This adjudication scheme provides for review of denials of permits and other limited access privileges pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. An appellate officer within the National Appeals Office (NAO) presides over the hearing, but the final decision is made by the Regional Administrator (e.g., the administrator of one of the five regions of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)--Northeast, Southeast, West Coast, Alaska, or Pacific Islands--as well as an official with similar authority within the Department of Commerce (DOC), such as the Director of NMFS's Office of Sustainable Fisheries).
NAO is an adjudicatory body located within the Office of Management and Budget, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.