HIGHLIGHTS
Army National Guardsman Finds Inspiration in Veterans Fisheries Corps
As we observe Veterans’ Day this Friday, we want to thank the men and women in our military for their dedication and service. NOAA Fisheries is proud to be a partner agency in the Veterans Fisheries Corps, a work development program in California. Please read our interview with Specialist Philip Taylor, who describes how the Vet Corps opened doors and inspired him to pursue a career in the sciences.
Join Chris Oliver at the Pacific Marine Expo
Each year, NOAA Fisheries, Weather, Charting, and Enforcement hold a joint exhibition at the Pacific Marine Expo to engage with stakeholders and update them on the science and services they depend on. This year’s Expo features Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Chris Oliver as the keynote speaker. Please stop by the NOAA booth, #715, the afternoon of November 16 to visit with Chris, and catch his keynote remarks at 3:15 pm. Hope to see you there.
Fisheries Celebrates Technology Week 2017
Advancements in technology improve how our scientists collect data, which in turn helps us make informed conservation and management decisions. Join us this week for #TechnologyWeek as we take a closer look at how NOAA scientists are using advancing technologies to better collect fisheries data, study endangered species, and better understand our changing ocean ecosystems.
NOAA Fisheries scientists are pairing underwater camera technology with bait bags to improve assessments of reef fish and shark populations across the Hawaiian archipelago.
Fisheries data collection has evolved considerably over the past 50 years. From clipboards to conveyor belts, take a look at how technology has transformed fisheries sampling on the high seas.
Scientists at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and their partners showed that LEDs are very effective in directing Chinook salmon to escape windows Pacific hake trawl nets.
NOAA Fisheries’ Milford Lab, a global leader in aquaculture research, is using cutting-edge technology to study interactions between oyster farm gear and wild species.
Sonar work and habitat analysis in the Chesapeake Bay region helped inform the Final Rule for Atlantic sturgeon—and spotted some sturgeon in the process.
Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program Report
NOAA Fisheries has long been committed to reducing bycatch. The Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program supports development of technological solutions and conservation practices that minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality in federally managed fisheries. This report summarizes the results for 18 projects awarded in 2014 and conducted in 2015.
Applicants Sought for 2018 Shark Research Fishery
Commercial shark fishermen who would like to participate in the 2018 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species shark research fishery should submit both a completed shark research fishery application and the required vessel information to the Atlantic HMS Management Division by December 4.
NOAA Issues Exempted Fishing Permit for Bluefin
After reviewing public comments, NOAA Fisheries decided to issue an Exempted Fishing Permit to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance. The permit will allow the Alliance to use electronic monitoring to verify authorized gear use when fishing for, retaining, and possessing bluefin tuna during a fishing trip on which unauthorized gear is also onboard.
Alaska
Enforcement Focus on Subsistence Fishing
The Alaska Subsistence Halibut Program permits rural residents and members of Alaska Native tribes to catch halibut for themselves and their families. It is illegal, however, to sell subsistence halibut commercially. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is increasing outreach efforts about the program.
West Coast
Yelloweye Rockfish and Bocaccio Recovery Plan
NOAA Fisheries finalized a recovery plan for the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Distinct Population Segments of yelloweye rockfish and bocaccio. The recovery plan provides a roadmap for restoring sustainable rockfish populations, benefiting regional fishing opportunities and the health of the ecosystem.
Climate Shifts Shorten Marine Food Chain off CA
A new study found that environmental disturbances such as El Niño shake up the marine food web off Southern California, countering the conventional thinking that the hierarchy of who-eats-whom in the ocean remains largely constant over time. The study analyzed dolphin skin cells for chemical clues about their prey and what their prey had eaten.
Pacific Islands
Exploring Ecosystem Dynamics for Hawaiian Monk Seal Population Trends
Why are Hawaiian monk seal numbers increasing in some locations but stabilizing in others? Scientists at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center used an ecosystem model to explore the relative importance of factors that influence growth and mortality of monk seals at two locations in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Ageing the Grander Blue Marlin
In 2009, fishermen caught a 12.2-foot-long, 1,245-pound blue marlin—known as a “grander” blue marlin due to its size—off the coast of Hawaii. Saving the head allowed scientists to analyze the fish’s ear bones (otoliths) to determine its age. The giant fish turned out to be only 20 years old.
Southeast
Unrigged Hooks on Longline Vessels – Open for Public Comment
By November 14, please submit your comments on a proposed rule for commercial bottom longline regulations in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, reef fish bottom longline fishermen can only carry 250 extra unrigged hooks onboard their vessels; the proposed rule would lift that limit to make multi-day trips more economical.
Florida Restoration Plan – Open for Comment
By December 8, please submit your comments on the Florida Trustee Implementation Group’s draft Phase 2 Restoration Plan proposing projects to compensate for a portion of the lost recreational use in Florida caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. There will also be a public meeting on the project on November 16 in Port St. Joe, Florida.
Greater Atlantic
Proposed Scup Quotas – Open for Public Comment
By November 22, please submit your comments on proposed revisions to the 2018 quotas and projected 2019 quotas for the scup fishery. Compared to the current specifications in place, this action would increase commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits by approximately 40 percent.
Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment – Open for Public Comment
By December 5, please submit your comments on a proposed rule that would revise the essential fish habitat designations for all species and life stages managed by the New England Fishery Management Council. The rule would also add Habitat Areas of Particular Concern and Dedicated Habitat Research Areas and revise the spatial management system and seasonal spawning protection measures.
The Great Lakes: A National Treasure
In 2010, 16 federal agencies launched the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to address the region’s unfortunate legacy of damaged wetlands and degraded habitat. A new story map explores how NOAA’s habitat restoration work in the Great Lakes through this initiative benefits both people and fish.
Blue Catfish in the Chesapeake: Invasive, but Tasty
Blue catfish, native to the central United States, were introduced to Chesapeake Bay rivers decades ago and, in the absence of their natural predators, their numbers have grown dramatically. Humans are stepping up to fill that gap. Harvest of blue catfish in the Potomac River doubled from 2014 to 2015, reaching a dockside value of more than $1.7 million.
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment