NOAA Fisheries FishNews—June 20th

JUNE 20, 2024 NOAA Celebrates Sea Turtle Week 2024 Swim Into Sea Turtle Week During Sea Turtle Week 2024, we're highlighting the six sea turtle species found in U.S. waters and our work to conserve them. Take a dive into our sea turtle features and videos and follow us on social media to learn how you can help, too. Sea Turtle Week: Partners in Conservation NOAA Fisheries works closely with partners across the nation and the globe to conserve and recover sea turtles. Read a message from Kim Damon-Randall, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources, about these efforts as we celebrate Sea Turtle Week. Podcast: Tackling Sea Turtle Bycatch with International Fishing Communities The latest episode of Dive In with NOAA Fisheries highlights an international program that’s taking a community-based approach to reducing bycatch of protected sea turtles along the Pacific coast of Mexico. Eyes in the Sky: Using Drones to Measure Sea Turtles Scientists from NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest and Southeast science centers are teaming up to measure sea turtles from aerial photos taken by drones, through a process called photogrammetry. An experiment photographing and measuring toy sea turtles in waters of different clarity helps the scientists check their methods. Massachusetts Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles: A Sign of Climate Change? The number of cold-stunned turtles on Cape Cod are increasing, likely in part due to climate change. Warming waters lure more turtles north, where the geography of Cape Cod can trap them well into the colder season. We are adapting our response and planning for the future to accommodate increasing numbers. Highlights Restoring Coral and Stream Banks through the National Fish Habitat Partnership In 2023, NOAA Fisheries funded several projects to restore habitat through the coastal National Fish Habitat Partnerships. Learn how our partners are making great strides in habitat restoration and angler engagement projects in Hawaiʻi and Alaska. Voyage of the Totoaba: 30-Year Journey, Lasting Scientific Legacy In 1992, officials seized an illegally harvested totoaba roughly 6 feet long at the U.S.-Mexico border. Almost 30 years later, that fish arrived at its final resting place—the National Systematics Laboratory, located inside the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Learn the story of this totoaba and what transpired during the three decades between its initial seizure and its arrival in DC. NOAA Fisheries Presented with 2023 Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award On June 10, the Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds presented NOAA Fisheries with the 2023 Presidential Migratory Bird Federal Stewardship Award. The award recognizes a NOAA Fisheries partnership project that aims to maximize the scientific value of birds taken incidentally in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Alaska NOAA Fisheries to Delay New Aerial Survey for Cook Inlet Beluga Whales Since 2010, NOAA Fisheries scientists have conducted a biennial aerial survey to estimate the abundance and trends of endangered beluga whales in Cook Inlet. Mechanical issues have delayed this summer’s planned survey until 2025. The science team will continue an ongoing photo-identification project, using images collected by drone, to estimate abundance this year. West Coast Commercial Pacific Halibut Season Set to Open June 25 The first 3-day commercial directed Pacific halibut fishing season of 2024 in convention waters off the West Coast begins next week. The season opens on Tuesday, June 25, at 8 a.m. and ends on Thursday, June 27, at 6 p.m. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, along with our state and federal partners, will be out on the water and at the docks, conducting patrols throughout the season. Upcoming Deadlines June 21: Applications due for members of the American Fisheries Advisory Committee July 1: Deadline for nominations for the 2024 Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award   July 23: Applications due for FY 2025 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition July 31: Comments due on NOAA Fisheries’ draft update to the Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Roadmap View more news and announcements Upcoming Events June 24–28: Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Meeting June 24–27: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting June 24–27: New England Fishery Management Council Meeting June 25–27: Educator Workshop—Mid-Atlantic Climate Change Education Conference July 15–18: Educator Workshop—Summer Institute for Climate Change Education July 29–August 2: Educator Workshop—Teachers on the Estuary Chesapeake Bay August 10: Woods Hole Science Stroll at NOAA Fisheries August 12–15: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting 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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