NOAA Fisheries FishNews—October 19th

OCTOBER 19, 2023 Celebrating Oysters During Oyster Week It's Oyster Week! Oysters are remarkable filter feeders that provide many benefits to the ecosystem in which they live. They are also a popular seafood, and a good source of protein, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. We're celebrating Oyster Week 2023 by honoring one of our favorite shellfish with special features. Eighteen Barges, for 18 Acres … of Louisiana Oysters A new reef taking shape in Louisiana’s Lake Calcasieu offers new habitat for oysters and fish, and commercial and recreational harvesting for oyster lovers. Story Map: Long Island Sound's Shellfish Growers Are Citizen Scientists Explore the Story Map to learn more about the oyster growers of Long Island Sound in their own words. Highlights North Atlantic Right Whale Speed Zone Dashboard NOAA Fisheries developed an interactive speed zone dashboard that shows high overall vessel compliance with mandatory North Atlantic right whale vessel speed regulations. Users can explore the dashboard to view vessel traffic by speed, season, month, speed zone, and vessel type. The speed zone dashboard enables us to monitor the effectiveness of vessel speed regulations. These regulations are intended to reduce the likelihood of vessel strikes, a leading cause of mortality or serious injury for North Atlantic right whales. Climate Readiness: the Future of U.S. Fisheries Supporting healthy, sustainable seafood and a robust seafood industry is a major priority for NOAA Fisheries. Our National Seafood Strategy underscores NOAA's strong commitment to seafood sector resilience and responds to the unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. seafood industry, including climate change. On this new episode of Dive In with NOAA Fisheries, hear from NOAA Fisheries leadership and members of the seafood community about climate readiness and plans for responding to a changing climate. A Major Rebuilding Milestone: 50th Fish Stock Rebuilt Snohomish coho salmon was declared overfished in 2018 and has now been rebuilt to a sustainable level, making it the 50th rebuilt fish stock under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Nomination Period Is Now Open for the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations to fill vacancies on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce on all marine life matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. Nominations are being accepted through December 15, 2023. NOAA’s FY 2024 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Notice of Funding Opportunity Is Now Open NOAA announced a grant funding opportunity through the Small Business Innovation Research Program for U.S. small businesses to support the development and commercialization of innovative technologies. Proposal topics include Extreme Events and Cascading Hazards; Coastal Resilience; The Changing Ocean; Water Availability, Quality, and Risk; Effects of Space Weather; and Monitoring and Modeling for Climate Change Mitigation. NOAA encourages proposals from qualified small businesses for highly innovative technologies with strong commercial potential that fit within our mission areas. Proposals are due December 20, 2023. Alaska Alaska Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Research to Shed Light on Resilience of Living Fish Habitat Summer 2023 expeditions took a deep dive into coral and sponge reproduction, growth, and recovery from disturbance as part of a multiyear effort to answer key management questions. NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Federal Management of Salmon Fishing in Cook Inlet NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would implement federal management of commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone. Previously, salmon management in these federal waters was deferred to the State of Alaska. Comments are due by December 18. Snow Crab May Be Resilient to Ocean Acidification New research suggests that commercially important Alaska snow crab may be well-adapted to survive levels of acidity predicted 200 years into the future. West Coast Video: Practicing Sustainable Recreational Fishing on the West Coast On the West Coast, fishing is a way of life. The practice of sustainable fishing is vital to the conservation of marine fisheries, ecosystems, and habitats. NOAA Fisheries and recreational anglers on the West Coast recommend tips to practice sustainable recreational fishing. Southeast Science Blog: A Successful Final Leg on the Gulf of Mexico Marine Mammal and Seabird Vessel Survey Scientists ended the final leg of a 2-month long offshore research trip with quite a few marine mammal sightings and acoustics highlights. New England/Mid-Atlantic Final Incidental Take Regulations for the Revolution Wind Project NOAA Fisheries is publishing the final incidental take regulations, pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, to govern the incidental harassment of marine mammals related to the Revolution Wind offshore wind energy project within the Rhode Island-Massachusetts Wind Energy Area. These regulations are effective from November 20, 2023 through November 19, 2028. Reducing Entanglements and Vessel Strikes Makes Extinction Less Likely for North Atlantic Right Whales NOAA Fisheries has released a comprehensive population viability analysis for endangered North Atlantic right whales. Results show that both vessel strikes and entanglement of these whales need to be considerably reduced for the species to continue to exist. This new analytical tool helps users understand how the population will change over 100 years if threats are mitigated. Upcoming Deadlines October 23: Applications due for 2024 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program October 30: Comments due for the proposed reclassification of pillar coral from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act November 6: Proposals due for Innovative Strategies to Reduce Red Snapper Discards in the South Atlantic November 8: Applications due for Tribal Priority Fish Passage Grants November 17: Applications due for Transformational Habitat Restoration Grants November 21: Applications due for 2024 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant competition November 22: Letters of Intent due for Fiscal Year 2024 Small Business Innovation Research Notice of Funding Opportunity  November 30: Letters of intent due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity December 15: Pre-proposals due for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2024 Funding Opportunity December 18: Public comments due for proposed federal management of salmon fishing in Cook Inlet December 18: Public comments due for the 60-day request for information on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska  December 19: Applications due for Coastal Habitat Restoration Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities  December 20: Applications due for Fiscal Year 2024 Small Business Innovation Research Notice of Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Funding Opportunity March 20: Full proposals due for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2024 Funding Opportunity View more news and announcements Upcoming Events October 23–26: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council October 2023 Meeting October 27: Deadline to apply to the working group for the management strategy evaluation for dolphinfish in the U.S. Atlantic  November 1–8: Pacific Fishery Management Council November 2023 Meeting November 4–5: 2023 Right Whale Festival November 14: Virtual public listening session on the 60-day request for information on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska  November 14: Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee November 2023 Meeting November 14–16: Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Meeting November 15: Virtual public listening session on the 60-day request for information on Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in Alaska  November 16: Rice's Whale Scientific Symposium in Washington, DC November 28: Webinar for Educators—Designing Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for Special Education Learners 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

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