Final Environmental Assessment, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources Coordination and Continued Operation of the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources (OPR) leads the administration and coordination of the National Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN). The STSSN currently responds to, and documents, sick, injured, and dead sea turtles found in coastal and marine areas under U.S. jurisdiction along the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of America, and U.S. Caribbean territories. Although the STSSN has been in operation for several decades, the National Coordination role formally shifted to OPR in 2022, which prompted an evaluation of STSSN operations and development of a formal STSSN Operating Procedures Handbook, which are subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. The Action under review is the Operation of the STSSN under the coordination of NMFS OPR, pursuant to the Final STSSN Operating Procedures Handbook (April 2025).