National

Northwest

Northwest

Alaska

Northeast

Northeast

Northeast

Mid-Atlantic

New Report on Striped Bass

North Pacific Fishery Council to Meet; Feb 6-14 in Seattle, WA

NOAA to Exhibit Historical Treasures; Feb 6-11 in Silver Spring, MD

NOAA Heritage Week Speakers; Feb 7-8 in Silver Spring, MD

Western Pacific Council's Bottomfish Plan Team to Meet; Feb 8-9 in Honolulu, HI

Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) to Meet; Feb 14-16 in Dania Beach, FL

Temporary Closure Affects Pollock Fishery in the Gulf of Alaska

Opening and Closing Dates Announced for Atka Mackerel Fishery

Notification of Standard Prices for Halibut and Sablefish

National - NOAA Proposes New Framework for Seafood Marketing Councils

NOAA Fisheries Service is proposing to help the U.S. fishing industry set up seafood marketing councils. NOAA encourages the public to provide feedback on this proposed rule. The comment period ends February 23, 2006. Comments may be submitted by e-mail to: SMCcomments@noaa.gov. Please include in the subject line: "comments on the proposed rule for seafood marketing councils."

For more information contact John.M.Ward@noaa.gov. A fact sheet is also posted online.

Northwest – Harvest and Hatcheries to be Reviewed as Part of Salmon Recovery Strategy

Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, addressed the day-long "Future of Wild Pacific Salmon" conference at Oregon State University on January 25 as part of the Salmon 2100 Project . Mr. Connaughton called for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest seeking to end outdated hatchery programs and stop harvest levels and practices that impede recovery of wild, endangered and threatened salmon.

Beginning this week, NOAA Fisheries Service will launch a collaborative review of how harvest and hatcheries – particularly federally funded hatcheries -- are affecting the recovery of ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. This review will be open, thorough and independent, using a highly-respected non-federal facilitator. It will identify not only where hatchery programs are impeding the recovery of salmon, but also where there are opportunities to intelligently employ hatcheries to increase harvest without impeding recovery. The model for this collaborative review will be the Hatchery Scientific Review Panel, which advanced major reforms in Puget Sound. This effort, and its extension to the Columbia Basin, continues to have strong bipartisan support in Congress.

Decisions and commitments on harvest and hatcheries will continue to be through a network of federal, state, tribal, and Canadian decision-makers.

For more information on salmon harvests and hatcheries, visit the Northwest Region's website.

Northwest – Washington State Habitat Conservation Plan Available for Public Comment

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries Service have announced the availability of a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), final Habitat Conservation Plan, and final Implementing Agreement, related to an application by the State of Washington for Endangered Species Act (ESA) Incidental Take Permits. The proposed permits would authorize incidental take of aquatic species (16 listed fish species, 54 unlisted fish species, 7 unlisted amphibian species), during forest practices implemented under the Washington Forest Practices Rules.

These forest practices include:

(1) timber harvesting (including final and intermediate harvesting, and pre-commercial thinning activities),

(2) road construction,

(3) road maintenance and abandonment,

(4) site preparation and reforestation of harvested areas (including piling and or burning harvest debris and mechanical scarification), and

(5) adaptive management (including research and monitoring to determine the effectiveness of the forest practices rules in protecting habitat for aquatic species). The EIS also addresses a proposed limit to the ESA section 9 prohibition against take of listed species under the ESA, such that the prohibition would not apply to forest practices regulated by the State of Washington on non-Federal and non-tribal lands.

This notice provides an opportunity for the public to review the final EIS, including responses to earlier public comments. A decision on this action will not be made until at least February 27. Comments may be sent to:

Laura Hamilton
NMFS
510 Desmond Drive SE, Suite 103
Lacey, WA 98503

or by FAX to: (360)753-9517.

For more information, or to request a copy of the documents on CD ROM, contact Laura Hamilton at (360) 753-5820.

Alaska – NOAA to Conduct Status Review of North Pacific Right Whale; Requests Public Input

NOAA Fisheries Service has made an initial finding regarding a petition to list the North Pacific right whale as an endangered species. The petitioner's request was based, in part, on recent scientific information that establishes a new taxonomic classification for the right whale. NOAA Fisheries Service has reviewed the petition, the sources cited in the petition, and other literature and information, and concluded that this action may be warranted. This finding is based in part on recent scientific papers recognizing the North Pacific right whale as genetically distinct from the North Atlantic right whale, as well as recent findings of the International Whaling Commission on the subject.

The next step is a review of the status of the North Pacific right whale. Interested members of the public are requested to submit any information regarding the taxonomy and status of the North Pacific right whale, its habitat, biology, movements and distribution, or threats to the species. All comments should be submitted by April 26.

Send information to: 0648-XB41-NPRW@noaa.gov. Please include in the subject line: "North Pacific Right Whale Listing". (Note that e-mail comments, with or without attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes.)

More information is posted online, or contact Brad Smith at (907) 271-5006.

Northeast - Acoustic Buoys Listen for Whales on Stellwagen Bank; Reward For Return of Lost Buoys

NOAA marine mammal scientists have deployed an array of buoys that are equipped to track large whales throughout NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off Massachusetts by listening for their vocal sounds. The buoys are moored to the ocean bottom -- remaining fully submerged -- and "pop-up" to the ocean surface so that data can be downloaded and batteries refreshed. Although programmed to pop-up automatically after three months, a release can also be triggered by a retrieval team using a hand-held transponder.

The buoys record a whale's vocalization, and the date and time it was made. By comparing the times when the sound was recorded by different buoys, researchers can also calculate the location of the whale when it made the sound. The effort is the first to attempt year-long comprehensive acoustic coverage of a national marine sanctuary and will focus on tracking Northern right whales, a highly endangered species. Scientists hope to create a portrait of localized right whale migrations throughout the year.

Large whales, particularly Northern right whales, can be seriously injured or killed in collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear. This year's work in the sanctuary is part of a larger project that researchers believe may lead to a practical way of keeping track of large ships and whales in real-time. "If we can do that," said Dr. Richard Merrick of NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, one of the project partners, "then we have a better chance of substantially reducing the risk of collisions with whales."

Buoy data is critical to the success of the study. If a buoy is lost, then so are the data it has collected. There are a number of ways that a buoy could slip its mooring, such as storms, equipment failure, or snagging during fishing operations. The buoys are round, and encased in bright yellow "hard-hat" plastic measuring about 20 inches in diameter and weighing about 45 pounds. They are marked with a red and white placard that provides contact information for the return the buoy. There is a $250 reward for their return.

More information about this project is posted online.

Northeast - Right Whale Research Program Seeks Proposals for Reducing Entanglements in Fishing Gear

The Right Whale Research Program, a partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the NOAA Fisheries Service Northeast Regional Office, is accepting proposals through April 5, 2006 for projects that have a strong likelihood of reducing death and/or serious injury to right whales due to entanglements in fishing gear. Specifically, the program is seeking proposals that include research related to reducing risk associated with vertical lines. Proposals that address some right whale biological needs in support of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan will also be accepted. Any U.S. citizen is eligible to apply.

NOAA Fisheries Service and NFWF are also accepting proposals through the Atlantic Coast States Cooperative Program for projects that have a strong likelihood of reducing the death and/or serious injury of right whales through the development or implementation of state recovery plan programs. Any Atlantic coast state government agency is eligible for funding, regardless of whether or not the state has an active agreement with NOAA Fisheries Service.

For more information, visit the Northeast Region's Hot News website or contact Amanda Johnson, Protected Resources Division, at (978) 281-9300, ext. 6513.

Northeast – New Vessel Safety Requirements to Take Effect May 1; Free Dockside Safety Inspections Offered

Beginning May 1, 2006, there are new vessel safety examination requirements for vessels holding a Northeast Federal Fishing Permit or which participate in a Category I or Category II fishery under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. All vessels required to carry an observer must meet U.S. Coast Guard safety requirements and display a current Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Examination Decal that was issued within the last two years. Vessels that are required to carry an observer, but are inadequate or unsafe for purposes of carrying an observer, are prohibited from fishing. Enforcement action may result.

The vessel owner or operator must allow the observer to visually inspect for any safety or accommodation requirement. Observers must complete a pre-trip safety check of the emergency equipment and are encouraged to review emergency instructions and drills with the captain prior to the vessel leaving port. The vessel must correct noted safety deficiencies before departing to fish with the observer.

Vessels may obtain a waiver of the Safety Examination Decal requirement from NOAA Fisheries Service. Vessels that meet and maintain all the safety examination requirements to obtain a Safety Examination Decal except for the requirement for Marine Sanitation Devices will qualify for the waiver. They will be eligible to take observers without a current Safety Examination Decal. The waiver will be valid for the same two year period as the Safety Examination Decal.

Don't lose valuable fishing time! Call today to schedule a free dockside safety examination:

Portland, ME 207-780-3256
Boston, MA 617-223-3045
Providence RI / Cape Cod 508-999-0072
New York / Connecticut 203-468-4437
Baltimore, MD 410-576-2526
Hampton Roads, VA 757-668-5535
Philadelphia, PA 215-271-4852
Wilmington, NC 910-772-2231
Atlantic Beach, NC 252-247-4562

For more information, contact David.Potter@noaa.gov.

Mid-Atlantic – Oyster Recovery Partnership Recognized With Award

NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office has been presented with the Oyster Recovery Partnership "Outstanding Service Award" in recognition of NOAA's key role in supporting native oyster restoration. Over-harvesting, habitat destruction, and disease have reduced the population the Bay's native oyster, Crassostrea virginica, to less than 1% of historic levels. This dramatic decline in oysters has had devastating effects on the ecology, economy, and culture of the Bay. The Oyster Recovery Partnership is a coalition of organizations, institutions, businesses and individuals dedicated to helping restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay by restoring the Bay's oyster population.

As one of the primary federal agencies involved in oyster restoration in the Bay, NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office is working to restore a healthy population of the native oyster. Different methods of oyster restoration and management are being used in different parts of the Bay, including: sanctuaries; managed reserves; and genetic rehabilitation. Due to shortages of oyster shell for restoration projects, various alternative substrates are also being considered. NOAA's financial and technical support of oyster restoration in the Bay has grown from one project in 1995 to more than 24 projects in 2004. The goals of NOAA-funded projects are to restore oyster populations to help achieve commitments of the Chesapeake Bay Program Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, and to foster citizen involvement in the Bay's oyster recovery efforts.

For more information, contact Peyton.Robertson@noaa.gov.

January 2005

Notice - Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit

Notice - Taking of Marine Mammals in the Gulf of Mexico; Eglin Air Force Base

Notice - Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting

Notice - Pacific Fishery Management Council STAR Panel Meeting

Notice - Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting

Notice - Pacific Fishery Management Council GMT Meeting

Notice - North Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting

January 2005

January 2005

Rule - Pollock in Statistical Area 610 of the Gulf of Alaska.

Rule - Taking of Marine Mammals Incidental to Rocket Launches From Kodiak Island, AK

January 2005

Notice - Final Environmental Impact Statement and Habitat Conservation Plan