Marine Species Monitoring

Strategic Planning Process for Marine Species Monitoring

Using an underlying framework designed around top-level goals, a conceptual framework incorporating a progression of knowledge and in consultation with a Science Advisory Group (SAG), NMFS, and other regional experts, the Navy has developed a Strategic Planning Process for Marine Species Monitoring to establish the guidelines and processes necessary to develop, evaluate, and fund individual projects based on objective scientific study questions. 

The objective of the Strategic Planning Process is to continue the evolution of U.S. Navy marine species monitoring towards a single integrated program, incorporating expert review and recommendations, and establishing a more transparent framework for evaluating and implementing monitoring investments across the U.S. Navy range complexes. The Strategic Planning Process is a primary component of the Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Program (ICMP) and provides a “vision” for marine species monitoring across geographic regions - serving as guidance for determining how to most efficiently and effectively invest available resources to address ICMP top-level goals and satisfy MMPA Letter of Authorization (LOA) regulatory requirements.

The Strategic Planning Process has five major implementation steps:

1. Identify overarching intermediate scientific objectives
2. Develop individual monitoring project concepts
3. Evaluate, prioritize, and select monitoring projects
4. Execute selected monitoring projects
5. Report and evaluate progress and results

These steps serve three primary purposes: 1) to facilitate the U.S. Navy in developing specific projects addressing one or more intermediate scientific objectives; 2) to establish a more structured and collaborative framework for developing, evaluating, and selecting monitoring projects across all areas where the U.S. Navy conducts training and testing activities; and 3) to maximize the opportunity for input and involvement across the research community, academia, and industry. The Strategic Planning Process has been designed to integrate elements including:

• Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Program top-level goals 
• Scientific Advisory Group recommendations (SAG, 2011) 
• Integration of regional scientific expert input
• Ongoing adaptive management review dialog between NMFS and Navy;
• Leveraged research and lessons learned from other Navy funded marine science programs 
• Lessons learned from permit required monitoring at Navy training and testing ranges

The current version of the Strategic Planning Process is available in the Reading Room under Program Documents & Workshop Reports.

In support of our interest in engaging the scientific community to continue refining program objectives and developing new project concepts, we have established an online form to submit ideas or concepts for projects to be considered in the future.  Although this is not a formal solicitation for proposals, any submission that has significant scientific merit and sufficiently supports addressing objectives of the program as outlined under the Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Program and Strategic Planning Process will be considered during the evaluation and prioritization step.