NOAA Fisheries FishNews – July 18, 2018

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. July 18, 2018 HIGHLIGHTS NOAA Fisheries Celebrates Habitat Month This July, dig into Habitat Month and learn how healthy habitat depends on the power of partnerships. Highlighting the Power of Partnerships Read a message from Pat Montanio, Director of the Office of Habitat Conservation, about the importance of collaboration to habitat conservation.       Community-Based Restoration Grant Funding NOAA announced the recommendation of $8.2 million in funding to support 16 projects through the Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants. Story Map: Deep-Sea Corals of Alaska Visit a new story map about the deep-sea corals and sponges of Alaska—the fourth in a series of story maps exploring deep-sea coral data. Habitat Photo Contest Entries due Monday Remember to enter the 2018 NOAA Habitat Month Photo Contest! The theme is “types of coastal and marine habitat.” Entries due July 23. . Coastal Resilience Fund – Request for Proposals NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced a request for proposals under the 2018 National Coastal Resilience Fund. This new fund will invest up to $30 million in restoration of natural infrastructure such as marshes, reefs, and beaches. Proposals are due August 7. Marine Mammal Scientific Review Groups – Seeking Applications The Marine Mammal Protection Act established three independent regional Scientific Review Groups (Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific) to advise on marine mammal science and management issues. Following a membership review, NOAA Fisheries seeks nominations for additional members to fill gaps in expertise. Applications are due August 15. Meet Our Electronic Technologies Coordinator Since 2006, NOAA Fisheries has invested more than $27 million to develop and implement electronic technologies in fisheries across the nation. In this interview with Brett Alger, our National Electronic Technologies Coordinator, learn more about electronic monitoring and the future of technology in fishing. Alaska ShoreZone Coastal Habitat Surveys Continue Scientists involved in the Alaska ShoreZone program have been steadily imaging and mapping Alaska’s rich coastal habitats since 2001. This month—Habitat Monthat NOAA Fisheries—imaging experts embarked on a 5-day survey of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska to fill in some of the remaining gaps. West Coast Less Error, Better Forecasts A new technical memo describes a statistical framework for modeling population changes in Chinook salmon in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. By better accounting for human and environmental error, the new integrated population model will improve accuracy of population forecasts and extinction risks. Pacific Islands Streamlining Permitting in the Pacific Islands Effective permit management is critical to supporting fisheries.  The Pacific Islands Regional Office is working to transform the permitting process for the Hawaii longline fishery by combining two databases into a single, more robust system, all while ensuring continuity of service for the fishing community and the integrity of legacy data. Final Rule for Pacific Highly Migratory Species In order to satisfy the obligations of the United States under the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, NOAA Fisheries issued a final rule establishing limits on fishing effort by U.S. purse seine vessels and bigeye tuna catches by U.S. longline vessels in the Convention area. Southeast Summer Issue of Gulf Fishery News Available The latest issue of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s newsletter, Gulf Fishery News, is now available online. Topics include updates from the June Council meeting, a new criterion for gauging the status of reef fish, recent regulatory changes, and upcoming events. Greater Atlantic Meet Eric Hutchins, Habitat Restoration Biologist Eric Hutchins is a restoration biologist with NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation. Eric has worked on more than 50 dam removal projects in his 22 years in habitat restoration. One of his great skills is showing people of all ages the importance of their local ecosystem. Young Humpback Freed from Entanglement NOAA and partners worked together off the coast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, last week to cut a length of rope entangling a juvenile humpback whale, giving the young whale a second chance at survival. Events July 19 Annual public meeting of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Councilin Long Beach, Mississippi. July 23 Informational webinar on federal for-hire permit holders, hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. July 23 Free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshops in Ocean City, Maryland. Announcements July 23 Pre-proposals due for FY 2019 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants. July 23 Submissions due for 2018 NOAA Habitat Photo Contest. July 27 (Extended Deadline) Nominations due for the 2018 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award. August 7 Proposals due for 2018 National Coastal Resilience Fund. August 15 Application deadline for membership on the three regional Marine Mammal Scientific Review Groups. 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. Corrections or technical questions should be sent to the FishNews Editor at editor.fishnews@noaa.gov. www.fisheries.noaa.gov

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