National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement
Abbreviation	NOAA OLE
NOAA Marine Law Enforcement patch
Agency overview
Formed	1970
Preceding agency	Division of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish Commission and Bureau (1930)
Employees	200+ (2011)
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency	United States
General nature	Federal law enforcement Civilian agency
Specialist jurisdiction	Water ways and bodies and-or coastal areas.
Operational structure
Headquarters	Silver Spring, Maryland
Agency executives	Bruce Buckson, Director Tracy Dunn, Acting Deputy Director Todd Dubois, Assistant Director Jennifer Werner, Assistant Director
Parent agency	National Marine Fisheries Service
Divisional offices	6 Northeast Southeast Alaska Northwest Southwest Pacific Islands
Facilities
Field offices	52
Website
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/

NOAA OLE patrol boat.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA OLE) is a federal police part of the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.^[1] The leadership consists of Director Bruce Buckson, Acting Deputy Director Tracy Dunn, Assistant Director Todd Dubois, and Assistant Director Jennifer Werner.

It was established in 1930 as Division of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish Commission and Bureau .^[2] It is responsible for the ecosystem protection and conservation of most of national marine life. It is the only federal agency for such. As of 2011^[update], it has more than 200 employees.

NOAA OLE is divided into six divisional offices (Northeast, Southeast, Alaska, Northwest, Southwest and Pacific Islands), led by a Special Agent in Charge, and 52 field offices, e.g., Pago Pago, American Samoa; Ellsworth, Maine; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

State partners

OLE maintains working relationships with state agencies under Joint Enforcement Agreements (JEAs). Currently, OLE has 27 partners: Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, California, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, Delaware, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Laws and statutes enforced

• The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) (16 USC 1801)
• Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996
• High Seas Driftnet Act of 1992 (16 USC 18269)
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 USC 1531)
• The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1973 (MMPA) (16 USC 1361)
• The Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 (Lacey) (16 USC 3371)
• The Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 USC 1431)
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act
• American Fisheries Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-277)
• Certificate of Legal Origin for Anadromous Fish Products (16 USC 1822 note, Section 801 (f)
• Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978 (16 USC 2401-2413)
• Antarctic Marine Living Resources Convention Act of 1984 (16 USC 2431-2444)
• Antarctic Protection Act of 1990 (16 USC 2465[a])
• Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (16 USC 5103[b])
• Atlantic Tunas Convention Act of 1975 (16 USC 971-971k)
• Atlantic Salmon Convention Act of 1982 (16 USC 3601-3608)
• Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act of 1984 (16 USC 1851 note)
• Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (30 USC 1401 et seq)
• Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act (16 USC 1385 et seq)
• Driftnet Impact Monitoring, Assessment and Control Act (16 USC 1822 note section 4006)
• Eastern Pacific Tuna Licensing Agreement Act of 1984 (16 USC 972-972h)
• Fish and Seafood Promotion Act (16 USC 4001-4017)
• Fisherman’s Protective Act of 1967 (22 USC 1980[g])
• Fur Seal Act Amendments of 1983 (16 USC 1151-1175)
• High Seas Fishing Compliance Act (16 USC 5506[a])
• Land Remote-Sensing Policy Act of 1992 (15 USC 5601 et seq)
• Northern Pacific Anadromous Stocks Convention Act of 1992 (16 USC 5001-5012)
• Northern Pacific Halibut Act of 1982 (16 USC 773-773k)
• Ocean Thermal Energy Conservation Act of 1980 (42 USC 9101 et seq)
• Pacific Salmon Treaty Act of 1985 (16 USC 3631-3644)
• Shark Finning Prohibition Act (16 USC 1822)
• South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988 (16 USC 3631-3644)
• Sponge Act of 1906 (16 USC 781 et seq)
• Tuna Convention Act of 1950 (15 USC 951-961) • Weather Modifications Reporting Act (15 USC 330-330e)
• Whaling Convention Act of 1949 (16 USC 916-916l)

See also

	United States portal
	Fishing portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of United States federal law enforcement agencies
• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)
• United States Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Coast Guard
  • Coast Guard Investigative Service

External links

• NOAA Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement official site

References

1. ^ NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service OLE - Headquarters of the Office for Law Enforcement
2. ^ NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service OLE - Chronology