Successful fisheries management provides economic opportunities and ensures the long-term sustainability of fisheries and the habitats on which they depend. The NWFSC provides information about stock assessments, ecosystem sustainability, and human impacts to fisheries managers. The NWFSC also conducts state-of-the-art science and technology to support aquaculture while protecting and maintaining ecosystem health. In addition, the NWFSC studies pathogens, toxins from harmful algal blooms, chemical contaminants, and other stressors of marine ecosystems that pose significant risks to the health of seafood resources and humans. The NWFSC focuses on research to improve understanding of those risks, how to forecast them, and identify ways to mitigate their impacts.