NOAA Fisheries FishNews – May 29, 2019

MAY 29, 2019

Highlights Habitat Consultation Protects Crabs and Salmon from Mining Floating mining operations dredge nearshore gravel and sand substrates to look for gold. NOAA Fisheries conducted an Essential Fish Habitat consultation to advise the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a recent mining permit request. As a result, the proposed permit includes measures to protect red king crab juveniles and migratory salmon. Public Meetings for Three Highly Migratory Species Actions NOAA Fisheries is hosting a series of scoping meetings and webinars for three actions evaluating possible revisions to measures implemented under the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries Management Plan.

Alaska Strange but True Facts About Lancetfish Lancetfish are some of the stranger fish found in Alaskan waters. True inhabitants of the “twilight zone,” lancetfish grow to more than 7 feet in length. Read more interesting facts about this unusual fish. Dead Gray Whales Found Near Cordova, Kodiak Island On May 19, a NOAA-authorized team of marine mammal biologists performed a necropsy on a dead gray whale beached in the Copper River Delta, near Cordova, Alaska. Another dead gray whale reported on Kodiak Island is inaccessible for a necropsy. These are the second and third dead gray whales reported in Alaska this year. Alaska SeaLife Center Responds to Elephant Seals The Alaska SeaLife Center responded to two juvenile northern elephant seals hauled out on the shores of Seward. Although these seals are known to visit the Gulf of Alaska to feed, they rarely haul out on Alaska beaches.

West Coast Working with Beavers to Build Coho Salmon Habitat NOAA partners managing an innovative pilot project in Oregon are constructing dam starter structures for beavers to finish building—creating slower-moving sections of streams for juvenile coho salmon to use as habitat.

Southeast Four Deepwater Horizon Trustee Events Next Week The Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council and Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group are holding four public outreach events next week in Pensacola, Florida. The Open Ocean Trustees are hosting both a Monitoring and Adaptive Management outreach event and a public meeting on their Draft Restoration Plan 2 on June 4. The Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council is hosting an Outreach and Education Workshop on June 5 and their annual public meeting on June 6. Exempted Fishing Permit – Open for Public Comment By June 24, please submit your comments on an application for an exempted fishing permit from the North Carolina Aquarium. The project aims to collect North Carolina native species—including snappers and groupers, corals, and dolphin fish—to incorporate into educational exhibits at four aquariums.

Greater Atlantic Watch Out for Whales South of Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket NOAA Fisheries has extended three voluntary vessel speed restriction zones to protect aggregations of right whales spotted on May 22 south of Martha’s Vineyard and on May 25 south of Nantucket. The two zones south and southwest of Martha’s Vineyard are now in effect through June 6; another zone south of Nantucket is now in effect through June 9. 2019 Spring Bottom Trawl Survey Completed The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s multispecies bottom-trawl survey is the most important of its missions for monitoring the region’s fishery resources. It is also the longest-running survey of its kind in the world. This year’s spring bottom trawl survey aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow wrapped up May 19. College Students Head to Woods Hole for Summer of Science The Partnership Education Program, now in its 11th year, is a project of the Woods Hole Diversity Initiative, founded by the six scientific institutions in Woods Hole to attract and retain a more diverse workforce. Sixteen college students will spend the summer in Woods Hole taking a course on global climate changes and conducting individual research projects.

Upcoming Deadlines June 21: Applications due for the position of Executive Director of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Upcoming Events June 3–6: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Miramar Beach, Florida. June 3–10: North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Sitka, Alaska. June 3–July 30: Public scoping meetings for three Atlantic Highly Migratory Species actions. June 4: Deepwater Horizon Open Ocean Trustees’ ocean monitoring and adaptive management outreach event in Pensacola, Florida. June 4: Open Ocean Trustees’ public meeting on Draft Restoration Plan 2 in Pensacola, Florida. June 4–6: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in New York City. June 5: Gulf Spill Restoration Outreach and Education Workshop in Pensacola, Florida. June 6: Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council annual public meeting in Pensacola, Florida. June 7 and 10: Two free Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification workshops in Massachusetts and Maryland. June 10: Webinar on proposed Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Amendment 13. June 10–14: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Stuart, Florida. June 11–13: New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland, Maine. June 19: Webinar on proposed Atlantic Highly Migratory Species spatial management research. June 19–25: Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in San Diego. June 20: Free Atlantic Shark Identification workshop in Manahawkin, New Jersey. June 24–27: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Honolulu.

Federal Register Actions Visit NOAA Fisheries' Rules & Regulations web page to learn more about recently proposed and finalized regulations in your region.

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