HIGHLIGHTS
Coral Reef Restoration After the 2017 Hurricanes
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season wrought historic impacts on communities in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, and on the coral reefs that serve as those communities’ first line of defense. NOAA is working alongside partners and a group of military veterans to study and restore thousands of corals. Learn more about these efforts in a new story map by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.
Video: Monitoring Biodiversity in Puget Sound
After two and a half years, scientists from the Northwest Fisheries Science Center retrieved three autonomous reef monitoring structures that had been placed at the bottom of Puget Sound near the Nisqually Delta. Check out all the cool critters they found in these diverse "invertebrate hotels" and why they are doing this research.
Electronic Monitoring in North Pacific Fisheries
When space for human observers is limited and safety a concern, electronic monitoring technologies pose an attractive alternative for gathering data. But reviewing the collected video and still images can be time-consuming and costly. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center is working with NOAA’s Fisheries Information System Program to test ways to automate video analysis for length measurement and species identification.
Reminder on Compliance with Seafood Import Monitoring Program
Starting this week (April 9), all requirements of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program are in effect. Entry filings for species currently subject to the program that are incomplete or that contain erroneous SIMP data must be corrected or completed before importation may proceed. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in federal law enforcement action by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. Compliance Guidance is available online. For technical assistance, contact support at SIMP.Support@noaa.gov or 833-440-6599 (8 am–8 pm EST, Monday–Friday).
Alaska
Cruise Ships and Seals in Disenchantment Bay
Scientists from NOAA Fisheries and the National Park Service are conducting a multiyear study to analyze the impact of tour vessel traffic on harbor seal populations in Disenchantment Bay, near Yakutat, Alaska. They seek to understand whether observed changes in seal abundance and distribution are tied to increases in vessel traffic.
West Coast
Photos Allow Scientists to Track Killer Whale Health
Aerial photos collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) provide a non-invasive way to collect valuable information about Southern Resident killer whales. Analyzing measurements taken from the photos, scientists can track changes in the whales’ body condition and reproductive success over time.
Pacific Islands
Researchers Head to Field Sites in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
This month, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette will embark on a 23-day expedition through the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands to support research and recovery of endangered Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles. The ship will deploy research teams and their equipment to establish field camps for the next 4 to 5 months.
Humpback Whales of the Mariana Islands
When researchers analyzed photos and biopsy samples to track humpback whales between their summer feeding and winter breeding grounds, they were unable to account for many of the individuals in the endangered western North Pacific population. Now scientists think the Mariana Islands may be the site of a previously unknown breeding ground.
Southeast
Poor Water Quality Impacts Biscayne Bay Economy
Concerns about declining water quality in Biscayne Bay (alongside Miami) led NOAA to designate it as a Habitat Focus Area. The Focus Area supports partnerships that will understand and communicate the importance of a healthy bay ecosystem. Recently, NOAA funded a study to assess how the degraded water quality is impacting local businesses.
Santee River Basin Planning for Migratory Fish
The Santee River Basin, in North and South Carolina, supports some of the largest populations of migratory fish on the East Coast. NOAA’s Hydropower Program is working with federal, state, tribal, and nongovernmental partners to find ways to reopen upstream river habitat to migratory fish.
Alabama Trustees Draft Restoration Plan – Open for Public Comment
The Alabama Trustees Implementation Group has released its Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment, proposing restoration activities to compensate the public for natural resources in Alabama injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A public meeting will be held April 18, and comments are due May 4.
Greater Atlantic
Watch Out for Whales Off Virginia Beach
NOAA Fisheries established a voluntary vessel speedrestriction zone 69 nautical miles northeast of Virginia Beach to protect an aggregation of five right whales sighted in the area on April 10. This zone is in effect through April 24.
New Habitat Measures for New England Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries approved measures of the New England Fishery Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2. The amendment updates the Essential Fish Habitat designations required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act with the latest science while balancing the needs of the fishing industry.
Recreational Measures – Open for Public Comment
By April 26, please submit your comments on proposed recreational fishery management measures for the 2018 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. NOAA Fisheries works in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to develop measures for these fisheries.
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Events
April 12
Last day of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Montauk, New York.
April 16–20
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Gulfport, Mississippi.
April 16–May 29
Three informational webinars for federal for-hire permit holders, hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
April 17–19
New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Mystic, Connecticut.
April 18
Public meeting on Alabama Trustees’ Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment in Spanish Fort, Alabama.
April 18
Public scoping meeting on bluefin tuna bycatch management measures in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
April 19
Public scoping meeting on North Atlantic shortfin mako shark measures in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
April 21
World Fish Migration Dayevents in the Greater Atlantic Region.
April 23
Free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshop in Revere, Massachusetts.
April 30–May 4
Georges Bank Ecosystem Strategy Peer Review in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
May 3
Free Atlantic SharkIdentification Workshop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
May 7–21
Three free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshops in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida.
May 21–23
Save the Date for NOAA Habitat’s Fish Passage Program Review in Silver Spring, Maryland.
June 4
Save the Date for a workshop on community resilience in the Northeast region, to be held in Cape May, New Jersey.
Announcements
April 13 Nominations due for 2018 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources.
April 25
Applications due for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.
April 26
Applications due for 2018 Chesapeake Bay Office Fisheries Science grants.
May 4
Applications due for proposals for recreational fishing education, outreach, and conservation projects in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Federal Register Actions
Visit regulations.gov 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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