FishNews May 7, 2008
WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
National - NOAA Hosts Meeting on Alternative Feeds for Aquaculture |
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On Wednesday, April 30, 2008, NOAA’s Aquaculture Program hosted the NOAA-USDA National Stakeholder Meeting on Alternative Feeds for Aquaculture in Silver Spring, MD. Over 80 participants representing aquaculture producers, the aquaculture feeds industry, private research consortiums, other federal agencies, academia, and non-government organizations focused on research priorities for promising alternatives to fish meal and oil in aquaculture diets. The meeting was moderated by Dr. Paul Sandifer, Senior Scientist for Coastal Ecology for NOAA’s Ocean Service, and presenters included Dr. Charles Santerre of Purdue University, Dr. Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University, Dr. Diane Bellis of Ag Source, Inc. and Richard Nelson of Silver Cup Feeds.
More information is available on the Aquaculture Program website, http://aquaculture.noaa.gov.
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West Coast - “Fishery Failure” Declared for West Coast Salmon Fishery |
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On May 1, 2008 Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez declared a commercial fishery failure for the West Coast salmon fishery due to historically low salmon returns. Hundreds of thousands of fall Chinook salmon typically return to the Sacramento River every year to spawn. This year, scientists estimate that fewer than 60,000 adult Chinook will make it back to the Sacramento River. NOAA Fisheries Service has issued regulations to close or severely limit recreational and commercial salmon fishing in the area.
Although the reasons for the sudden decline of the fishery are not completely understood, NOAA scientists suggest that changes in ocean conditions, including unfavorable shifts in ocean temperature and food sources for juvenile salmon, likely caused poor survival of salmon that would have comprised this year’s fishery. Loss of freshwater habitat for salmon spawning, rearing, and migration to the ocean is a chronic problem that has made salmon populations more susceptible to the occasional poor ocean conditions. NOAA will undertake a thorough examination of the causes.
The disaster declaration opens the door for Congress to appropriate money towards alleviating the financial hardship caused by the fishery disaster.
Under Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Commerce Secretary can declare a commercial fishery failure if requested to do so by a governor, or at the Secretary's discretion. The Secretary must determine that the commercial fishery failure resulted from a fishery resource disaster due to natural causes, man-made causes beyond the control of fishery managers, or undetermined causes. |
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Pacific Islands - Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Management Plan Available for Public Comment |
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NOAA has announced the availability of a Draft Monument Management Plan (MMP) and associated environmental assessment for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands which includes all federal lands and waters within its boundaries. The State of Hawai’i is a Cooperating Agency on the development of the MMP. The Monument's resources and management activities, ongoing and proposed, are described in the Draft MMP. The Monument comprises one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, it is a vast, remote, and largely uninhabited marine region, encompasses an area of approximately 139,793 square miles of Pacific Ocean in the northwestern extent of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Covering a distance of 1,200 miles, the 100-mile wide Monument is dotted with small islands, islets, and atolls and a complex array of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This region and its natural and historic resources hold great cultural and religious significance to Native Hawaiians. It is also home to a variety of post-Western contact historic resources such as those associated with the Battle of Midway. As such, the Monument has been identified as a national priority for permanent protection as a Monument for its unique and significant confluence of conservation, ecological, historical, scientific, educational, and Native Hawaiian cultural qualities. The plan outlines the following six major priorities for the Monument,
- Understanding and Interpreting the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
- Conserving Wildlife and Habitats
- Reducing Threats to Monument Resources
- Managing Human Uses
- Coordinating Conservation and Management Activities
- Achieving Effective Monument Operations
The Draft MMP and associated documents are available on the FWS and NOAA Web sites http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands and http://hawaiireef.noaa.gov/ as well as at local libraries within the State of Hawai’i. You may provide written comments on the Draft MMP by sending them to Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Attn: Susan White, FWS Superintendent, Box 50167, Honolulu, HI 96850-5000; or by email to PMNM_MMP_Comments@fws.gov.
For additional information, please contact Susan White, FWS Superintendent, telephone: (808) 792-9480.
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Washington - Lake Ozette Salmon Recovery Plan Posted |
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NOAA Fisheries has drafted the Proposed Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon Recovery Plan and has made it available for public review and comment. The Plan addresses the Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU), which spawns in Lake Ozette and its tributaries, on the Olympic Peninsula at the western edge of Washington State. NOAA Fisheries is soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested parties on the proposed plan. Copies of the proposed plan are available online. Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time on June 23, 2008 and may be sent Rosemary Furfey, NOAA Fisheries Service, 1201 N.E. Lloyd Blvd, Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail or fax to 503-872-2737.
For additional information, please contact Rosemary Furfey, NOAA Fisheries Service Lake Ozette Salmon Recovery Coordinator at (503) 231-2149.
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EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
National Sea Grant Review Panel Meeting April 29, 2008
The National Sea Grant Review Panel met this month to discuss advice to the National Sea Grant College Program in the areas of staffing and resource needs at the National Sea Grant Office, the designation of Pennsylvania State University as a Sea Grant Institutional Program and a response to Congressional questions posed by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Natural Resources Committee in regard to Sea Grant reauthorization. The meeting took place on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at NOAA’s Offices on 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD. , in SSMC Building 3, Room 12836. The Panel, which consists of representatives from academia, industry, state government and citizens groups, was established in 1976 and advises the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the National Sea Grant College Program with respect to operations under the Act, and such other matters as the Secretary refers to them for review and advice.
For additional information, please contact Ms. Gina Barrera, National Sea Grant College Program; telephone: (301) 734-1077.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Socioeconomic Panel Meeting May 14, 2008
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a workgroup of its Socioeconomic Panel (SEP) on Wednesday, May 14, at the Inter-Continental Hotel, 4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33609; telephone: (813) 286-4400. The SEP is scheduled to discuss social and economic aspects of total allowable catch (TAC) allocations between the recreational and commercial sectors.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Assane Diagne, Economist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Excessive Shares Committee Meeting May 15, 2008
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (MAFMC) Ad Hoc Excessive Shares Committee will hold a public meeting on Thursday, May 15, 2008, from noon until 4 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Suites Wilmington, 422 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, DE 19801, telephone: (302) 654-8300. The purpose of this meeting will be to review and discuss the application of: Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) National Standard 4 [Section 301(a)(4) of MSA]; allocation of limited access privilege program shares so that no shareholder acquires an excessive share [Section 303A(c)(5)(D) of MSA]; and, the antitrust savings clause [Section 303A(c)(9) of MSA]. The Committee will also address the concept of one-size-fits-all and the use of cases-by-case approaches regarding determining excessive share thresholds and/or ceilings.
For additional information, please contact Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 674-2331, extension 19.
FEDERAL REGISTER ACTIONS
For a list of only those actions open for public comment, try going to http://www.regulations.gov and scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal register online at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.
NOAA FISHERIES ACTIONS
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