About this Book

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) is a research component of the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Center provides scientific support within NMFS Southwest Region. It maintains four research facilities: the La Jolla Laboratory, in La Jolla, California (headquarters); the Santa Cruz Laboratory in Santa Cruz, California; the Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory in Pacific Grove, California; and the Honolulu Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii. The mission of the Center is to provide scientific information for conserving and managing U.S. and world fisheries, populations of protected marine species, and marine and coastal habitats. Research is conducted to estimate the biological, environmental and economic impacts of different fisheries management options, and advice is given to U.S. fishery management councils and international organizations that manage living marine resources.