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Science and Technology

  • New Marine Fishery Allocation Report Posted - Jan 29: A new report commissioned by NOAA Fisheries, Marine Fishery Allocation Issues, has been posted online. A national stakeholder call is planned.
  • When One Endangered Species Eats Another - Jan 22: When one endangered species eats another, ecosystem-based management may be the only way to save them both: killer whales and chinook salmon.
  • Scientists Link Climate Change and Gray Snapper - Jan 8: NOAA scientists recently developed projections of gray snapper distribution under several climate change scenarios as they work to understand the effect of climate change on marine fisheries along the U.S. east coast.
  • Teachers Go High-Tech with Underwater Technology - Dec 17: What kind of underwater technologies did NOAA Teachers At Sea Alicia Gillean and Allan Phipps use when they were on research cruises this past summer?
  • Fishery Data, On the Double - Nov 26: Collaboration between NOAA and the fishing industry allows for more efficient and accurate data collection in two valuable Pacific fisheries—hake and sardine.
  • Advancing Designs for Innovative Fish Passage - Nov 27: To facilitate fish passage in Washington's Baker River, NOAA Fisheries engineers worked closely with Puget Sound Energy to design an innovative fish passage system.
  • Listening for Change in the Arctic - Oct 31: New developments in acoustic technology mean that scientists can use sound to closely monitor changes in the marine ecosystem.
  • Making Sense of Fish Stock Assessment Models - Oct 10: How do we make sure our nation's fisheries are sustainable and productive? It starts with fish stock assessment modeling—combining data to evaluate fish stock health necessary to inform fisheries management decisions.
  • Aerial Drones Give Scientists a New Perspective - Oct 3: What will help launch a whole new era of marine mammal research? Aerial drones help biologist Wayne Perryman and other NOAA scientists study animals and ecosystems in a whole new way.
  • Getting to the Bottom of Marine Mammal Crimes - Oct 3: Special agents and enforcement officers with NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement investigate crimes against marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month.
  • Coral "Hotspots" Discovered Off Northeast Coast - Oct 1: NOAA researchers explored deepwater canyons off the northeastern U.S. in search of deep-sea corals and sponges and found coral “hotspots” that likely serve as important habitat for a variety of fish species and other marine life.
  • Ocean Acidification: A Scientist's Perspective - Sept 26: How does more acidic seawater threaten the health of our oceans and the economics of our coastal communities? Learn more about the impacts of ocean acidification from a NOAA scientist.
  • New Research: Climate Impacts on Marine Predators - Sept 24: What happens when marine animals at the top of the food chain start to feel the impacts of climate change? This week Nature Climate Change features the results of research led by NOAA Fisheries scientist Elliott Hazen.
  • Statistical Report Card for U.S. Fisheries Posted - Sept 19: Wondering about the state of U.S. fisheries? NOAA Fisheries' annual report gives you the breakdown.
  • Leadership Highlights U.S. Fisheries Statistics - Sept 19: NOAA Fisheries posts a statistical yearbook, Fisheries of the U.S., 2011, filled with facts and figures about our domestic fisheries from 2011.
  • NOAA Finds Record Highs in Sea Surface Temperature - Sept 18: NOAA reports sea surface temperatures along the Northeast Continental Shelf were the highest ever recorded during the first six months of 2012.
  • Funding Innovative Research to Reduce Bycatch - Aug 29: Through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program, NOAA Fisheries provides funds critical to key researchers and fishermen for the research and development of innovative approaches and strategies for reducing bycatch.
  • Bering Sea Skates Are Key To Alaska's Ecosystems - Aug 28: NOAA scientists propose six areas in the eastern Bering Sea as habitat areas of particular concern (HAPCs) for skates. Skates are important indicators of the health of Alaska's ecosystems.
  • Aquaculture Techniques Help Conserve White Abalone - Aug 27: A captive breeding program for endangered white abalone uses aquaculture techniques to establish a self-sustaining white abalone population in the wild.
  • New Survey Tool Shows Juvenile Scallop Abundance - Aug 24: NOAA researchers have seen high numbers of young sea scallops in Mid-Atlantic using the newest version of the HabCam, dubbed "the Seahorse" for its spiny profile. The tool gives a comprehensive view of the ocean floor.
  • Understanding the Elusive Giant Pacific Octopus - Aug 17: Just when you thought it was going to be another shark, we'll throw you an octopus. At NOAA Fisheries, every week isn't just Shark Week, it's also Octopus Week.
  • Twitter #SharkChat @NOAALive with Shark Scientist - Aug 16: NOAA shark scientist Trey Driggers will answer questions live on Twitter this Thursday, August 16, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Trey conducts research on all kinds of sharks.
  • Circle Hooks: The Preferred Thresher Catcher? - Aug 15: NOAA scientists, anglers, and other institutions observe how thresher sharks are caught and released in Southern California—the key to long term conservation of the common thresher shark.
  • Sawfish—Cousins of the Shark - Aug 15: Sawfish have skeletons made of cartilage and shark-like bodies and gills. But during the past decade, these creatures have faced dramatic decline due to habitat loss and capture in fisheries.
  • Shark Conservation in Our Global Oceans - Aug 14: Through international cooperation and state-of-the art technology, NOAA Fisheries is conducting joint research with Uruguay’s fisheries agency that is critical to inform international conservation and management decisions for pelagic sharks.
  • Shark Mythbusters - Aug 13: Can you tell shark myth from fact? Better check this list out.
  • Dive into the Deep End of Shark Conservation - Aug 13: A closer look at how NOAA Fisheries works to conserve and manage shark populations domestically and internationally.
  • Shark Feature Stories - Aug 13: Can you tell shark myth from fact? Better check this list out.
  • Shark Tales—Adventures With A Shark Scientist - Aug 9: Ever wonder what it's like to study sharks for a living? NOAA Fisheries shark scientist Trey Driggers gives us details about his work.
  • Successful Tag Recovery from Huge Bluefin Tuna - Aug 8: NOAA scientists tagged an 8-foot, 400-pound bluefin tuna off the coast of Florida and retrieved the drifting tag at sea south of New York three months later. The data on this tag will provide rich details from the high seas adventures of one big tuna.
  • New Technology Helps Predict Harmful Algal Blooms - Aug 8: NOAA scientists use advanced technology to predict harmful algal blooms and provide warnings to aquaculture and other businesses.
  • A New Way to Classify Marine Habitat - July 30: NOAA announces a new standard language for characterizing habitats that has the potential to revolutionize how scientists study and manage our coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes.
  • Trawl Gear Modification—Preserving Fish Habitat - July 26: NOAA Fisheries scientists work with the Alaska Seafood Cooperative and flatfish fishing industry members to modify trawl gear, maintaining catch rates while protecting bottom habitat in the Bering Sea. Photo Credit: Diana Evans.
  • Northwest Science Center Deputy Director Announced - July 24: Today Dr. Mark Strom was announced as the permanent Northwest Fisheries Science Center Deputy Director.
  • Award-Winning Scientist Pioneers Turtle Research - July 23: Dr. Kyle S. Van Houtan, NOAA Fisheries research ecologist, was honored by the White House with a prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research on climate effects on sea turtles populations.
  • The Science Behind Restoring the Elwha - July 20: What is NOAA Fisheries role in restoring the Elwha River? What type of science goes into restoring a river? Watch this video to see first-hand the science involved.
  • Economic and Conservation Benefits of Catch Shares - July 19: The results from the first year of the West Coast Catch Share Program are in. Revenues are up, bycatch is down, and fishing is extended later in the season.
  • Three Ways You Are Connected to Deep-Sea Coral - July 16: In what ways are you connected to deep-sea corals? Why should you care about protecting them?
  • HabCam—A New Way to Survey Scallop Habitat - July 11: The Habitat Camera Mapping System snaps up to 500,000 images of the sea floor per day, taking roughly six images per second. Learn how this tool is helping provide better estimates for Atlantic sea scallops surveys without harming habitat.
  • Four Weird Ways to Restore Habitat - July 10: Discover several interesting and some weird ways that NOAA Fisheries is working to restore habitat for our nation's coastal ecosystems. 
  • NOAA Helps Indonesian Team Protect Sea Turtles - July 2: NOAA scientists and an Indonesian turtle monitoring team study leatherback sea turtle nesting populations in Papua, Indonesia, to learn more about population decline factors to protect this endangered species.
  • Teacher at Sea Helps Scientists Study Right Whales - June 28: NOAA Teacher at Sea Ellen O’Donnell shares incredible highlights of her research cruise studying North Atlantic Right Whales.
  • National Observer Program Annual Report Released - June 25: NOAA Fisheries releases the National Observer Program Annual Peport which shares nationwide statistics about number of sea days observed, activities, accomplishments, and goals for the observer program.
  • Shark Conservation in Our Global Oceans - June 21: Through international cooperation and state-of-the art technology, NOAA Fisheries is conducting joint research with Uruguay’s fisheries agency that is critical to inform international conservation and management decisions for pelagic sharks.
  • Bering Sea Research Reveals Changing Ecosystems - June 6: NOAA and partners conduct new research in the Bering Sea to examine how ecosystem changes are affecting our fisheries.
  • Turtle Bycatch Experiments Empower Students - May 29: Students have unique opportunity to work with NOAA Fisheries scientists to protect turtles from the impacts of fishing gear in Baja California, Mexico.
  • Making Sense of Fish Stock Assessments - May 23: NOAA Fisheries’ scientific stock assessments are key to fisheries management. They provide high-quality information to fisheries managers on the current status of fish stocks and future trends in fisheries productivity.
  • Ever Wonder What a Fisheries Observer Does? - April 30: NOAA Fisheries observers are a key part to smart fisheries management. Take a look at what they do and how we use data they collect on the water.
  • Fishermen and Scientists Work Toward Common Goal - April 22: NOAA Scientists and San Diego fishermen combine expertise and innovative tools to better understand depleted groundfish in the Southern California Bight.
  • Amazing Gray Whale Journey Across the Pacific - April 22: The Gray whale journey is one of the longest made by any mammal, covering over 12,000 miles round-trip, from the Alaskan Arctic to Mexico.
  • NOAA Invites Comment on Coral Reports - April 13: NOAA announces the availability of several coral documents for public review and comment in response to a petition to list 83 species of coral under the Endangered Species Act. Photo Credit: Arkive, Franco Banfi
  • FishSmart Workshops Help Solve Fishing Challenges - April 11: FishSmart Workshops—a proactive approach to developing techniques that reduce the mortality of fish stocks while enhancing the fishing experience.
  • Meet a Megamouth Shark Specialist - April 4: Meet Dr. Jose Castro, a NOAA scientist recently invited to help dissect a rare megamouth shark currently on display at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Megamouths are one of the most elusive shark species on the planet.
  • Making Angler Catch Count - April 2: The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is changing the way we count and report what saltwater recreational fishermen are catching and how many trips they’re taking. Take a look at what improvements have been made thus far.
  • Catch Limits in Place for 2012 Fishing Season - Mar 9: This statement from Eric Schwaab, Deputy Administrator for Conservation and Management, highlights how NOAA Fisheries will have all Annual Catch Limits in place for federally managed fisheries for the 2012 fishing season.
  • 2012 Deep Sea Coral Report Released - Feb 24: NOAA releases 2012 Deep Sea Coral Report to Congress, highlighting the program's exciting discovery of deep-sea coral habitats which revealed new, currently unprotected deep-sea coral communities off the eastern and southern coasts of Florida.
  • Non-Native Species Impact Coasts - Feb. 24: Next week, National Invasive Species Awareness Week begins, held February 27-March 3. To kick off the event, NOAA's Peg Brady tells us more about aquatic invasive species, how they affect our coastlines, and why we need to be aware of them.
  • Scientists: 2007 Oil Spill Lethal to Fish Embryos - Jan. 5: NOAA scientists and partners recently reported that Pacific herring embryos in shallow waters died in unexpectedly high numbers following the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay.
  • NOAA Right Whale Experts Use Twitter to Reach Out - Nov. 16: As right whales migrate down the Atlantic Coast this winter to their winter calving grounds, there are things boaters can do to ensure their safe travels. To inform the public, NOAA whale experts took to Twitter.