Privacy Policy

We are committed to the privacy of our visitors. We collect no personal information about you when you visit our Web site unless you choose to provide that information to us.

How We Handle Information About Your Visit to Our Website

When you visit our website to browse and read pages, FishNews articles, or download information, we gather and store certain information about your visit to help us make our site more useful to visitors—to learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology our visitors use.

This information does not identify you personally. We collect and store information such as the following:

The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain).
Your Internet Protocol address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Web) from which you access our Web site.
The type of browser and operating system used to access our site.
The date and time you access our site.
The pages you visit; and If you linked to our Web site from another Web site, the address of that Web site.

Information Protection

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. If such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act or other law.

Information That You Voluntarily Provide

We do not collect personally-identifiable information unless you choose to provide it to us. Submitting voluntary information constitutes your consent to the use of the information for the stated purpose. When a user clicks the "Submit" button on any of the Web forms found on our site they are indicating voluntary consent to use of the information they submit for the stated purpose. We do not collect or use information for commercial marketing.

How We Use Information

Some information you can voluntarily provide for a variety of purposes (e.g., comments on proposed rules, license applications, to respond to requests for information about our regulations and policies and to fill orders). We make every effort to disclose clearly how information is used at the point where it is collected so that our users can determine for themselves whether they wish to provide the information.

How e-mail is Handled

By sending us an electronic mail message, we may retain the information as long as necessary to respond to your request or otherwise resolve the subject matter of your e-mail. Please be aware that e-mail is not necessarily secure from interception or misdirection.

Sharing of Information

We may share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency. In other limited circumstances, such as responses to requests from Congress and private individuals, we may be required by law to disclose information you submit. Before you submit personally identifiable information, such as on an online form, you will be advised as to the purpose and how the information will be used.

Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552) was enacted in 1966 so that the people of the United States would have access to federal agency records that were not already publicly available. Under FOIA, any person can obtain government records (information) merely by making an appropriate request to the agency's FOIA Office, as long as the records are not covered by one of the nine narrow FOIA exemptions. It is therefore possible that email, computer log data, or other information collected by a website could be the object of a valid FOIA request, thus requiring its disclosure.

Retention of Information

We destroy the information we collect when the purpose for which it was provided has been fulfilled unless we are required to keep it longer by statute or official policy. Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases information submitted to us may become an agency record and therefore might be subject to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Links to Other Sites

This site might have links to the Web sites of other federal agencies. There might be links to private organizations with their permission. Once you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy policy of the new site. It is always a good idea to read the Privacy Policy of any web site that you visit.

Cookies

"Cookies" are small bits of text that are either used for the duration of a session ("session cookies"), or saved on a user's hard drive, to identify that user or information about that user the next time the user logs on to a website ("persistent cookies"). One or more of our component sites might use session cookies to provide streamlined navigation. These session cookies are deleted from the component's server after your session ends and information from them is not collected or saved. Additionally, social media and third party services such as Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Foresee, Google Analytics, and Constant Contact may install cookies depending on their configuration. You are not required to accept any cookies to use this site.

How to Opt Out or Disable Cookies

If you do not wish to have session or persistent cookies placed on your computer, you can disable them using your Web browser. If you opt out of cookies, you will still have access to all information and resources the NOAA Fisheries website provides. Instructions for disabling or opting out of cookies in the most popular browsers are located at http://www.usa.gov/optout-instructions.shtml. Please note that by following the instructions to opt out of cookies, you will disable cookies from all sources, not just those from NOAA Fisheries website.

Foresee

NOAA Fisheries uses the Foresee Results' American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) online survey to obtain feedback and data on visitors' satisfaction with the NOAA Fisheries website. This service uses "persistent" cookies to block repeated invitations to take the ACSI survey. The survey does not collect personally identifiable information. Participation in the survey is voluntary. If you decline the survey, you will still have access to the identical information and resources on the NOAA Fisheries website as those who take the survey. Answers to the survey help NOAA Fisheries improve its website to make it easier to use and more responsive to the needs of our visitors.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect information about the use of this site. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit this site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. We use the information we get from Google Analytics only to improve this site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information. Google Analytics uses cookies to track visitor interactions. These cookies are used to store information, such as what time the current visit occurred, whether the visitor has been to the site before, and what site referred the visitor to the web page. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling cookies on your browser.

Interaction with Children

This website may offer educational content to children under 13. No personally identifiable information is collected from them unless voluntarily submitted as a request for information or services. The information collected is used to respond to user inquiries or to provide services requested by our users.

Your Rights Under the Privacy Act

More information about the Privacy Act can be found at the following off-site link: http://www.usdoj.gov/opcl/1974privacyact-overview.htm

Your Visit to NOAA Fisheries on Third-Party Websites

Third-party websites and applications are Web-based technologies that are not exclusively operated or controlled by NOAA Fisheries. These include applications hosted on other non-government websites and those embedded on a NOAA Fisheries Web page. Learn more about our privacy impact assessment of third-party websites and applications.

As part of the Open Government Directive, NOAA Fisheries uses a variety of technologies and social media tools to communicate and interact with our audiences. Use of some of these applications could cause personally identifiable information (PII) to become available or accessible to NOAA Fisheries, regardless of whether NOAA Fisheries solicits or collects it. The table below lists the websites and applications we use. If any of these sites or applications collect PII, we describe what is collected and how NOAA Fisheries protects the information.

Types of Third-Party Websites and Applications

Third-Party Website and Application	How It Works
AddThis	AddThis allows you to bookmark and share our content on a variety of social media sites. You do not need to register or provide any personal information. The AddThis service providers collect non-personal data, including aggregate and summary statistics on browsers and usage patterns. AddThis also uses non-personal data to manage the service efficiently and diagnose server problems. Although AddThis offers some analytics and usage data to NOAA Fisheries, these reports do not include any personally identifiable information. The reports are password protected and only available to NOAA Fisheries managers, members of the NOAA Fisheries Communications and Web Teams, and other designated staff requiring this information to perform their duties. (See AddThis Privacy Policy.)
Facebook	NOAA Fisheries has one Facebook page—NOAA Fisheries Service. The privacy policy for the Facebook page is located on this site. On the Facebook page, NOAA Fisheries Staff posts news and other items of interest to users. If you have a Facebook account or "Like" NOAA Fisheries Facebook page, you can post comments or click on the "like" option for individual entries. If you comment or click on the "like" button, personally identifying information will be visible to NOAA Fisheries staff and other Facebook site visitors. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your own Facebook privacy settings. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not posting comments, and not clicking on the "like" options in Facebook. NOAA Fisheries staff does not collect, use, or disclose any information about visitors who comment or "like" the NOAA Fisheries Facebook site. Facebook collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on Facebook pages. This information is password-protected and only available to NOAA Fisheries managers, members of the NOAA Fisheries Communications and Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. (See Facebook Privacy Policy.)
Twitter	NOAA Fisheries uses Twitter to send short messages (up to 140 characters) or "Tweets" to share information about NOAA Fisheries with our audiences and respond to comments and inquiries sent via Twitter to NOAA Fisheries. While users may read the NOAA Fisheries Twitter feed without subscribing to it, users who want to subscribe to (or follow) the NOAA Fisheries Twitter feed must create a Twitter account at www.twitter.com. To create an account, you must provide some personal information, such as name, user name, password, and email address. You have the option to provide additional personal information including a short biography, location, or a picture. Most information you provide for a Twitter account is available to the public, but you can modify how much of your information is visible by changing your privacy settings at the Twitter.com website. NOAA Fisheries staff members monitor the number of subscribers and respond to comments and queries via Twitter, but the staff never uses the personal information of their Twitter followers. NOAA Fisheries does not collect, maintain, disclose, or share any information about people who follow NOAA Fisheries on Twitter. (See Twitter Privacy Policy.)
YouTube	NOAA Fisheries videos introduce you to many different aspects of the science-based conservation and management for sustainable living marine resources and healthy ecosystems for which NOAA Fisheries is responsible. These videos also connect you to the scientific research that NOAA Fisheries conducts and supports. Some videos feature stories about our mission and highlight work from our scientists in the field. Others seek to further explain NOAA Fisheries role in U.S. fisheries management, conservation, and recovering protected resources. These videos are available on NOAA Fisheries website as well. (See YouTube.com Privacy Policy.) To be notified when NOAA Fisheries adds new videos, users with YouTube accounts can subscribe to the NOAA Fisheries channel. NOAA Fisheries staff members monitor the number of subscribers and may respond to comments and queries on YouTube, but NOAA Fisheries does not collect, maintain, disclose, or share any information about people who follow NCI on YouTube.
LinkedIn	NOAA Fisheries has a LinkedIn Company Showcase Page—NOAA Fisheries. The privacy policies for LinkedIn Showcase pages are located on this site. On this LinkedIn page, NOAA Fisheries Staff posts news and other items of interest to users. If you have a LinkedIn account or "Like" NOAA Fisheries LinkedIn page, you can post comments or click on the"like" option for individual entries. If you comment or click on the "like" button, personally identifying information will be visible to NOAA Fisheries staff and other LinkedIn site visitors. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your own LinkedIn privacy settings. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not posting comments, and not clicking on the "like" options in LinkedIn. NOAA Fisheries staff does not collect, use, or disclose any information about visitors who comment or "like" the NOAA Fisheries LinkedIn page. LinkedIn collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on LinkedIn pages. This information is password-protected and only available to NOAA Fisheries managers, members of the NOAA Fisheries Communications and Web Teams, and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties. (See LinkedIn Privacy Policy.)
Instagram	NOAA Fisheries has one Instagram account—NOAA Fisheries Instagram. The privacy policies for Instagram are located on this site. On this Instagram page, NOAA Fisheries Staff posts images with a link to more information on our website. If you have an Instagram account or "Like" NOAA Fisheries Instagram page, you can post comments or click on the "like" option for individual entries. If you comment or click on the "like" button, personally identifying information will be visible to NOAA Fisheries staff and other Facebook site visitors if your Instagram account is public. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your own Instagram privacy settings. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not posting comments, and not clicking on the "like" options in Instagram. NOAA Fisheries staff does not collect, use, or disclose any information about visitors who comment or "like" the NOAA Fisheries Instagram page. Instagram collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on Instagram pages. (See Instagram Privacy Policy.)
Pinterest	NOAA Fisheries has one Pinterest page—NOAA Fisheries Pinterest. The privacy policies for the Facebook pages are located on these sites. On this Pinterest page, NOAA Fisheries Staff posts images, videos, and infographics to users. If you have a Pinterest account or select "Pin It" on NOAA Fisheries Pinterest page, you can follow our post, follow "boards" or "repin" individual pins on our page. If you click on the "follow" or "like" buttons, personally identifying information may be visible to NOAA Fisheries staff and other Pinterest site visitors if your Pinterest account and boards are public. The amount of visible personal information will depend on your own Pinterest privacy settings. You can avoid displaying any personally identifiable information by not creating an account, not posting comments, and not clicking on the "like" options in Pinterest. NOAA Fisheries staff does not collect, use, or disclose any information about visitors who comment or "like" the NOAA Fisheries Pinterest site. Pinterest collects and reports on non-personally identifiable information about activities on Pinterest pages. (See Pinterest Privacy Policy.)
Google Tag Manager	Google Tag Manager is a solution to manage web site tags. The tag manager tool itself (which deploys the tags) is a cookie-less domain and does not collect any personally identifiable information. The tool instructs other tags to fire, and these other tags may collect data. This data is not accessed by Google Tag Manager. If users have opted-out at the domain or cookie levels, they will stay opted-out for all of the tracking tags deployed using Google Tag Manager. (See: Google Tag Manager FAQ.)
Constant Contact	NOAA Fisheries uses Constant Contact for FishNews, a weekly e-mail newsletter for subscribed users. The privacy policy for Constant Contact is located here. Constant Contact email marketing is permission based. If you received a mailing from Constant Contact, records indicate that (a) you have expressly shared this address for the purpose of receiving information in the future ("opt-in"), or (b) you have registered or purchased or otherwise have an existing relationship with Constant Contact. If you believe you have received unwanted, unsolicited email sent via this system or purporting to be sent via this system, please forward a copy of that email with your comments to abuse@constantcontact.com for review.

FOLLOW US: