate in the joint activities.

• Intensive Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Programs. Such programs developed under this Act will survey existing Federal and other coastal monitoring activities, and coordinate all activities into one program. Federal and State agencies to administer and implement the program are to be selected.

• Memorandum of Understanding. An MOU to implement the coastal water quality monitoring programs is to be signed by the EPA and NOAA, and "may" be extended to include "other appropriate Federal agencies."

• Comprehensive Implementation Strategy. Within 1 year of enactment, a strategy is to be developed identifying activities to implement the Comprehensive Coastal Monitoring Program. In developing the strategy, EPA and NOAA are directed to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service, among other agencies.

• Within 1 year of submission of the Strategy, EPA and NOAA are required to enter into MOU's with "appropriate Federal agencies" that would effect the coordination of coastal monitoring programs. While the Service is not specifically named, it would be included among such agencies.

Title VIII, North Pacific Anadromous Stocks Convention. This title is also contained in the Oceans Act of 1992 (P.L. 102- 587).

The legislative history includes Congressional Record pages H10659 - 688, November 20, 1991; S12531 - 535, August 12, 1992; H11792 and H11810 - 11, October 5, 1992; and S17425 - 431, October 7, 1992.

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