National

Northeast

Northeast

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Gulf

Southwest

Alaska

Alaska

Pacific Islands

National – ESA Counterpart Regulations to Streamline Consultations on Pesticides

This week, NOAA Fisheries and the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized regulations to provide alternative Endangered Species Act consultation processes for Environmental Protection Agency’s approvals of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. These regulations are designed to streamline the consultation process and to provide flexibility in the ways that EPA may meet its obligations under the ESA.

These counterpart regulations enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the section 7 consultation process by increasing interagency cooperation and providing two optional alternatives for completing section 7 consultation for Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulatory actions. One alternative modifies the process for EPA to conduct informal consultation with the Service for those FIFRA actions that EPA determines are “not likely to adversely affect” any federally-protected threatened and endangered species (“listed species) or critical habitat. The other alternative permits the Service to conduct formal consultation in a manner that more effectively takes advantage of EPA’s substantial expertise in evaluating ecological effects of FIFRA regulatory actions on listed species and critical habitats. For further information or questions, contact Jim Lecky, NOAA Fisheries’ acting Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Programs at (301) 713-2239, or visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s consultation web page at http://endangered.fws.gov/consultations/index.html

Northeast – Nearly $1.8 Million for Fishing Gear Development & Practices

NOAA Fisheries Northeast Cooperative Research Program has awarded nearly
$1.8 million to seven research teams working to develop fishing gear and practices that may increase options for using limited groundfish days-at-sea. There is presently only one program in which vessels can use so-called "B" days, but more are being planned by the New England Fishery Management Council. The projects selected for funding will support these development efforts, testing fishing gear that may selectively catch fish from healthier stocks, or providing other information that can be used to define a program where B days can be used. For more information, contact Ken Beal at (978) 281-9146/ ken.beal@noaa.gov, or visit this site: http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/news04.10.htm

Northeast - NOAA Funded Researchers Forecast Toxic Red Tide In New England

NOAA supported researchers have successfully showcased one of the values of an integrated ocean observing system. Using observations made from ship-board sensors, satellites, and buoys in the Gulf of Maine, scientists were able to predict where and when a toxic algae bloom would wash ashore earlier this summer. This harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecasting demonstration gave state of Maine officials an early warning of the approaching bloom. High toxin levels in shellfish recorded by the state monitoring program helped confirm the prediction. Affected shellfish beds in Casco Bay were closed to public harvest to ensure the seafood poisoned by the toxic bloom did not become a public health threat.

NOAA supported researchers utilized state-of-the-art molecular identification techniques to locate and map a patch of the poisonous algae. Simultaneously, observations of winds, currents, and other ocean condition data received from buoys, some of which are part of the developing Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GOMOOS), fed a computer model designed to forecast where the water containing the toxic algae patch was headed. Partner institutions include Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Dartmouth College and the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

This forecast was created in much the same way that weather models are used to predict the movement of storms. When the model predicted that toxic algae was moving toward the Maine coast, researchers proactively alerted state officials who later confirmed the presence of the algae and closed shellfish beds for harvesting in and around Casco Bay.

The microscopic “red tide” algae, Alexandrium, and its toxin have long plagued New England waters and states have responded with effective, but costly, monitoring programs. A decade of NOAA investment in the Gulf of Maine to understand the ecology and oceanography of the region and to develop new HAB sensing technologies is now bearing fruit. Having advance warning of impending toxic blooms could improve the efficiency of state programs needed to protect seafood safety and public health.

HABs occur in waters of almost every U.S. coastal state, and data suggests that they are increasing in frequency. HABs can damage the health of people and kill marine organisms. HABs also impact economies. Over the last several decades, HABs have caused more than $1 billion in economic losses in the U.S. They have forced valuable shellfish beds and coastal fisheries to close, affected tourism and service industry revenues, and caused public illnesses.

NOAA’s Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms program and its Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms effort are cooperating with regional observing systems to develop new sensing technologies and put early warning systems in place to help coastal managers better plan for and reduce impacts of HABs.

NOAA is currently testing HAB forecasting systems for Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Northwest and recently issued its second annual “Dead Zone” forecast for the Gulf of Mexico (see below). These ongoing and future plans include automation and installation of detection methods on buoys as part of a greater NOAA emphasis on efforts to refine and make operational ecological forecasts along our nation’s coasts.

South Atlantic & Pacific – Fishery Management Council Appointments Announced

U.S. Department of Commerce announced this week the appointment of Richard L. Gray, Jr., to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the reappointment of David W. Ortmann to the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Gray is a recreational fisherman from Beaufort, S.C, and Ortmann is a fisheries biologist from Couer d’Alene, Idaho. These appointments are made in addition to the seventeen other council appointments announced on June 16, 2004.

The eight regional fishery management councils prepare fishery management plans for marine fish stocks in their respective geographical areas of responsibility. The management plans are then submitted for review by NOAA Fisheries and approved by the Secretary of Commerce.

Terms of the council members expire annually on August 10 for approximately one-third of the 72 obligatory and at-large members appointed to the eight regional councils. On behalf of the secretary, the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries solicits nominations from the governors of fishing states and oversees the annual appointments process. Councils represent diverse fisheries interests and are comprised of members whose combined knowledge and experience represent commercial and recreational fisheries as well as environmental, academic, and other interests from each geographical area concerned.

To view the membership and activities of each Fishery Management Council, visit them on line www.nmfs.noaa.gov/councils.htm.

Gulf – Red Snapper Commercial Fishery in GOM Federal Waters Open at Noon, August 1

NOAA Fisheries announces that the commercial fishery for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico federal waters will open at noon, local time, on August 1, 2004, and close at noon, local time, on August 10, 2004. The fishery will re-open at noon, local time, on October 1, 2004. The 2004 Gulf of Mexico commercial red snapper quota is 4.65-million pounds. The operator of a vessel with a valid reef fish permit and a Class 1 or Class 2 red snapper license having red snapper aboard must have landed and sold such red snapper before noon, local time, on August 10, 2004. The minimum size limit for the commercial fishery is 15 inches total length.

The commercial fishing season is divided into spring and fall seasons. The spring season began at noon, local time, on February 1, with 3.10 million pounds available, and the fall season begins at noon, local time, on October 1, with the remainder of the annual quota available. During the spring and fall seasons, fishing is allowed the first 10 days of each month until the quota is caught.

Preliminary landings data for February 1-10, 2004 (500,881 pounds), March 1-10, 2004 (566,015 pounds), April 1-10, 2004 (675,511), May 1-10, 200, (487,836), June 1-10, 2004 (288,613), and July 1-10, 2004 (276,136) totaled 2,794,992 pounds of red snapper landed. Therefore, a total of 305,008 pounds remain in the spring quota.

For questions or more information contact Phil.Steele@noaa.gov (727) 570-5305.

Gulf – NOAA, Louisiana Scientists Issue “Dead Zone” Forecast

A team of scientists from NOAA, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and Louisiana State University is forecasting that the “Dead Zone” off the coast of Louisiana and Texas this summer should be roughly the same size as it has been since 1990.

This summer’s “Dead Zone” is predicted to be between 4,100 and 6,500 square miles, an area the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. The average annual hypoxia-affected area since 1990 has been approximately 5,700 square miles. The forecast is based on nutrient loads from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers in May and June provided by the U.S. Geological Survey. NOAA funds research cruises to track development of hypoxia. These have been conducted monthly since January and will be completed by the end of July.

The “Dead Zone” is an area of the Gulf of Mexico where seasonal oxygen levels drop too low to support most life. It is caused by a seasonal change where algal growth, stimulated by input of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, settles and decays in the bottom waters. The decaying algae consume oxygen faster than can be replenished from the surface, leading to decreased levels of dissolved oxygen. For complete details and graphic map of the “Dead Zone” visit NOAA’s at www.noaa.gov or contact Ben Sherman with the National Ocean Service at (301) 713-3066 x178.

Southwest – Archival Tagging Project Reveals First Known Details on Behavior of Juvenile N. Pacific Albacore & Offers $500 Reward for Recovered Tags

A long-term Archival Tagging Project was undertaken in 2001 by NOAA Fisheries Southwest Science Center in cooperation with the American Fisherman’s Research Foundation to study the migratory patterns of juvenile (3 to 5 years old) North Pacific albacore. The project is a five-year program that entails tagging approximately 100 fish in each of the years 2001-2005 for a total of 500 tags deployed by the end of 2005. The archival tags are sophisticated, small electronic data-logging devices that record depth, water temperature, internal temperature of the fish, and ambient light levels for a period of up to four years. The tags are surgically implanted in the abdominal cavity of the fish with the stalk protruding near the dorsal fin. A reward of $500 is offered for return of a tagged fish that can be identified by the presence of a green spaghetti tag near the dorsal fin.

It is known from previous tagging studies that juveniles make long-range migrations in the north Pacific between Japan and the west coast of North America prior to becoming sexually mature. However the timing, extent, and routes of these migrations are poorly understood. The vertical distribution and extent to which oceanographic conditions influence juvenile albacore horizontal distributions and behavior is also poorly known.

Since the start of the project, 197 tags have been deployed, mostly off the southern and central California coast. To date, 4 archival tags have been recovered, three of which were recovered during the first week of July, 2004 by sportfishing vessels operating out of San Diego. The longest time at liberty was 367 days and the greatest net movement between the release and recovery locations was 206 nm. Analysis of the light levels for one fish at liberty for nearly a year indicates that the fish moved extensively throughout the waters off southern California and Baja California, moving north into waters off Point Conception in the late summer and south into the area offshore of Bahia Magdalena in the winter. Depth and temperature records recorded by the tags show a pattern of repetitive diving by the fish between the surface and depths greater than 150 m (492 feet) throughout the day, with nights spent in the upper 40 m (130 feet). Individual dives routinely exceeded 30 minutes into waters as cold as 10° Celsius (50° Fahrenheit).

These are the first detailed records of north Pacific albacore behavior from the eastern Pacific. The repetitive diving below the thermocline into waters as deep as 350 meters (1,150 feet) in temperatures reaching 7° C (45°F) was unexpected for these small, warm-bodied fish. The fish from which data were collected did not undertake trans-Pacific migrations; however, north-south movements off the coasts of California and Baja California were extensive. As more tags are returned, the data are expected to provide new insights into the North Pacific albacore stock structure and the habitat use patterns of these juvenile fish which are essential to developing accurate population assessments. For more updated information from our Southwest Science Center go to http://swfsc.noaa.gov/albacore_tag/ or contact Dr. Suzie Kohin (858) 546-7104. Also, Wayne Heikkila, Executive Director, Western Fishboat Owners Association / American Fishermens Research Foundation (707) 443.1098, wfoa@cox.net

Alaska – NOAA Scientists Sight Blue Whales In Alaska

NOAA Fisheries scientists made a rare sighting this month in Alaskan waters. From the deck of the NOAA research vessel McArthur II, they spotted and positively identified rare and endangered blue whales, the largest animals known to live on Earth. For complete details, visit our Alaska Regional Office at: www.fakr.noaa.gov or contact Sheela McLean (907) 586-7032.

Alaska – “Why Should We Help the Russians Avoid Albatross?”

An editorial by Mark Lundsten appearing in the August 2004 issue of Pacific Fishing magazine features the collaborative efforts of fishermen, researchers and environmental organizations to reduce bycatch of seabirds.

Mark Lundsten, an Alaska longliner, and Ed Melvin of the Washington Sea Grant Program, were invited by the World Wildlife Fund to meet with Russian fishermen to share information about their experiences in reducing seabird bycatch in Alaska fisheries. To view the complete editorial, go to Fisheries in the News on our Media Center page at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/mediacenter/.

For general information about NOAA Fisheries’ seabird bycatch mitigation program, contact Kim Rivera, Seabird Coordinator, NMFS Alaska Region (907) 586-7424.

Pacific Islands – NOAA and State of Hawaii Open Office in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Officials from NOAA and the State of Hawaii opened the Kailua-Kona Office of Hawaiian Islands Humpback in a special ceremony on Thursday, July 29. The new Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary office will be administered by the Hawaii Department of Land and natural Resources with funding provided by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program. The Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii Authority is providing office space free of charge to the sanctuary for the next two years. For more information contact Justin Viezbicke, Marine Conservation Coordinator, (808) 987-0765.

July 26, 2004

Notice - Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); Notice of Sea Turtle Release/Protocol Workshops (11 workshops held July - September 2004).
Rule - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pelagic Shelf Rockfish in the West Yakutat District of the Gulf of Alaska.
Rule - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; "Other Rockfish" in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska.

July 28, 2004

Notice – Endangered Species; File No. 1444.
Rule - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Northern Rockfish in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska.
Rule - Fisheries of the Economic Exclusive Zone Off Alaska; Deep-Water Species Fishery by Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Gulf of Alaska.

July 29, 2004

Notice - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Final Environmental Impact Statement Addressing Essential Fish Habitat Requirements of the Fishery Management Plans of the Gulf of Mexico.
Notice - Marine Mammals: File No. 116-1729 re: issuance of permit to Sea World.

July 30, 2004