HIGHLIGHTS
NOAA Names New Greater Atlantic Region Lead
NOAA Fisheries announced Michael Pentony as the new Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office in Gloucester, Massachusetts. An agency veteran, he has more than 20 years of experience in sustainable fisheries management.
CORRECTED Due Date—National Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released a Draft Proposed Program for the 2019–2024 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Comments on the draft are due March 9.BOEM will also host a series of 23 public meetings on the National OCS Program in cities around the nation, January 18 – February 28.
$3 M Available for Great Lakes Habitat Restoration
NOAA announces the availability of up to $3 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant funding in 2018. This funding will support habitat restoration projects in the Great Lakes region, supporting healthy ecosystems and resilient Great Lakes coastal communities. Proposals are due March 12.
Commerce Trusted Trader Program – Open for Public Comment
By March 19, please submit your comments on a proposed rule to establish a voluntary Commerce Trusted Trader Program for U.S. importers. It will serve as a valuable complement to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, helping achieve seafood traceability while streamlining the reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Voluntary Shortfin Mako Shark Measures
NOAA Fisheries requests that fishermen voluntarily adopt internationally recommended measures for shortfin mako shark to decrease fishing mortality pending an upcoming emergency rulemaking. The most recent population assessment estimated that shortfin mako catches would need to be significantly reduced to prevent further declines.
Alaska
New Alaska Fisheries Science Center Leadership
The past several months have brought changes in key management positions at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Meet four new members of our leadership team: Jeremy Rusin, Deputy Director; Jennifer Ferdinand, Director of the Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division; Stan Kotwicki, Program Manager of the Groundfish Assessment Program; and Pete Hagen, Acting Director of Auke Bay Laboratories.
West Coast
California Sea Lions Rebounded to New Highs
A 39-year study of the California sea lion population reflects conditions in the California current through the decades and finds the population to have fully rebounded under the protection of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to a healthy and robust level. The MMPA calls these levels the Optimum Sustainable Population and provides options for states to take over management of species that have reached their OSP.
Green Sturgeon Recovery – Open for Comment
NOAA Fisheries released a draft recovery plan for green sturgeon in Central California. The plan itself is non-regulatory. It identifies guidelines for state and federal agencies to promote the recovery of the green sturgeon’s southern population, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Comments are due March 18.
Student ‘Estuary Explorers’ at Elkhorn Slough
In 2014, the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve received a Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant to create the Estuary Explorers Club. The afterschool program partners with Elkhorn Elementary School to provide local students a chance to experience the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.
Southeast
Mutton Snapper Regulations in the South Atlantic
NOAA Fisheries announced a final rule for Amendment 41 to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan in the South Atlantic. This rule updates the mutton snapper catch limits and regulations based on the most recent population assessment.
Greater Atlantic
Gray Seal Pup Surveys Underway
Researchers from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and their colleagues will visit Muskeget and Monomoy Islands off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts this month to study gray seal pups born on the islands in December and January. The Coast Guard transported several researchers to the islands by helicopter for the first of several tagging efforts when recent winter storm conditions prevented travel by sea.
Workshops on Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold two workshops next month to help for-hire vessel operators prepare for upcoming electronic reporting requirements. Starting March 12, vessels with Federal charter or party permits for species management by the Mid-Atlantic Council will be required to submit electronic vessel trip reports. Workshops will be held February 10 in Massachusetts and February 24 in New Jersey.
Fisheries Science and Management Workshops for Fishermen
A partnership program of NOAA Fisheries, the Marine Resource Education Program offers fishermen and other stakeholders opportunities to learn the basics of fisheries science and management in workshops organized and led by other fishermen. The Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Workshop will be held February 26–28 in Massachusetts and the Recreational Fisheries Workshop will be held March 20–22 in Maryland.
Woods Hole Summer Programs for High Schoolers
The Woods Hole Science Aquarium is offering two summer programs for high school students in 2018: a 5-week internship and a 2-week seminar devoted to careers in marine science. Both summer programs are projects of NOAA Fisheries in partnership with Marine Biological Laboratory. Applications are due March 30.
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