WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
National - Savannah Ocean Exchange Gulf Stream Award; Prescreening Application Due Date Extended to May 31 |
| Savannah Ocean Exchange, founded in 2010, unites international organizations across multiple disciplines and boundaries to distribute and adopt solutions that positively impact oceans and ocean life. The Board of Governors includes 27 leaders from around the world, who represent diverse backgrounds and expertise and share a commitment to innovation and to the protection of our ocean. The theme for the 2011 Savannah Ocean Exchange is "Shaping the Future of Our Coasts" and looks to share the best worldwide solutions that will drive sustainable change; improve ecological, economic, and worldwide connectivity; while respecting the unique cultures and sense of place of our coastal communities. To celebrate "Creators of Solutions Inspiring Action", a $100,000 Gulfstream Navigator Award will be given to the Solution Creator whose work demonstrates the greatest potential for "Shaping the Future of Our Coasts", and represents excellence and fulfills the purpose through the solution's feasibility and ease of implementation. The due date for prescreening applications has been extended to May 31, 2011. The award will be given at a Solutions Exchange event, September 7-8, in Savannah, GA. For more information about the Exchange, the award and other details, please visit www.savannahoceanexchange.org. |
National - U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources Program Completes Its 25th Field Season |
| The Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division (AERD) successfully completed its 25th year of field research on March 20, 2011. During this season, AERD scientists maintained historical databases by collecting data that have been consistently collected for 25 years, while broadening the scope of their work to include various different types of scientific inquiry, such as pelagic fish trawls, and national outreach programs. Read more. |
Northeast – NOAA Proposes Measures for the Skate Fishery; Comments Due April 19 |
| NOAA Fisheries is proposing measures for the Northeast Skate fishery which would, among other things, reduce possession limits for skate wing fishery, increase incidental possession limit trigger for the skate wing fishery and allow vessels that process skate wings at sea to land skate carcasses for sale into the bait market. Public comments on the proposed measures must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on April 19, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
Northeast – NOAA Proposes New Atlantic Sea Scallop Management Measures; Comments Due May 26 |
| NOAA Fisheries has proposed new measures for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery primarily to implement annual catch limits and accountability measures to bring the scallop fishery management plan into compliance with requirements under Federal fisheries law. Additional proposed measures include: a revision of the overfishing definition; modification of the essential fish habitat closed areas under the Scallop management plan; adjustments to measures for the Limited Access General Category fishery; adjustments to the scallop research set-aside program; and additions to the list of measures that can be modified through framework adjustments. Comments on the new measures must be received by 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, by May 26, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
Southeast - New Fishing Hooks Protect Bluefin Tuna in Gulf of Mexico While Allowing Catch of Yellowfin Tuna and Swordfish |
| NOAA Fisheries will soon require commercial fishermen who fish for yellowfin tuna, swordfish and other species with longlines in the Gulf of Mexico to use a new type of hook, called a weak hook, designed to reduce the incidental catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The hooks will be required starting May 5, 2011. The Gulf of Mexico is the only known spawning area for the western stock of Atlantic bluefin tuna, an historically overfished species. Although directed fishing for bluefin tuna in the Gulf has been prohibited since the early 1980s, bluefin are caught incidentally by longline fishermen who target other species. Many bluefin die from the stress endured in this incidental capture in warm water even if fishermen release them. The weak hook is designed to straighten when a large fish, such as bluefin tuna, is hooked, releasing it but holding on to smaller fish like yellowfin tuna. Read more. |
Southeast - Increase in Sea Turtle Strandings in the Gulf of Mexico |
| Since March 15, 2011, a notable increase in sea turtle strandings has occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico, primarily in Mississippi. While turtle strandings in this region typically increase in the spring, the recent increase is cause for concern. The Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network is monitoring and investigating this increase. Read more. |
Caribbean - NOAA Releases Marine Etiquette Video for Visitors to the U.S. Caribbean |
| NOAA Fisheries and Coral Reef Conservation Program recently released an ocean etiquette video to educate visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on how to be good stewards of the marine environment, including by not collecting corals and marine life as souvenirs. The six-minute Caribbean Marine Etiquette video and corresponding 30-second public service announcement are available in English and Spanish and educate viewers on the impacts of throwing litter on the beach, kicking or standing on live corals, anchoring boats on corals and seagrass, and collecting corals and other animals as souvenirs. The video will air in hotels, dive shops and on television throughout the U.S. Caribbean to promote responsible tourism. Read more. |
Alaska - NOAA Designates Critical Habitat for Cook Inlet Beluga Whale |
| NOAA Fisheries recently announced it is designating two areas of Alaska’s Cook Inlet as critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. The critical habitat comprises 3,016 square miles (7,809 square kilometers) of marine and estuarine environments considered by scientists to be essential for the whales’ survival, such as feeding areas near the mouths of salmon streams. The critical habitat designation, required under the Endangered Species Act, only affects activities that involve a federal permit, license or funding and which may affect critical habitat, such as construction and operation of oil rigs, port construction, dredging, or Environmental Protection Agency-authorized discharges into Cook Inlet. Read more. |
Alaska - NOAA Issues Interpretive Rule to Clarify Charter Halibut Limited Access Program |
| Charter halibut guides operating in Southeast Alaska (Area 2C) and the Central Gulf of Alaska (Area 3A) will not be required to have a charter halibut permit on board during a recreational halibut fishing trip if the guide is not being compensated to provide sport fishing assistance to the anglers on board. With the publication of the interpretive rule, a charter halibut permit is only required to be on board a vessel in Area 2C and Area 3A if both of the following conditions are met: (1) one or more persons on board are catching and retaining halibut, and (2) a guide on board the vessel is receiving compensation to provide sport fishing guide services. Read more. |
Alaska – NOAA Proposes to Amend Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program; Comments due April 27 |
| NOAA Fisheries is proposing regulations to implement Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs. Amendment 34 would amend the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Crab Rationalization Program to exempt additional recipients of crab quota share from Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod and pollock harvest limits, called sideboards, which apply to some vessels and license limitation program licenses that are used to participate in these fisheries. This action is necessary to give these recipients an opportunity to participate in the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod and pollock fisheries at historical levels. Public comments on Amendment 34 must be received no later than April 27, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
Northwest – NOAA Issues Vessel Regulations to Protect Puget Sound Killer Whales |
| NOAA Fisheries recently issued new rules on vessel traffic, aimed at protecting Southern Resident killer whales in Washington’s Puget Sound. These charismatic marine mammals, popular with tourists, whale-watch operators and the general public, were added to the Endangered Species list in late 2005. Scientists have identified the major threats facing the population as a shortage of its preferred prey of Chinook salmon, disturbance from vessels, and water pollution. The new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the vessel in its path. This doubles the current approach distance of 100 yards. The rules go into effect in early May and apply to all types of boats, including motor boats, sail boats and kayaks, in Washington’s inland waters. Exemptions to the rules for safety include vessels actively fishing commercially, cargo vessels traveling in established shipping lanes, and government and research vessels. Read more. |
Northwest - West Coast Whiting Fishermen Form Fleet-wide Co-op |
| In a move likely to substantially increase the economic efficiency of the West Coast’s offshore mothership whiting fishery, all 36 catcher vessels in that fleet have formed a cooperative to pool their federally allocated shares of whiting. The creation of the mothership whiting co-op is endorsed by NOAA Fisheries, which this year put into place a catch-shares system that changes how certain West Coast fish harvests, including whiting, are managed. The new system can benefit both fish and fishermen, and can lead to economic efficiencies difficult to obtain under traditional management schemes. The mothership cooperative would not have been possible under a traditional management system. Read more. |
Southwest - Northbound Gray Whale Calf Production Survey Begins |
| Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) Protected Resources Division scientists are currently conducting an annual survey of calf production in the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population. The newborn calves and their mothers are migrating northward close to the California shore line. They are leaving the warm breeding grounds of Baja, Mexico and moving to Arctic feeding grounds. Learn more and keep track of the number of mom and calf pairs along with SWFSC scientists. |
Pacific Islands - NOAA Proposes to Prohibit Purse Seine Fishing in the U.S. EEZ Around Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and Prohibit Longline Fishing Within 30 nm of the Northern Mariana Islands; Comments Due May 16 |
| NOAA Fisheries proposes to prohibit purse seine fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and to prohibit pelagic longline fishing within 30 nautical miles (nm) of the CNMI. Prohibiting purse seining is intended to reduce the potential for localized fish depletion by purse seine fishing, limit catch competition and gear conflicts between the purse seine fishery and the Guam and CNMI pelagic longline and trolling fleets, and reduce the potential impacts of purse seine fishing on the recruitment of juvenile bigeye tuna. By prohibiting longline fishing around the CNMI, NOAA Fisheries intends to reduce the potential for localized fish depletion by longline fishing, and to limit catch competition and gear conflicts between the developing CNMI longline fishery and the CNMI pelagic trolling fleet. This rule also would make several administrative clarifications to the pelagic fishing regulations. Public comments on the proposed rule are due May 16, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
Pacific Islands – NOAA Proposes to Prohibit Purse Seining Around American Samoa; Comments Due June 6 |
| The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council is proposing to amend the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, Amendment 3 would prohibit purse seine fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone within 75 nautical miles of shore around American Samoa. The proposed action is intended to reduce catch competition between purse seine vessels and local trolling and longline fleets due to possible localized stock depletion by purse seine fishing, and to minimize gear conflicts between the local longline fleet and domestic purse seine vessels. Public comments on the proposed action are due June 6, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Schedules Public Hearings for Federal Mackerel, Cobia and Spiny Lobster Fisheries April 11-20
Federal fishery managers are soliciting public input on measures proposed for species managed jointly by the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Councils, including king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia. Measures are also being proposed for the lobster fishery, also managed jointly. Annual Catch Limits (in pounds or numbers of fish) and accountability measures must be set for these species by the end of 2011, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act to prevent overfishing. The measures will impact both commercial and recreational fishermen who fish in federal waters along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico.Public hearings for the amendments will take place from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (see dates and locations below). Council staff will provide an overview of each amendment and be on hand to answer questions. Local Council representatives will take formal comments on the public hearing documents any time between those hours.
Monday, April 11
Hilton New Bern Riverfront
100 Middle Street
New Bern, NC 28562
Phone: 252/638-3585
Tuesday, April 12
Hilton Garden Inn
5265 International Blvd.
N. Charleston, SC 29418
Phone: 843/308-9330
Wednesday, April 13
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, GA 31322
Phone: 912/748-8888
Thursday, April 14
Crowne Plaza Riverfront
1201 Riverplace Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: 904/398-8800
Monday, April 18
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Blvd.
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Phone: 321/784-0000
*Tuesday, April 19
Hawks Cay Resort
61 Hawks Cay Blvd.
Duck Key, FL 33050
Phone: 305/743-7000
*Wednesday, April 20
Doubletree Grand Key
3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd.
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: 305/293-1818
*Denotes joint hearing with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is also accepting written and email comments until 5:00 p.m. on April 29, 2011. Copies of the public hearing documents with details on how to submit written comments will be posted on the Council’s web site and available by contacting the Council office at 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10. Read more.
NOAA Announces Additional Public Hearings for the Proposed Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quotas and Atlantic Tuna Fisheries Management Measures on April 25 and 26
NOAA Fisheries will hold two additional public hearings for the proposed rule regarding Atlantic bluefin tuna quotas and Atlantic tuna fisheries management measures. These public hearings have been added to provide additional opportunities for the public and other interested parties to comment on the proposed rule. The additional public hearings will be held:• April 25, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m., Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland; ME
• April 26, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m., Seaport Inn and Marina, 110 Middle Street, Fairhaven, MA
Comments are due April 28, 2011. Comments (identified by "0648-BA65") can be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal; by fax: 978-281-9340, Attn: Sarah McLaughlin; or by mail: Sarah McLaughlin, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, NMFS, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Read more.
NOAA Announces Workshops on Protected Species Release, Disentanglement, and Identification and Atlantic Shark Identification in April, May, and June 2011
NOAA Fisheries announces Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops to be held in April, May, and June of 2011. Click here for further information regarding workshop requirements or contact Rick Pearson, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, (727) 824-5399.WWF Announces 2011 International Smart Gear Design Competition to Reduce Fisheries Bycatch; Open March 1 – August 31
The World Wildlife Fund recently launched the 2011 International Smart Gear Competition, to find innovative ways to reduce the amount of fisheries bycatch. NOAA, Fondation Segré, ISSF, and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans are supporting the 2011 competition. Open to anyone from fisherman, backyard inventors and students, the competition will be open from March 1 to August 31, 2011. The 2011 International Smart Gear Competition is offering a grand prize of $30,000 and two $10,000 runner-up prizes. Additionally, in partnership with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, the competition is offering a $7,500 special tuna prize that will be awarded to the idea that will reduce the amount of bycatch found in tuna fisheries. Tuna sustainability is the top WWF global fisheries conservation priority.Northwest Fisheries Science Center Issues Highlights 2010 Newsletter and Annual Priorities 2011 Brochure
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center has issued their annual newsletter, Highlights, to showcase the Center’s notable accomplishments of the past year to partners and the public. This year the Center is also introducing 2011 Annual Priorities, a forward-looking document describing their areas of emphasis and what they plan to accomplish in these areas in 2011.FEDERAL REGISTER ACTIONS
For a list of only those actions open for public comment, go 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
http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments
No comments:
Post a Comment