| The National Marine Fisheries Service is required by law to keep all data submitted under Federal authority confidential. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the parent agency for the NMFS, has established an Administrative Order for the Confidentiality of Fishery Statistics. A copy of this order (NOA 216-100) can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here NOA216-100
The Order establishes requirements that control the release of data submitted to the NMFS. Data can only be released to the public (non-authorized users) in a form such that the individual or company that submitted the data cannot be identified. Thus, any data released to the public are summarized or aggregated to the extent necessary to protect the identity of the person that submitted the data.
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