Grant Project Summar:
Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission
GIS I&D Curriculum for Marine Resource Managers
March 2004 to February 2006
Project Summary
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission entered a cooperative agreement with the NOAA Coastal Services Center to develop, test, and implement a geographic information system (GIS) education curriculum for Pacific-focused marine and coastal resource management, targeting the needs for marine protected areas.
The project provided a comprehensive marine GIS education for current and future marine resource managers on the Pacific coast, meet the needs for a more local GIS education focused on marine resource management, build upon the metadata and GIS educational efforts of the Center with a Pacific-focused curriculum, and provide crucial information to the Center's future plans of taking more training "on the road." The project also complemented the Center's objective to train current and future marine resource managers and accomplish ongoing projects such as the "Spatial Technology Development and Educational Modules for the Fagetele Bay National Marine Sanctuary," and the biogeographic assessment efforts of the NOAA Biogeography Program with the National Marine Sanctuaries.
NOAA Coastal Services Center's Role
The NOAA Coastal Services Center and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) entered into a cooperative agreement to develop a detailed plan for the GIS education curriculum project. The Center used its expertise in metadata and GIS training along with their experience in marine protected areas to assist in the development and implementation of the curriculum. The Center trained those instructing the workshops or co-instructing the workshops with the applicants. The Center a) provided expertise in project management, b) publicized the workshops, and c) distributed curriculum and project information to coastal and marine resource managers through Web site and CD/DVD design.
Grantee Overview
Authorized by Congress in 1947, the Pacific
States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), Portland, Oregon, is one
of three interstate commissions dedicated to resolving fishery issues. Representing
California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
and Alaska, the PSMFC does not have regulatory or management authority; rather
it serves as a forum for discussion, working toward coastwide consensus with
state and federal authorities. PSMFC addresses issues that fall outside state
or
regional management council jurisdiction. Fifteen commissioners from the five
member states work to set policy, approve PSMFC's budget, and provide direction
for commission activities. The goal of the PSMFC is to promote and support
policies and actions directed at the conservation, development, and management
of fishery resources of mutual concern to member states through a coordinated
regional approach to research, monitoring, and utilization. The commission's
activities are funded through dues from its member states, federal grants,
and special contracts. In recent years, contract obligations totaled approximately
$15 million annually.
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