NOAA Fisheries FishNews — December 8

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Celebrate Corals Week Corals Week is December 5–9, 2022! Join us in celebrating this diverse group of invertebrate animals and the reef habitats they create. How Are Fisheries and Coral Reefs Connected? Learn how overfishing impacts corals and what you can do to protect these important ecosystems. A Growing Facility to Leverage Coral Science Advancing coral research, spawning efforts, and restoration science in an expanded experimental wet lab facility. Deep-Sea Coral Research to Gain New Understanding of Alaska Fish Habitat A multiyear, international study is using innovative technology to shed light on what red corals need to reproduce and sustain their populations and how they may respond to climate change.

Highlights Climate Change and Habitat Loss: Fisheries at Risk In this video, habitat restoration experts discuss the challenges coastal habitats face from climate change and what NOAA is doing to address them. Efforts to Mitigate Impacts of Offshore Wind Energy Development on NOAA Fisheries’ Surveys NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management share the final Federal Survey Mitigation Strategy for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with plans to adapt the strategy for other regions. Outstanding Habitat Champion Recognized Through 2022 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award Ciona Ulbrich received the award for demonstrating exceptional achievement and dedication to habitat conservation through her work with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust restoring fish passage in coastal Maine. U.S. Proposes Strong Protections for Sea Turtles, Totoaba, and Vaquita at CITES Meeting The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recently met in Panama. Representatives from more than 160 countries adopted a total of 46 proposals and reached 365 decisions—a record number—to help regulate international trade of vulnerable species.

Alaska Meet the NOAA Alaska Region’s Stranding Response Team! Mandy Keogh, the Alaska Region Stranding Coordinator, discusses team members and their vital roles. Science Blog: A Voyage Through the Arctic Mabel Baldwin-Schaeffer shares a few thoughts about what Native American Heritage Month means to her and her personal and professional journey. This is the fourth post in the A Voyage Through the Arctic blog series.

West Coast Science Blog: Sound Bytes—Championing Open Science Openscapes Champions is an open data science mentorship program for science teams. Openscapes encompasses the Open Science movement, which includes making your research and the scientific process more accessible, reproducible, and collaborative. Learn more about why open science is good science in the newest post from the Sound Bytes blog series. As Dam Removals Move Forward, NOAA Explores Next Steps for Habitat Restoration in Klamath Watershed A decades-long effort to remove four dams on the lower Klamath River in California and Oregon would be the largest dam removal in the world. The dam removals would reopen access to more than 400 miles of habitat for threatened coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and other threatened native fish.

Pacific Islands Meet the 2021 Marine Debris Team A team of experienced divers and scientists voyage to the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to survey and remove derelict fishing gear and other marine debris from the islands and atolls within the monument.

Southeast “Izzy” the Dolphin: Making Her Story Matter December 6 Izzy update: After nearly 3 years of asking, warning, and pleading with the public to let “Izzy” the dolphin be left alone in the wild, her story has a final chapter—spending the remainder of her life at a permanent care facility in Florida.

New England/Mid-Atlantic What Grows on Kelp? New Research Identifies Microbes to Monitor With a little “kelp” from the non-profit GreenWave, our scientists found no microorganisms that pose food safety concerns on aquacultured sugar kelp during the growing season in Long Island Sound. NOAA’s Bay Watershed Education and Training Education Program Celebrates 20 Years For two decades, NOAA has supported projects and programs that help deliver Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences to students through its Bay Watershed Education and Training grant program. The grant program started right here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 2022 Fall Bottom Trawl Survey Completed in Northeast This long-running, fishery-independent survey monitors abundance and distribution of fishery species on the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf from Cape Lookout, North Carolina, to the Scotian Shelf. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Expands Marine Mammal Stranding Network Territory The Whale and Dolphin Conservation team expands the Greater Atlantic Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Network response territory. The Network assesses health, provides rehabilitation, and investigates the cause of death of marine mammals. 2022 Northeast Fall Ecosystem Monitoring Cruise Completed Our Ecosystem Monitoring cruises help researchers understand and predict changes in the Northeast shelf ecosystem and its fisheries. The cruise completed 52 percent of planned stations as cruise time was shortened by crew shortages and poor weather.

Upcoming Deadlines December 10: Public comment period extended for Incidental Take Regulations Proposed for Ocean Wind 1 Wind Energy Project  December 31: Comments due for Updates to the National Policy for Saltwater Recreational Fisheries January 17: Nominations due for Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Advisory Committee January 27: Comments due for Draft 5th U.S. National Climate Assessment View more news and announcements

Upcoming Events December 5–8: New England Fishery Management Council December 2022 Council Meeting December 5–8: Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council 193rd Council Meeting December 5–9: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council December 2022 Council Meeting December 6–7: 180th Caribbean Fishery Management Council Meeting December 8–14: North Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting December 12–15: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council December 2022 Council Meeting December 17: Santa Visits the Woods Hole Science Aquarium for Special Holiday Events View more events

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

Questions? Visit our website for national and regional contact information

http://live.oysterradio.com/