Alaska

Alaska

Pacific Coast

Pacific Coast

Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands

South Atlantic

South Atlantic

Northeast

Northeast

Northeast

Northeast

NOAA Seeks a Senior Policy Adviser for Recreational Fisheries; Applications Due November 13

Nominations for Seafood Champion Awards Due November 14

NOAA in the North Atlantic: Fall Newsletter Available Online

New Report Focuses on Technology Research Needs for U.S. Marine Aquaculture

Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee Selects New Leadership

Northwest Fisheries Science Center Begins Fall Seminar Series in Seattle, WA

ESA Recovery Plan for Middle Columbia River Steelhead

New Proposed Regulations on Introduced Species in California Marine Sanctuaries

Gulf and Mid-Atlantic Councils Offer Live Video and Audio Feed

Mid-Atlantic Council and Advisory Bodies to Meet; October 13-15 in Ocean City, MD

New England Council's Habitat Committee and Advisory Panel to Meet; October 13-14 in Mansfield, MA

ICCAT Advisory Committee to Meet; October 15 in Silver Spring, MD

Scientific and Statistical Committee and Western Pacific Council to Meet; October 14-16 and 20-23 in Honolulu, HI

NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office Offers Educations Grants; Deadline is October 16

New England Council Seeks Recreational Fishing Advisors; Deadline for Nominations is October 16

Gulf Council to Meet; October 19-22 in Corpus Christi, TX

New England Council to Hold Catch Share Workshop; October 20-21 in Bretton Woods, NH

Gulf Council's Louisiana/Mississippi Habitat Protection Panel to Meet; October 29 in Metairie, LA

Alaska - NOAA Announces Results of 2009 Pollock Surveys

NOAA Fisheries Service researchers have released scientific data from their 2009 bottom trawl and mid-water acoustic surveys of pollock in the Bering Sea. The 2009 surveys confirm that the population is low and indicate that the number of incoming young fish may be down also. The previous assessment indicated that the estimated 2008 spawning biomass (the main stock component monitored for conservation purposes) was at the lowest level since 1980. Managers reduced the total allowable catch to 815,000 metric tons for 2009. That is a 46% reduction from the 2006 total allowable catch.

NOAA scientists have presented the latest pollock survey data to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Groundfish Plan Team. With stock assessment reports in hand, the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee will recommend an acceptable biological catch level - a sustainable catch level - at the December Council meeting in Anchorage. Following the committee reports, the Council will consider committee recommendations and public testimony before recommending a total allowable catch for pollock for 2010.

The Alaska pollock fishery is the largest fishery, by volume, in the United States. It is known for its strong management, conservative catch levels, near real-time reporting and scientific fishery observers who track catch levels and closely monitor accidental bycatch of other marine species. For more information, read the NOAA Fisheries Service news release.

Alaska - Changes Proposed for Groundfish Observer Program

A new proposed rule would amend regulations supporting the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program. This action is necessary to improve the operational efficiency of the program, as well as improve the catch, bycatch, and biological data provided by observers for conservation and management of the North Pacific groundfish fisheries, including data provided through scientific research activities.

This proposed rule includes the following actions: 1) remove regulations that are unnecessary, impractical to apply, or are considered to be unenforceable; 2) revise regulations to explicitly allow observer providers to provide observers for exempted fishing permit-based and scientific research permit-based activities; 3) add regulations to prohibit activities that result in non-representative fishing behavior from counting toward an observer coverage day; 4) require observer providers to report to NOAA about the cost of providing observers; 5) and establish a deadline when observer providers must submit a copy of each of type of contract they enter into with observers and the fishing industry.

Pacific Coast - Harvest Guidelines Proposed for Mackerel

NOAA Fisheries Service has proposed the annual harvest guideline for Pacific mackerel in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast. The most recent assessment of Pacific mackerel, which was reviewed by a Stock Assessment Review (STAR) Panel in May 2009, estimates the current biomass to be 282,049 metric tons (mt). Based on this estimated biomass, the harvest control rule in the Coastal Pelagic Species fishery management plan produces an allowable biological catch of 55,408 mt. The proposed harvest guideline for the 2009-2010 fishing year is 10,000 mt, and would be divided into a directed fishery of 8,000 mt and an incidental fishery of 2,000 mt.

Should the directed Pacific mackerel fishery attain landings of 8,000 mt, the Council recommends that NOAA Fisheries Service close the directed fishery and establish a 45 percent incidental catch allowance when Pacific mackerel are landed with other coastal pelagic species, except that up to 1 mt of Pacific mackerel could be landed without landing any other coastal pelagic species.

Pacific Coast - New Project to Forecast Toxic Algal Blooms

NOAA and the National Science Foundation have awarded funds for the first year of an anticipated four-year project to develop early warning forecast models for toxic harmful algal blooms on Pacific Northwest beaches. Funds were awarded to the University of Washington and the University of California at Santa Cruz through the interagency Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program. Pseudo-nitzschia algae occur along the Washington coast and produce toxins that can accumulate in shellfish, particularly razor clams and Dungeness crabs. While rigorous state and tribal monitoring and closure of shellfish harvesting protect human health, closures of beaches and coastal waters result in economic losses and sociocultural impacts.

Pacific Islands - Two of World's Largest Marine Protected Areas Sign Partnership Agreement

Two of the world's largest marine protected areas have announced a historic alliance to enhance the management and protection of almost 300,000 square miles of marine habitat in the Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Kiribati recently signed an agreement with the United States that establishes a "sister site" relationship between the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area near the equator in the Republic of Kiribati. Managers of both sites will meet in November in French Polynesia to formalize the agreement. The partnership links the sites and is designed to enhance management knowledge and practices for these tropical and subtropical marine and terrestrial island ecosystems.

Pacific Islands - Total Allowable Catch Set for Hawaii Bottomfish

NOAA Fisheries Service has set a total allowable catch of 254,050 lb of Deep 7 bottomfish in the main Hawaiian Islands for the 2009-10 fishing year. The Deep 7 bottomfish include the following species: onaga, ehu, gindai, kalekale, opakapaka, lehi, and hapu'upu'u. When the total allowable catch is projected to be reached, NOAA will close the non-commercial and commercial Deep 7 bottomfish fisheries until the end of the fishing year (August 31, 2010). During a fishery closure for Deep 7 bottomfish, no person may fish for, possess, or sell any of these fish in the main Hawaiian islands, except as otherwise authorized by law. (Specifically, possession and sale of Deep 7 bottomfish by vessels legally registered to Mau Zone, Ho omalu Zone, or Pacific Remote Island Areas bottomfish fishing permits, and conducted in compliance with all other laws and regulations, are not affected by the closure.)

South Atlantic - Council Approves Historic Measures to Protect Deepwater Corals

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council have voted unanimously to approve the Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1, a move that will bolster protection for over 23,000 square miles of complex deepwater corals located off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and eastern Florida. The amendment, if approved and implemented by the Secretary of Commerce, will protect specific areas of sensitive habitat, deemed Coral Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, in waters ranging from1200 to 2300 ft. deep. The South Atlantic region is home to what may be the largest contiguous distribution of deepwater corals in the world, including Lophelia coral. The parameters defined within the amendment aim to shield these areas from impacts associated with bottom-tending fishing practices. At the same time, the amendment contains measures that take into consideration the region's small traditional fisheries for shrimp and golden crab.

For more information, read the news release issued by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. High resolution images and video clips are also available on the Council's Web site.

South Atlantic - New Measures to Improve Management of Rock Shrimp Fishery

NOAA Fisheries Service has issued a final rule to implement Amendment 7 to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan of the South Atlantic region. This rule includes the following measures: renames the rock shrimp permit and endorsement; requires all South Atlantic shrimp permit holders to provide economic data if selected; reinstates all limited access rock shrimp endorsements for those vessel owners who renewed their open access permit in the year in which they failed to renew their limited access endorsement; removes the 15,000-lb rock shrimp landing requirement; and reinstates all limited access rock shrimp endorsements lost due to not meeting the landing requirement. The intended effect is to improve data collection, reduce permit confusion, and maintain a viable rock shrimp fishery in the South Atlantic region.

Northeast - NOAA Clarifies Fishing Permit Conditions for Grant Recipients

NOAA Fisheries Service is proposing specific terms and conditions for Federal fishing vessel permits obtained through the purchase of fishing vessels using Federal grant awards. The terms and conditions would authorize the Northeast Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries Service to suspend, cancel, fail to renew, modify, or otherwise rescind any Federal fishing vessel permit if the terms and conditions of any Federal grant award used to obtain that permit are violated by the grant recipient. For example, through an approach called "permit banking," an organization may seek a suite of permits in a particular fishery with the option to lease out the fishing rights associated with those permits. The proposed action is designed to allow NOAA to maintain oversight of grant-supported arrangements such as permit banking programs.

Northeast - Live "Dam Cam" Shows the Recovery Act at Work on the Winnicut River

Major construction has begun to remove the Winnicut Dam in Greenland, NH, one of 50 high priority, high quality coastal restoration projects chosen by NOAA for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The public is invited to view live images of this removal throughout the next several months as the river begins to heal. This live camera is the first of three that NOAA has placed at coastal restoration Recovery Act locations throughout the United States. A second camera will be available at the Magnolia Wetland Restoration in Huntington Beach, CA, and a third will go live at the Great Lakes' Dunes Creek Restoration in Hammond, IN.

Northeast - NOAA and Partners Complete Restoration Project in Hempstead Harbor

NOAA and its partners recently celebrated the successful completion of a multi-year project to compensate the public for hazardous waste released into Hempstead Harbor, NY. The project restored salt marsh and coastal shoreline, and created important habitats for spawning, nursing and foraging fish and other wildlife. The Applied Environmental Services property, designated as a Superfund site in 1986, was used as a petroleum and hazardous waste storage area from the 1930s to the 1970s. Improper handling and storage of these hazardous substances led to the contamination of groundwater, surface water, soils, sediments, and air.

Restoration took place across the harbor in Bar Beach Lagoon. NOAA partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State agencies, and the Town of North Hempstead on activities that included the removal of invasive plant species and 3,000 cubic yards of soil and solid waste debris. Each of the excavated areas was backfilled with clean soils provided by the Town of North Hempstead. Volunteers helped plant more than 8,000 native marsh wetland plants and coastal grasses, shrubs and trees. This project was the first in the nation to be funded by a Superfund natural resource damage settlement that included money for performance monitoring. Efforts have succeeded in establishing a diverse population of salt marsh and coastal plant and animal species, including marsh vegetation, invertebrates, fish and birds. For more information, read the NOAA news story.

Northeast - New Research Aims to Unravel How Nutrients Drive Toxic 'Brown Tides'

NOAA has awarded Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution funding as part of an anticipated three-year, nearly $500,000 project, to determine how nitrogen and phosphorus promote brown tides on the East Coast. These funds were awarded through the interagency Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB) program. The project will focus on brown tides, a type of algae along the East Coast that causes tremendous damage to coastal habitats and scallop and hard clam fisheries from Rhode Island to Virginia. Researchers plan to use genome technology to examine how these nutrient pollutants may cause a brown tide event and influence its duration.