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| Highlights - March 27, 2013 |
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Antarctic krill are considered the greatest under-tapped biological resource in the ocean today. As humans increasingly turn to the oceans for food, we must be careful not to undermine the marine food chain. Ecosystem-based fishery management can help.
NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with state and tribal agencies, released the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, the first nationwide strategy to help public and private decision makers address the impacts of climate change on natural resources and the people and economies that depend on them. Developed in response to a 2010 Congressional request, the strategy is the product of two years of national dialogue and incorporates comments from more than 55,000 Americans.
After 5 years of negotiations, the international community has come together to support a process aimed at reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by improving the accountability of "flag states"-countries that register fishing vessels and allow them to fly their flag. Countries adopted these Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance in February.
By May 8, submit your comments on proposed Amendment 8 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, which addresses several new North Atlantic commercial swordfish management measures. This comment period has been extended from its original end date of April 23, and two additional public hearings will be held on April 10 and April 30.
By May 28, submit your comments on a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for oil and gas activities in the Arctic Ocean. Developed by NOAA in collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the supplemental draft incorporates comments on the original draft EIS to broaden the scope of the analysis.
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In fall 2010, NOAA Fisheries' Northeast Cooperative Research Program awarded more than $3 million to network groups designed to tackle difficult changes in New England and mid-Atlantic fisheries. This investment has generated results, as these networks-focused on gear engineering, redfish trawling, and squid trawling-have developed innovative ways to reduce bycatch and improve efficiency.
Man-made barriers on the Hudson River still account for a significant loss of habitat for sea run migratory fish such as sturgeon, alewife, and blueback herring. This year the relicensed Federal Dam north of Albany will receive upgrades to improve fish passage while continuing to generate hydroelectric power.
Male Atlantic cod produce low-frequency "grunts" during spawning season. NOAA researchers at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and their colleagues at partner institutions have begun employing passive acoustic monitoring to record cod spawning in the wild. They hope this technology can be used to locate spawning grounds along the New England coast.
Researchers from three federal agencies--NOAA, NASA, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management--have worked together to complete the first comprehensive survey of the upper waters of the continental shelf off of the Northeast United States. The survey focused on the physics, chemistry, and biology of the water column.
By April 9, submit your comments on proposed Framework Adjustment 48 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. Framework 48 proposes new status determination criteria for Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank cod, and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder, as well as other measures that would make way for Framework Adjustment 50, which would set annual catch limits for fishing years 2013-2015.
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By May 17, submit your comments on a proposed rule amending the regulations on the introduction of species into Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. This action would make the regulation of introduced species consistent in all four national marine sanctuaries off of California. |
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Although red snapper are recovering quickly in the Gulf of Mexico, the recreational fishing season keeps getting shorter. NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office has compiled a historical overview of the red snapper fishery to help stakeholders understand how the fishery arrived at its current state and ways we can continue to rebuild it.
By April 19, submit your comments on proposed Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. Amendment 9 would streamline the closure process for the penaeid shrimp fishery during cold water events.
By April 22, submit your comments on a proposed rule implementing a regulatory amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic. This rule would revise the annual catch limits for 37 species in the snapper-grouper fishery management unit.
Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee will convene in April to review stock assessments for black sea bass, cobia, and Spanish mackerel, and to provide fishing level recommendations to the Council. Advisory panels will meet through April and May to provide input on specific management plans. The Council will hold a special one-day meeting on May 13 to take comments on black sea bass.
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By April 22, submit your comments on proposed Amendment 42 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs. The amendment would revise the annual economic data reporting requirements to reduce redundancies and costs.
Temporary Opening of Pollock Areas
By April 8, submit your comments on two temporary re-openings of directed pollock fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska: one in Statistical Area 630 and the other in the West Yakutat District. These actions are necessary to fully use the 2013 pollock total allowable catch.
NOAA Fisheries will put into effect the regulatory recommendations of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), a joint U.S. and Canadian body. Under the Halibut Act, the IPHC adopted recommended management measures for the 2013 Pacific halibut fishery at the Commission's annual meeting in January.
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By April 15, submit your comments on NOAA Fisheries' application for a new, five-year permit requesting authorization to conduct several key recovery actions for critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Of note, NOAA Fisheries has postponed plans to temporarily move young seals to the main Hawaiian Islands.
This proposed rule would extend the region-wide moratorium on the harvest of gold corals in the U.S. Pacific Islands through June 30, 2018. NOAA Fisheries proposed this rule to prevent overfishing and stimulate research on gold corals. |
March 28: Public hearing in Gloucester, Massachusetts on new commercial swordfish measures proposed in Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan.
April 10 and 30: Additional public hearings in Manahawkin, New Jersey and online via webinar on proposed swordfish measures.
April 15-25 : Public hearings on South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's proposed use of Vessel Monitoring Systems in Snapper Grouper Fishery.
April, May, June: Three Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops will be held in North Carolina, New York, and Florida. All are free.
April, May, June: Six Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be held in Florida and New Jersey, Maryland and Rhode Island, and North Carolina and Mississippi. All are free.
Thursdays in April: 2013 Fish and Fisheries Public Seminars at Maritime Gloucester.
May 7-9, 2013: Managing Our Nation's Fisheries-3 conference in Washington, DC.
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| April 5: Due date for proposals to the Bycatch Reduction Grant Program |
Click here for a list of only those actions open for public comment. Scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal Register online.
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