FishNews June 6, 2011

WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

National – 30-day comment period on National Ocean Policy Strategic Plans underway

On June 2, 2011, the National Ocean Council announced that the public will have 30 days to comment on the strategic action plan outlines for each of the nine objectives in the National Ocean Policy. Writing teams composed of representatives from the National Ocean Council agencies developed these outlines to provide an initial view as to how federal agencies might address the priority objectives. They are preliminary documents that serve as an early and valuable point in the plan development process for focusing public and stakeholder input. The deadline for public comments is July 2, 2011. In addition to the online comment period, the council is sponsoring regional listening sessions at various locations around the country. Read more

National - Endangered species listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna not warranted

After an extensive scientific review, NOAA recently announced that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant protection as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. However, NOAA formally designated both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna as "species of concern" under the ESA. This places the species on a watchlist for concerns about its status and threats to the species. NOAA also committed to revisit its decision by early 2013, when more information will be available about the effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, as well as a new stock assessment from the scientific arm of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body charged with the fish's management and conservation. Read more

National - NOAA Fisheries encourages fishermen to release shortfin mako sharks alive

NOAA Fisheries recently launched a voluntary program to encourage commercial and recreational fishermen to safely release Atlantic shortfin mako sharks alive and report the releases to NOAA for posting on an online map. The new program is designed to encourage the conservation of North Atlantic shortfin mako sharks. Scientific research shows many of these sharks are being caught and kept, damaging the long-term sustainability of the population. The most recent assessment of North Atlantic shortfin makos found that the population had declined about 50 percent from the 1950s. NOAA encourages fishermen to learn how to safely release sharks so that they are not injured and the sharks are released in good condition. Fishermen may obtain a brochure on the safe release of sharks and other highly migratory species online. Read more

Northeast - NOAA issues emergency action to prevent opening of scallop area to protect resource

At the request of the New England Fishery Management Council and members of the scallop industry, NOAA will not reopen the Nantucket Lightship Access Area to scallop fishing, as had been scheduled for June 15. "We urged both the council and NOAA to keep this area closed because the high price of scallops may make fishing in this area more attractive than anyone expected and we don't want to risk exceeding our catch limits for the fishery or compromise the effectiveness of the rotational management program," said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney with the Fisheries Survival Fund, who represents sea scallop fishermen. Rotational management, where some areas are opened to fishing while others are closed to allow scallops to mature and grow to marketable size, promotes higher catches with less fishing time in the areas that are open. Rotational management has helped make the scallop fishery one of the top valued fisheries in the nation and made New Bedford, Mass., the nation's top earning port. Read more

Southeast – NOAA Fisheries finds threatened or endangered species listing for goliath grouper not warranted

NOAA Fisheries recently announced a 90-day finding on a petition to list goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The petition did not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. Accordingly, NOAA Fisheries will not initiate a status review of the species at this time. Read more

Northwest - NOAA Fisheries approves Puget Sound Chinook Harvest Management Plan

NOAA Fisheries has signed a biological opinion approving a plan that describes how the State of Washington and its Puget Sound Indian Tribes will conduct the harvest of Puget Sound Chinook. These fish have been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act since early 1999. The harvest plan is designed to allow a limited catch of Chinook, while providing sufficient opportunity for the population to recover. The biological opinion also considers the effect fishing has on Southern Resident killer whales. Read more

Southwest/Pacific Islands – NOAA Fisheries determines Pacific bluefin tuna is now subject to overfishing

NOAA Fisheries, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, has determined that Pacific bluefin tuna, (Thunnus orientalis) which is jointly managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, is subject to overfishing. NOAA Fisheries notifies the appropriate fishery management council whenever it determines that overfishing is occurring, a stock is in an overfished condition, or a stock is approaching an overfished condition. Read more

Pacific Islands – NOAA proposes to revise critical habitat for Hawaiian monk seal, seeks public comment through August 31

NOAA Fisheries proposes to revise the critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) by extending the current designation in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands out to the 500-meter depth contour and including Sand Island at Midway Islands; and by designating six new areas in the main Hawaiian Islands. Specific areas proposed for the main Hawaiian Islands include terrestrial and marine habitat from 5 meters inland from the shoreline extending seaward to the 500-meter depth contour around: Kaula Island, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui Nui (including Kahoolawe, Lanai, Maui, and Molokai), and Hawaii (except those areas that have been identified as not included in the designation). NOAA Fisheries is soliciting comments on all aspects of the proposal, including information on the economic, national security, and other relevant impacts, and will consider additional information received prior to making a final designation. Comments must be received by August 31. Read more or submit a comment

---

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

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, Under Secretary 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).

NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Releases Biennial Report to Congress

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office sent its Biennial Report for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to Congress in early May 2011. The report highlights many of the office's programs and projects, including recent actions in support of implementing the President's Executive Order on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. Read more

Chesapeake Bay Program to Hold Public Meeting on Latest Draft Blue Crab Stock Assessment, June 7-8

The Chesapeake Bay Program's Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team will hold a semiannual meeting at Stratford Hall in Stratford, Va., to discuss the draft of blue crab stock assessment. The meeting is open to the public either in person or via phone/webinar. Agenda topics include discussion of a draft of the blue crab stock assessment, which when finalized later this summer will provide detailed info about the health of the population that may be used to revise fishery management guidelines. Policies about blue catfish and oyster restoration metrics will be discussed. Read more

NOAA to Hold Public Meetings Prior to the International Whaling Commission's 63rd Annual Meeting, June 14 and June 27

NOAA will hold public meetings prior to the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting to discuss the tentative U.S. positions for the upcoming IWC meeting. Because the meeting discusses U.S. positions, the substance of the meeting must be kept confidential. Any U.S. citizen with an identifiable interest in U.S. whale conservation policy may participate, but NOAA reserves the authority to inquire about the interests of any person who appears at a meeting and to determine the appropriateness of that person's participation. Persons who represent foreign interests may not attend. These stringent measures are necessary to protect the confidentiality of U.S. negotiating positions and are a necessary basis for the relatively open process of preparing for IWC meetings. The public meetings will be held on:
     • June 14 at noon at Anchorage Federal Building Conference Room B, 222 West 8th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513
     • June 27 at noon in the NOAA Auditorium, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Read more

NOAA to Hold Several Public Meetings on Revising National Standard 10 Guidelines in June and July

On April 21, 2011, NOAA Fisheries published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to request public comment on potential revisions to the National Standard 10 Guidelines. In June and July, NOAA Fisheries will hold several meetings where presentations will be given on National Standard 10. The public will be allowed to comment at the meetings. Dates and locations of the meetings are below:
     • June 10, 2011: 1-1:45 pm, Marriott Beachside Hotel, Key West, Florida
     • June 16, 2011: 9-10 am, Danfords Hotel & Marina, Port Jefferson, New York
     • June 21, 2011: afternoon session, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland, Maine
     • July 19, 2011: 10 am – noon, Swedish Cultural Center, Seattle, Washington
Read more

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 towards 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: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/cmsp-workshop

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 at www.doi.gov/live.

NOAA Seeks Nominations for Advisory Panel and Joint Management Committee on Pacific Whiting; Due June 30

NOAA Fisheries is soliciting nominations for the Advisory Panel and the Joint Management Committee on Pacific Whiting called for in the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada on Pacific Hake/Whiting. NOAA seeks nominations for at least 6, but not more than 12, individuals on the Advisory Panel and 1 individual on the Joint Management Committee to serve as United States representatives. Nominations must be received by June 30. You may submit nominations via:
     • E-mail: whiting.nominations.nwr@noaa.gov Include 0648-XA451 in the subject line of the message.
     • Fax: 206-526-6736, Attn: Frank Lockhart.
     • Mail: William W. Stelle, Jr., Regional Administrator, Northwest Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE., Seattle, WA 98115-0070.
Read more

NOAA Now Accepting 2011 Nominations for Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award; Due July 1, 2011

NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation is soliciting nominations for the 2011 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award, honoring excellence in habitat conservation in the marine environment. Established in May 1997, this annual award honors a commitment of excellence in service to habitat conservation in the marine environment. The first award was presented to Dr. Nancy Foster in 1997 for her outstanding long-term contributions and organizational efforts to protect, conserve, and restore coastal and marine habitats. Nominations for the 2011 award are due July 1, 2011. Visit www.habitat.noaa.gov for details.

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 fishermen, 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 (ISSF), 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



http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments