Focus of Work
Since 2014, Seatone Consulting has helped plan, facilitate, and document six national leadership meetings, bringing together NOAA Fisheries leadership, the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commissions, and directors from coastal state and territorial fisheries agencies. Conducted every two years, these meetings provide one of the primary national forums for strengthening collaboration between federal and state fisheries managers, identifying emerging challenges, and developing practical approaches to sustaining effective fisheries science and management. Across more than a decade, discussion has evolved from strengthening partnerships and improving coordination to addressing climate change, offshore wind energy, protected species, recreational fisheries, environmental justice, aquaculture, and, most recently, sustaining fisheries science and management capacity under significant fiscal uncertainty.
Our Approach
Seatone has provided end-to-end planning and facilitation support across all six meetings, including:
- Designing collaborative planning processes with a steering committee comprised of regional and national fisheries leaders.
- Conducting pre-meeting interviews and situational assessments to identify emerging priorities.
- Developing meeting agendas that balance national priorities with regional perspectives.
- Facilitating complex discussions among federal, state, territorial, and interstate fisheries leaders.
- Helping participants move from issue identification toward shared priorities and practical next steps.
- Preparing comprehensive meeting summaries that document discussion, areas of alignment, action items, and future directions.
Key Outcomes
Over six national meetings, Seatone’s work has helped strengthen communication and trust between NOAA Fisheries and its state partners while supporting collaborative responses to changing national priorities. Key meeting outcomes have informed state-federal coordination on budget priorities, fisheries science, protected species management, climate adaptation, offshore wind energy, aquaculture, recreational fisheries, regional coordination, and approaches for sustaining fisheries science and management under changing fiscal conditions. The continuity of the facilitation process has also helped preserve institutional knowledge across changes in federal administrations and agency leadership, allowing each meeting to build on previous discussions rather than begin anew.
