FishNews - January 9, 2012

WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

National - Schwaab: Catch Limit Milestone Now within Reach

Five years ago this week the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act reauthorization was signed into law, requiring all federal fisheries to be managed under annual catch limits and enforced through accountability measures by the end of 2011. Since then, NOAA Fisheries, fishermen, the regional fishery management councils, NOAA's partner organizations, the science community and many others have been actively engaged and dedicated to achieving this goal. Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, now reports that all federal fisheries will have catch limits in place in time for the 2012 fishing season. Schwaab notes, "Reaching this milestone represents a historic achievement and I want to particularly recognize the tremendous amount of effort and sacrifice on the part of our nation's fishermen and fishing communities to get us here. Catch limits and accountability measures to rebuild stocks and ensure sustainable fisheries represent a collective investment in the future of fishing. And while these benefits will accrue for generations to come, in many cases they do require short-term cost. In addition to fishermen around the country, our eight Regional Fishery Management Councils deserve special recognition. Finally, the men and women of NOAA must also be recognized for their unflagging commitment to this effort and hard work in helping the nation turn the corner in our efforts to end overfishing and rebuild stocks. Read more

National - Changes in Leadership at NOAA and NOAA Fisheries

On January 5, 2012, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco announced that Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, will serve as NOAA's acting assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management, a position left vacant by the departure of Dr. Larry Robinson in November 2011. Schwaab's official start date is January 17. The assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management drives policy and program direction for NOAA's stewardship responsibilities, including ocean resource management, coastal management, and protected resources. With Schwaab assuming this new NOAA role, Sam Rauch, currently NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs, will serve as acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. Read Dr. Lubchenco's statement on the leadership changes.

National - Marine Mammal Deaths Classified as 'Unusual Mortality Events' by Researchers

A high numbers of seal deaths in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and the Arctic have been named "unusual mortality events" or UMEs by the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events, a diverse panel of experts including scientific and academic institutions, conservation organizations, and state and federal agencies established under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. A UME declaration launches a scientific investigation to pinpoint the cause(s) of the deaths and determine whether or not these animals pose a risk to humans who come in contact with them. For scientists, closely examining and understanding these mortalities is a key link to monitoring ocean health, which has a significant impact on public health and wildlife. NOAA Fisheries and the Working Group continue the investigation of the cause(s) for the on-going bottlenose dolphin UME in the Northern Gulf of Mexico that began in February 2010. Read more

Northeast – NOAA Seeks Public Comment on New Regulations for the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery; Comments due Jan. 18

NOAA Fisheries proposes to approve and implement regulations through Framework Adjustment 23 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. Framework Adjustment 23 includes measures to:      • Minimize impacts on sea turtles through the requirement of a turtle deflector dredge;      • Improve the effectiveness of the scallop fishery's accountability measures related to the yellowtail flounder annual catch limits;      • Adjust the limited access general category Northern Gulf of Maine management program; and      • Modify the scallop vessel monitoring system trip notification procedures to improve flexibility for the scallop fleet. Comments must be received by 5 p.m., EST, on January 18, 2012. Read more or submit a comment.

Northeast – NOAA Proposes Regulations to Define and Facilitate Effective Operation of State-Operated Permit Banks; Seeks Public Comment through Jan. 23

NOAA Fisheries is proposing to implement measures in Amendment 17 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. This action would amend the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to explicitly define and facilitate the effective operation of state-operated permit banks. As proposed in Amendment 17, state-operated permit banks would be allocated an annual catch entitlement and specifically authorized to provide their annual catch entitlement and/or days-at-sea to approved groundfish sectors for the purpose of enhancing the fishing opportunities available to sector members. This action also includes a provision that would allow NOAA Fisheries to issue a days-at-sea credit to a vessel that cancels a fishing trip prior to setting or hauling fishing gear and the vessel, therefore, does not catch or land fish at any time on the trip. Read more or submit a comment.

Northeast – NOAA Extends Public Comment Period Deadline for River Herring from Jan. 3 to Feb. 3, 2012

NOAA is extending the public comment period deadline for river herring from January 3 to February 3, 2012 to provide more time for the public to submit information on alewife and blueback herring. This information will be used to help inform the review, which will be conducted over the next several months, as to whether listing of these species are warranted under the Endangered Species Act. Read more

Northeast – NOAA Proposes Mechanism to Specify Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures for the Small-Mesh Multispecies Fishery; Comments due Feb. 21

NOAA Fisheries is proposing a Secretarial Amendment to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to establish a mechanism for specifying annual catch limits and accountability measures for the small-mesh multispecies fishery. NOAA Fisheries is proposing this amendment because the New England Fishery Management Council has been delayed in implementing the mechanism to specify annual catch limits and accountability measures for the silver hake, red hake, and offshore hake stocks. This amendment is intended to comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requirements for establishing a mechanism for specifying annual catch limits and accountability measures in this fishery. Read more or submit a comment.

Northeast – New England Fishery Management Council Announces Intent to Assess Potential Effects on the Human Environment of Alternative Management and Conservation Measures for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Comments due March 1

In cooperation with NOAA Fisheries, the New England Fishery Management Council will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement assessing potential effects of alternative measures to address management and conservation measures for the Northeast multispecies fishery on the human environment. This assessment is necessary to provide analytical support for an amendment to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan examining potential rules to reduce the likelihood that groundfish permit holders will acquire or control excessive shares of fishing privileges in the fishery and that over-consolidation will occur within the fleet. This notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process, the development of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and to provide for public participation in that process. Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on March 1, 2012. Eleven public scoping meetings will be held during this comment period. Click here for more information.

Mid-Atlantic - Chesapeake's Blue Crab Population Supports Healthy Fishery

According to the 2011 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report, Chesapeake Bay blue crabs are continuing to show signs of rebounding even though this year's numbers dropped compared to last year's, and currently support a healthy commercial and recreational fishery. The report recommends continued work to sustain robust crab populations over the long term, with a particular focus on protecting female crabs. Read more

Southeast - NOAA Seeks Comments on an Amended Proposed Rule to Change the Wreckfish Annual Catch Limit to 235,000 Pounds Whole Weight in the South Atlantic; Comments due Jan. 17

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on an amended proposed rule to modify the proposed rule for the Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment. The original proposed rule contains a provision to specify the annual catch limit for wreckfish equal to the acceptable biological catch. This equates to an annual catch limit of 250,000 pounds whole weight. The commercial and recreational annual catch limits would equal 237,500 and 12,500 pounds whole weight, respectively. (Note that this annual catch limit is not currently in place). The amended proposed rule would change the annual catch limit value to 235,000 pounds whole weight and also change the commercial and recreational annual catch limits to 223,250 and 11,750 pounds whole weight, respectively. The annual catch limit would be revised because the acceptable biological catch specification for wreckfish was changed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee at their November 2011 meeting based upon a new analysis of the wreckfish population. Read more or submit a comment.

Southeast - NOAA Seeks Comments on a Proposed Rule to Eliminate the 240-Foot (40-Fathom) Snapper-Grouper Area Closure in the South Atlantic; Comments due Jan. 19

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule (Regulatory Amendment 11) that would eliminate the 240-foot (40-fathom) closure previously approved in Amendment 17B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The 240-foot (40-fathom) closure prohibited the possession of six deepwater snapper-grouper species (snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper, and silk snapper) in or from federal waters of the South Atlantic in depths greater than 240-feet (40-fathoms). The purpose of the closure was to reduce discards of speckled hind and warsaw grouper. However, recent data analyses suggest speckled hind and warsaw grouper rarely co-occur with snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper, or silk snapper. Removing the closure through Regulatory Amendment 11 would reduce the socio-economic effects expected from the closure while maintaining the biological protection to speckled hind and warsaw grouper in the South Atlantic. The decision to eliminate the closure would not affect the prohibition on harvest and possession of speckled hind and warsaw grouper in the South Atlantic. It remains unlawful to harvest or possess speckled hind and warsaw grouper. Read more or submit a comment.

Southeast - NOAA Awards Research Grant to Help Prevent Toxin-induced Seafood Poisoning in Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

NOAA has awarded the first year of an anticipated five-year, $4 million grant to scientists researching the causes of Ciguatera fish poisoning, the most common form of algal toxin-induced seafood poisoning in the world, focusing on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Ciguatera affects tens of thousands of people annually, but the occurrence has been impossible to predict and manage. The research project could lead to better predictions of ciguatera outbreaks. Read more

Alaska - NOAA Seeks Comment on Proposed 2012 and 2013 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands through Jan. 26

NOAA Fisheries proposes 2012 and 2013 harvest specifications, apportionments, and prohibited species catch allowances for the groundfish fisheries of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area. This action will establish harvest limits for groundfish during the 2012 and 2013 fishing years to conserve and manage the groundfish resources in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Read more or submit a comment.

Alaska - NOAA Seeks Comment on Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Arctic Oil and Gas Exploration; Comments due Feb. 13

NOAA is seeking public comment on a draft environmental impact statement describing how offshore oil and gas activities in the U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi seas could affect marine mammals and the Alaska Native communities that depend on them for subsistence. The document also examines measures to lessen potential effects. NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will travel to eight North Slope communities to hold public hearings in late January and February on the draft environmental impact statement. The times and building locations of the public hearings will be announced early in 2012 in the Federal Register and through a public notice. After receiving public comments during the 45-day comment period and from the public hearings, NOAA will finalize the environmental impact statement in 2012. It will then be used to guide decisions by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management about permitting of oil and gas exploration and by NOAA about incidental take authorizations that allow unintentional take of small numbers of marine mammals. Read more or submit a comment.

Northwest/Southwest – NOAA Scientists Find Phototoxic Effect in Pacific Herring Following 2007 Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay

In a study published in December 2011 in the scientific journal PNAS, NOAA scientists and their collaborators reported Pacific herring embryos in shallow waters died in unexpectedly high numbers following an oil spill in San Francisco Bay, and suggest an interaction between sunlight and the chemicals in oil might be responsible. Read more

Northwest/Southwest – NOAA Seeks Public Comment on Draft Recovery Plan for Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon; Comments due March 5

NOAA Fisheries releases for public review the draft Recovery Plan for the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU). NOAA Fisheries is soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested parties on the plan, and will consider all substantive comments received during the review period before submitting the plan for final approval. In addition, NOAA Fisheries will announce public meetings as opportunities for providing comments on the Draft Plan (dates to be determined). Read more or submit a comment.

Pacific Islands – NOAA Proposes 2012 Annual Catch Limits for Western Pacific Fisheries; Seeks Comment through Jan. 18

NOAA Fisheries proposes annual catch limits for western Pacific bottomfish, crustacean, precious coral, and coral reef ecosystem fisheries, and accountability measures to correct or mitigate any overages of catch limits. The proposed catch limits and accountability measures support the long-term sustainability of fishery resources of the U.S. Pacific Islands. Comments on the proposed measures must be received by January 18, 2012. Read more or submit a comment.

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EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOAA Fisheries Opens Recruitment for Alaska Region's Assistant Regional Administrator for the Protected Resources Division; Announcement Closes on Jan. 18

NOAA Fisheries is actively recruiting for the NOAA Fisheries Assistant Regional Administrator for the Protected Resources Division (i.e. Fish & Wildlife Administrator) in the Alaska Region in Juneau, Alaska. This is a term appointment, not to exceed three years. The announcement is posted on USAJobs; the direct link is: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/306322100. The job announcement closes on January 18, 2012.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Workshops on Protected Species Release, Disentanglement, and Identification and Atlantic Shark Identification in January, February, and March 2012

Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in January, February, and March of 2012. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and maintain valid permits. Specifically, the Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2012. Click here for dates, times, and locations.

Woods Hole Science Institutions Offer Undergraduate Summer Program on Cape Cod; Applications due Feb. 15

The Partnership Education Program (PEP), a project of a consortium of six science institutions in Woods Hole, Mass., is seeking applicants for a 10-week summer program that combines undergraduate course work with research in marine and environmental science. Launched in 2009, PEP is an ongoing diversity program designed to recruit talent from minority groups that are under-represented in marine and environmental sciences. The 2012 PEP program will run May 31 through August 10. The 2012 program will cover the cost of tuition, travel, room and board, and provide a stipend. Students who apply by February 15 will have priority for admissions and financial support. Application information and reports on the 2009, 2010 and 2011 programs are available on the Woods Hole PEP website. Read more

Woods Hole Science Aquarium Announces 2012 Summer Programs for High School Students; Applications due March 15

The Woods Hole Science Aquarium is offering two summer programs for high school students in 2012, a five-week internship and a two-week seminar devoted to careers in marine science. Both programs are designed for students who are interested in marine science and marine animals, aquarium operations, and marine education and conservation. To participate in either the internship or the seminar, students must have finished 10th, 11th or 12th grade and must be at least 16 years old by July 2. Applicants must have U.S. citizenship. Application forms are available in the aquarium and online. Applicants must also provide a transcript and two references. E-mail applications are welcome. All application materials must be postmarked by March 15. The 2012 interns and seminar participants will be announced by March 30. Read more

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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