Proposed Merger of West Coast Regional Offices of NMFS

“Many of the fisheries issues addressed by [the two West Coast administrative regions of the National Marine Fisheries Service] regions (e.g., Pacific salmon) overlap and, therefore, this merger will improve coordination in areas where there is currently joint decision-making.” – Obama Administrations Budget Proposal

Currently the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service has two West Coast regions. One is the Southwest region and is headquartered in Long Beach. The other is the Northwest Region and is based in Washington state. The Southwest region covers covers California, while the Northeast region covers Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Merging the two administrative regions is estimated to save an estimated $3 million in management costs and is one of a number of proposed cost-saving consolidations within NOAA.

Some have expressed concerns that the merger would make fisheries management decisions for the West Coast more “Northwest-centric.”