How Do I?
- Register with the National Saltwater Angler Registry?
- Find recreational fishing regulations?
- Report a marine mammal or sea turtle stranding?
- Apply for a fishing permit?
- Import/export fishery products?
- Find a Volunteer coastal restoration effort near me?
- Find a catch and landing information for commercial and recreational fisheries?
World Ocean Day: Celebrating Marine Life
World Ocean Day is a time to reflect on the 71 percent of our world that is the ocean. The ocean has a profound effect on our weather, lifestyle, and diet, no matter where we live. We too have a profound effect on it.
The NOAA Fisheries Service helps to manage people’s impact on the ocean and the creatures that call it home. Part of our responsibility is to protect species identified as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. However, we cannot protect these species alone. We need your help.
This past month, NOAA Fisheries hosted 16 fun, educational events around the country to celebrate Endangered Species Day. At these events we showcased the species we work to protect, provided information on how we do our job, and discussed ways people like you can help us.
We hosted hands on activities at several zoos, aquariums, and museums around the country, including the following:
- At Hawaii’s Honolulu Zoo, visitors learned about the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal and how NOAA scientists find clues about their diet using microscopes.
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Students at the Gloucester Maritime Center in Massachusetts learned
about endangered species in their area and how blubber helps keep
marine mammals warm. -
Meanwhile, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, NOAA Fish biologist Dr. Blane Bellerud demonstrated how scientists use Passive Integrated Transponder, or PIT, tag technology to track and count fish.
Many other events highlighting our work with endangered species were hosted at the National Zoo, New England Aquarium, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to name a few.
Also in May, we also organized multiple community events and evening speaker series focused on how partnerships with the community and other agencies and organizations help us accomplish our conservation goals. Some of these included:
- In California, the first annual Stockton Steelhead Festival educated the public about water conservation in San Joaquin County and highlighted the benefits wild steelhead and salmon bring to the community.
- In Maine, at the Maine Spring Fest, we partnered with the Maine Audubon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and University of Maine Fish Club to teach members of the community about the endangered species in their area.
- In Massachusetts, we held a panel discussion on the importance of collaborative research with the fishing industry to help inform management and recovery of large whales, sea turtles, and sturgeon.
- In Alaska, NOAA scientists in Juneau teamed up with local writers and photographers for an evening of art and science to discuss our latest research, the problem of marine mammal entanglements, and the importance of communicating through prose and photos.
On this World Ocean Day, take a pledge to help us conserve and protect imperiled species. Here are some resources where you can learn how to help marine life as you enjoy the ocean:
