National

National

Atlantic

Northeast

Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

Pacific

Pacific

Western Pacific

Alaska

U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy to Submit Final Report to President Bush on September 20

Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee Meeting in Hawaii September 21-23

Lecture Series on Human Noise Impact to Marine Mammals in Baltimore, Md., Sept. 23, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. at the National Aquarium

Public Meeting to Discuss Historical Populations of Oregon Coast Coho Salmon in Newport, OR, Sept. 23, 2004 from 2-4pm in the Barry Fisher Building

Research Set-Aside Program Workshop, in Ronkonkoma, NY, October 5, 2004

Sea Turtle Handling and Release Workshops for Sept. 16 and 17 Cancelled Due to Hurricane Ivan

National – Competition to Design Fishing Gear Aimed at Reducing Bycatch

NOAA, along with a group of aquariums, universities and conservation organizations, is sponsoring The Smart Gear Competition, a contest to develop designs for practical, cost-effective solutions to reduce the incidental catch of sea turtles, cetaceans, fish bycatch and other non-target species in either fixed gear or nets. One winner will be selected for the grand prize of $25,000 and to take their design from the drawing board through prototype development, testing, and initial manufacture. The two runners-up will receive $5,000 each. For more detailed information, see the Smart Gear Competition's Web site at: www.smartgear.org.

National – NOAA To Convert Navy Surveillance Ship to Explore Earth's Largely Unknown Oceans

In a formal ceremony this week, NOAA and the U.S. Navy marked the transfer of ownership of a former surveillance ship from the Navy to NOAA. The ship will be converted to a NOAA research vessel for exploring deep oceans. The transfer supports the NOAA fleet modernization effort and will save the Navy up to $500,000 otherwise needed to deactivate the vessel. USNS Capable will be converted and renamed.

The ship, designated as T-AGOS class for general ocean surveillance, will be the ninth vessel transferred by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command to NOAA. Former Navy ships like Capable have helped modernize the NOAA fleet and served as excellent research and operational platforms.

The Navy will transfer $18 million of appropriated funds to NOAA in FY 2005 for the conversion. NOAA will develop a plan to equip the ship for ocean mapping, deployment of unmanned submersibles, scientific work in onboard laboratories, and real-time transmission of images and data collected during ocean expeditions. The ship will carry multidisciplinary teams of scientist-explorers to investigate unknown or little known areas of Earth’s oceans for the purpose of discovery and the advancement of knowledge. For details about the types of missions the ship will support, visit: www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.

Atlantic – NOAA Fisheries Announces Regional Quota Adjustments for the 2005 Atlantic Commercial Shark Fishery

NOAA Fisheries is proposing to adjust the regional and trimester quotas for large coastal sharks and small coastal sharks based on updated landings information for the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic regions.

The commercial shark fishery will open in all regions on January 1, 2005. Based on proposed changes to the quotas, NOAA Fisheries estimates the Gulf of Mexico large coastal shark fishery will close on March 15, the South Atlantic large coastal shark fishery will close on February 15, and the North Atlantic large coastal shark fishery will close on April 30. Closure dates for small coastal sharks and pelagic sharks will be determined, as necessary.

The comment period for this proposed rule closes on October 18, 2004. Written comments may be e-mailed to: 072704A@noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries also will hold three public hearing to receive comments from fishery participants and other members of the public regarding these proposed amendments. The public hearings originally scheduled for Sept. 28, 29, and 30 are rescheduled for October 5 in Madeira Beach, FL, October 6 in Cocoa Beach, FL, and October 7 in Manteo, NC. For locations and more information on the proposed quota changes, visit: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms or contact Chris Rilling or Karyl Brewster-Geisz at 301-713-2347.

Northeast – NOAA Fisheries Northeast Bycatch Workshop Proceedings Document Now Available

NOAA Fisheries announces the release of the proceedings of the 2004 Northeast Regional Bycatch Workshop. The 159-page document, “Bycatch in Northeast Fisheries: Moving Forward,” documents general and specific recommendations suggested by over 200 workshop participants regarding bycatch priorities related to management, science and research, data and monitoring, and gear technology. These recommendations have been incorporated in the updated version of the Northeast Region Bycatch Implementation Plan, which will be released later this fall.

For more information regarding the workshop proceedings, contact Marla Trollan, NERO Outreach Coordinator, at marla.trollan@noaa.gov or call 978-281-9388. Download the document at: www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/hotnews/proceedings.pdf

Gulf of Mexico – Council to Take Public Testimony on Grouper Quota and Trip Limits

During the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s October 11-15 meeting in Panama City, FL, the Council’s Reef Fish Management Committee will take public comment on the need for commercial vessel trip limits for shallow-water and deep-water groupers. The Committee will hear industry recommendations on Oct. 12th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the poundage of vessel trip limits needed to assure that the shallow-water and deep-water grouper fisheries are not closed next year. Taking public comment into account, the Council recommends that NOAA Fisheries implement trip limits by emergency rule. This meeting was rescheduled from September 13-17 due to Hurricane Ivan. It will be held at the Edgewater Beach Resort, 11212 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL,

Gulf of Mexico – NOAA Fisheries to Host Recreational Data Forum

During the Gulf Council’s meeting in Panama City, Florida, NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office will host a Gulf Coast Recreational Data Forum on Tuesday, October 12, 2004, at the Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City, Florida. Dr. Roy Crabtree, SE Regional Administrator, regional staff, and fisheries statistics staff from NOAA Fisheries headquarters will be on hand to provide up-to-date program information and answer questions about NOAA Fisheries' recreational data collection program. The informal two-hour session is open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m.

For more information on the Gulf Coast Recreational Data Forum, contact Michael Bailey at 727-570-5474.

Pacific – NOAA Fisheries releases report to Congress on Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

NOAA Fisheries has released a report to Congress describing 3,200 salmon projects undertaken since 2000. About half of the projects were related to restoring and protecting salmon habitat. The funding for these projects, about $436 million to date, comes from the federal Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which is administered by NOAA Fisheries. Funds are distributed to West Coast Indian tribes and the states of Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and starting this year, Idaho.

The 58-page “2004 Report to Congress,” written by NOAA Fisheries, is filled with maps, charts and graphs, and is useful to anyone involved in salmon recovery. It has 16 pages of maps and more than a dozen short, colorful sidebars that describe completed or ongoing projects. The report may be downloaded at www.nwr.noaa.gov/pcsrf/index.htm.

Pacific – NOAA Fisheries Releases Draft of the Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Historical Population Report for Public Review

NOAA Fisheries has released a public review draft of the Oregon Coast Coho Salmon Historical Population Report, which was prepared by a committee of the Oregon and Northern California Coast Technical Recovery Team. The Oregon and Northern California Coast Technical Recovery Team was created by NOAA Fisheries to develop technical delisting criteria and guidance for salmon recovery planning on the Oregon and Northern California coasts. This report is an important step toward developing a recovery plan for Oregon Coast coho salmon. A copy of the draft report can be downloaded at http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/trt/trt_oregonNcal.htm#docs.

Comments on the draft report are due by November 15, 2004 and can be sent via e-mail to: Heather.Stout@noaa.gov, or via hard copy to the

Northwest Fisheries Science Center
(Attn: Heather Stout)
2032 SE OSU Drive
Newport, OR 97365

For more information, please contact Heather Stout at 541-867-0290.

Western Pacific – First Federal Arrests and Convictions for Shark Finning

On September 7, Cresento Bacaling and Conchito Cagas, Jr., plead guilty to federal violations of the federal natural resource anti-trafficking law, the Lacey Act and the Shark Finning Prohibition Act. This is the first United States arrest, charge and conviction for federal criminal violations of the Lacey Act, with underlying violations of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, since the shark finning ban was implemented in 2002.

The Shark Finning Prohibition Act makes it illegal for a foreign vessel to offload any shark fins into a U.S. port, unless they offload the rest of the shark carcass with the fins. This rule is aimed at drastically reducing the number of sharks finned and carcasses discarded at sea. The Lacey Act makes it illegal to traffic in illegal natural resources. In this case, transporting or exporting fins were off loaded illegally in the U.S.

Bacaling and Cagas, crew of a Japanese-flagged fishing vessel, illegally offloaded approximately 520 pieces of shark fins from their fishing vessel while in Apra Harbor, Guam on July 13, 2004. With their guilty pleas, Bacaling and Cagas admitted that they attempted to smuggle the shark fins out of the port in Guam in an attempt to transport the shark fins to the Philippines where they would be sold.

Alaska – Scientists Tag North Pacific Right Whales

NOAA Fisheries scientists and their colleagues recently tagged two North Pacific right whales in the Bering Sea. Scientists are now tracking the extremely rare and endangered whales by satellite, a more efficient method than visual and auditory observations. Researchers hope to discover where the whales winter.

The scientists were working on the charter vessel Alaska Enterprise in August when they discovered the whales. Acoustics researchers deployed a sonobuoy (underwater listening device) at noon on the day of discovery, and heard far-away right whale calls. The calls gave the scientists a bearing that enabled them to find two right whales. Scientists placed tags on the whales.

The tagging project will help NOAA scientists discover where North Pacific right whales spend the winter, since no wintering or calving area has ever been discovered for North Pacific right whales. Since 1900, there have only been 15 documented sightings of right whales in winter in the eastern Pacific.

For further information on the North Pacific right whale tagging project, including photographs and a map of locations of the tagged whales, visit: http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/CetaceanAssessment/right/righttagging04.htm or www.fakr.noaa.gov/newsreleases/rightwhale091304.htm.

September 16, 2004

September 17, 2004

September 20, 2004