Are federal agencies required to accept NOAA Fisheries conservation recommendation(s)?
No. EFH recommendations are advisory and non-binding to the federal action agency. However, in the case of a response from a federal agency that is inconsistent with the NOAA Fisheries recommendations, the federal agency must explain in writing its reasons for not following the recommendations. The appearance of external links on this web site does not constitute endorsement by NOAA Fisheries of the web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than government authorized activities, NOAA Fisheries does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.
