FishNews May 23, 2011

WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

International - International conservation and management measures recognized by the United States

The High Sea Fishing Compliance Act requires the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to publish from time to time in the Federal Register a list of international conservation and management measures recognized by the United States. A recently published notice provides an updated list of the agreements from which such measures are derived. The High Sea Fishing Compliance Act and its implementing regulations prohibit the use of a fishing vessel on the high seas in contravention of international conservation and management measures, as well as specify the permitting and vessel identification requirements for fishing vessels of the United States operating on the high seas. Read more

International - U.S. and China agree to increase cooperation in greenhouse gas observing and fisheries and ocean management

As a result of the third U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meeting held May 9–10 in Washington, D.C., the two countries agreed to establish regular bilateral fisheries consultations that will focus on conserving and managing marine living resources, expanding current efforts in high-seas fisheries enforcement and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. These consultations will improve cooperation between the two nations on a variety of important issues including preventing IUU fish and fish products from entering international markets, collecting data on species of particular concern in order to ensure their sustainable management and conservation, and preventing illegal or unintended take of sea turtles and other protected marine species. The United States and China also agreed to build upon existing agreements to formulate the U.S.-China 2011–2015 Framework Plan for Ocean and Fishery Science and Technology Cooperation. This framework would guide the future cooperation between China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and NOAA and promote further development of a U.S.-China large-scale multidisciplinary joint program for the Indian and Southern Oceans in the near future. This joint program will be focused on increasing our understanding of the role of the oceans in climate variability and change and support management needs. The two countries further agreed to enhance cooperation on greenhouse gas observing in China as well. Read more

National – NOAA celebrates Endangered Species Day – May 20, 2011

On May 20, 2011, NOAA celebrated "Endangered Species Day." Held the 3rd Friday in May every year, Endangered Species Day recognizes and encourages national conservation efforts to save our endangered species and their habitats. Endangered Species Day is a call to everyone with a shared interest in conserving endangered species to collaborate and promote awareness. Check out NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources Endangered Species Day site.

National - Commerce Secretary Gary Locke orders fishery enforcement penalties returned to 11 fishermen and businesses; accepts all of the Special Master's recommendations in his authority

On May 17, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced that $649,527 in fisheries enforcement penalties will be returned to 11 individuals or businesses after an independent review of their cases concluded the NOAA enforcement program had in some instances "overstepped the bounds of propriety and fairness." In his decision memo, Secretary Locke acted on 30 cases reviewed by the Special Master, Judge Charles Swartwood III, accepting all of his recommendations that the law allows and taking additional actions in several cases. Secretary Locke appointed Judge Swartwood to conduct the independent review of cases identified by the Department of Commerce's Inspector General as problematic. The individuals and businesses will receive their remittances within 30 days of receipt of payment information. Read more

National – Marine Mammal Program wins prestigious award

The International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine has awarded NOAA Fisheries' Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program with its 2011 Award for Excellence, The Mark Keyes Award for Marine Mammal Conservation. The award recognizes the collaborative partnership between NOAA and the numerous organizations that participate in the stranding network, and gives a special nod to NOAA's veterinarians Dr. Teri Rowles and Dr. Janet Whaley for their role in developing the program into "the gold standard around the world elevating science, pathology, medicine and environmental health to the forefront." Read more

National – Documenting progress made since Recreational Fisheries Summit

One year ago, NOAA Fisheries hosted a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit and committed to taking action on issues of concern to the recreational fishing community. A new report, Recreational Fisheries at NOAA: A Growing Legacy, details the Agency's actions and accomplishments in responding to the feedback collected at the Summit. A video message from Assistant Administrator Eric Schwaab and the report are both available for download.

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.

Northeast - Northeast groundfish vessel overall revenues up under new fishing rules

Under a new fisheries management program effective since last May, revenues increased for the Northeast groundfishery during the first nine months of the 2010 fishing year compared to same period in 2009. Higher average prices for all species account for the increased revenues. These are among the findings in an interim report released today by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Researchers looked at gross revenues, fishing effort, average vessel performance, distribution of revenues, and employment for the first nine months of the 2007 through 2010 fishing years. Researchers cautioned that it is too early to determine how new management measures affected individual groundfish businesses and communities. The analysis did not consider costs of fishing, but an annual report on the fishery to be issued in the fall will do so, and provide more information on profitability in the fishery during the 2010 fishing year. Read more

Northeast – Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council submits several amendments implementing annual catch limits and accountability measures for review, seeks public comment through July 22

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has submitted an omnibus amendment containing the following amendments to implement annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) for Council managed resources: Amendment 13 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squids, and Butterfish FMP; Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Bluefish FMP; Amendment 2 to the Spiny Dogfish FMP; Amendment 15 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP; Amendment 16 to the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog FMP, and Amendment 3 to the Tilefish FMP. These amendments have been submitted for review by the Secretary of Commerce for conformance with the FMPs, FMP amendments, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable laws. In turn, as part of the Secretarial review process, NOAA Fisheries is requesting comments on the Omnibus Amendment from the public. Comments are due July 22. Read more or submit a comment.

Southeast - Scientists to observe Gulf menhaden fishery for bycatch impacts

This month, NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center began placing scientists on the Gulf of Mexico's menhaden fishing vessels to collect catch data and record bycatch of sea turtles and marine mammals that could interact with the fishery. It's the latest in a series of new science collection efforts led by the region's Fisheries Observers Program. With the large menhaden fishery playing such a vital role in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA Fisheries was interested in how fishing for menhaden may impact other marine life, particularly dolphins and sea turtles. It's been a while since the fishery was observed, but the general perception is that purse seine fishing of menhaden in the Gulf results in very little bycatch. By observing fishing activities through this new effort, the agency will be able to clarify this theory. Read more

Alaska - Science behind the success: NOAA conducts Gulf of Alaska bottom trawl survey

Alaska fisheries are known worldwide for being healthy, sustainable, and among the best-managed fisheries on the planet. Demand for Alaskan seafood brings in billions of dollars in revenue, and provides thousands of jobs. One reason for that success is the science that goes into groundfish and invertebrate stock assessments in Alaska. To gather data for stock assessments in the Gulf of Alaska, NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center researchers conduct a bottom trawl groundfish survey of the continental shelf and upper continental slope of the Gulf of Alaska every other year. For the 12th biennial survey, NOAA scientists have chartered the fishing vessels Ocean Explorer and Sea Storm. Each of the vessels is identified with clearly visible 'NOAA Research' or 'US Research' signs posted on either side of the vessel's superstructure, indicating that it is permitted specifically for scientific surveys. The vessels embarked from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on May 18, and began sampling operations near the Islands of Four Mountains, about 180 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor. Sampling will continue as the vessels move eastward along the continental shelf and slope to the U.S.-Canada border near Dixon Entrance. The cruise will last about 90 days – both vessels will complete their charters and offload in Ketchikan between August 10 and 15. Once the survey is complete, scientists finalize the data they collected on fishing effort, catch rates, and biological characteristics of the fish populations and generate fishery-independent estimates of geographic and depth distribution, abundance, and population size and age composition by the end of September. Stock assessment modelers will then combine that information with data from the fishery and results of previous surveys to update the stock assessments produced annually for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to manage the groundfish stocks of the Gulf of Alaska. Read more

Alaska – NOAA proposes fishing capacity reduction program and fee system for southeast Alaska purse seine salmon fishery, seeks public comment through June 22

NOAA Fisheries is proposing to implement a fishing capacity reduction program and an industry fee system to repay a $23.5 million loan for the Southeast Alaska Purse Seine Salmon Fishery (Reduction Fishery). The fee system involves future landings of the Reduction Fishery. This action's intent is to permanently reduce the most fishing capacity at the least cost and establish the fee system. Public comments on the proposal will be accepted through June 22. Read more or submit a comment

Northwest - NOAA proposes special designation for reintroduced steelhead salmon in Oregon's Deschutes River, seeks public comment through July 18

NOAA Fisheries recently proposed designating a population of hatchery-raised steelhead salmon in Oregon's Deschutes River as "experimental," which would provide legal protection to anyone who harmed the fish while otherwise acting lawfully. The agency is seeking public comment on the proposal, the first such designation for any introduced run of salmon. Comments are due July 18. Read more or submit a comment.

Northwest - Wash. and Ore. authorized to remove salmon-eating Calif. sea lions

On May 13, 2011, NOAA Fisheries authorized the states of Washington and Oregon to lethally remove specific California sea lions that congregate 140 miles from the Pacific Ocean just below the Columbia River's Bonneville Dam to eat thousands of adult salmon and steelhead swimming upriver to spawn. Some of the salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered. Like all marine mammals in U.S. waters, California sea lions are protected by federal law, but there are provisions in the Marine Mammal Protection Act that allow this authorization. The California sea lion population on the West Coast is considered healthy and stable, and estimated to be a robust 238,000. Columbia Basin Chinook salmon and steelhead, on the other hand, have been listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act since the early 1990s, when their populations were perilously low. In recent years, adults have been returning in better numbers, thanks in part to favorable ocean conditions and improvements to habitat and to the operations of the hydropower dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The agency said for salmon to recover it was crucial to make advances -- even incremental ones -- across the broadest possible range of activities that affect their survival, including control of predators like birds, sea lions and pike minnows. Read more

Southwest - 'Working on Thin Ice: 25 Years of Research in Antarctica' opens at the San Diego Natural History Museum

A brand-new exhibit celebrating 25 years of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research in the most extreme of continents is now open at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Photographs spanning the history of the U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resources (U.S. AMLR) Program's—of scientists at work, the critters they study and the gear they've used—will be on display along with retired research gear, actual Antarctic specimens, and survival suits. Working on Thin Ice: 25 Years of Research in Antarctica runs from May 14, 2011 through April 15, 2012, and is included with museum admission. Read more

Southwest - New paper links Antarctic penguin population decline to krill population variability

Researchers at NOAA's Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division recently published a paper linking the decline in some species of Antarctic penguins to the availability of their main prey species, Antarctic krill. Since its release, this research has been covered by many periodicals, including National Geographic and Nature. The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is titled, "Variability in krill biomass links harvesting and climate warming to penguin population changes in Antarctica." For more information, please contact Dr. Wayne Trivelpiece.

Pacific Islands - Western Pacific Fishery Management Council proposes to modify gear in the American Samoa longline fishery to reduce turtle interactions, seeks public comment through July 22

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 5 would establish gear configuration requirements for the U.S. pelagic longline fishery based in American Samoa. The proposed action is intended to reduce interactions between the fishery and Pacific green sea turtles, which will enable American Samoa longline fishing vessels to continue operations while providing for the long-term survival, recovery, and sustainability of Pacific green sea turtle populations. The Council is seeking public comment on the proposed amendment through July 22. Read more or submit a comment.

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EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

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.

NOAA Law Enforcement to Hold Public Meetings on 2011 Charter Halibut Regulations May 3-May 25

Fishing season is upon us! Do you have questions about the 2011 charter halibut management measures or other fishing regulations? Officers from NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement will hold public outreach meetings in several Southeast Alaska communities next month to discuss 2011 charter halibut fishing regulations and answer any questions from concerned parties. Click here for the schedule of meetings and other information.

Smithsonian Hosts Panel "The Gulf and Its Seafood - One Year Later" on June 9, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Institution will host an informal panel discussion focusing on the Gulf region a year after the oil spill. Environmental activist and actor Ted Danson, a founding board member of Oceana; Donald Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences and panel member of the National Commission on the BP Deep Water Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling; Lucina Lampila, Associate Professor, Specialist, Food Science, Louisiana State University; Patrick F. Riley, Western Seafood Company, member of the Executive Committee for the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition; and Mike Voisin, Motivatit Seafood, Inc., Chairman of the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition, will discuss the state of the fisheries and marine ecosystem in the Gulf, the impact of the spill on seafood, and the long-term questions that remain for science to explore. The conversation is introduced and moderated by Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The panel, which begins at 6:45 pm, will be followed by a Wine & Dine Seafood Reception from 8:15 to 10 pm featuring a wide variety of sustainable seafood dishes created by some of Washington's and the Gulf states' finest chefs. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets ($80 for members, $95 general admission).

National Ocean Council Hosts Public and Stakeholder Session of the National Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Workshop on June 21, Washington, D.C.

The National Ocean Council invites the public and stakeholders to join council members and Federal, Tribal, and State representatives in a public session on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) in Washington, DC on June 21, 2011. Gathering public feedback through this workshop is a critical step toward implementing a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (National Ocean Policy), as established by Executive Order under President Obama. To engage the public in implementing CMSP in the United States, workshop participants will learn about CMSP and help shape how it can be used to help harmonize the often competing uses of these waters, such as national security, energy and economic security, and conservation. This national session will be followed by additional opportunities or public engagement through future regional workshops.

This public session will take place on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, in the Yates Auditorium at the U.S. Department of the Interior, located at 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC. Space is limited. To attend, interested parties should register by clicking here.

For those who cannot attend the session in person or if interest exceeds capacity, it will also be available to the public through a live webcast on June 21, 2011.

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.

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

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