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WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
International - NOAA tackling international challenges at Kobe III meeting |
NOAA officials played a critical role in the international tuna management meeting known as 'KOBE III', which was held July 12-14, 2011, in La Jolla, CA. The Kobe III meeting brought together all five regional tuna fisheries management organizations from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans and adjacent seas. These international organizations are charged with coordinating scientific research and developing conservation and management measures for highly migratory species, including tunas, swordfish, billfish and some sharks. The organizations also take action to adopt measures to protect bycatch species such as sea turtles and seabirds.
A key focus of Kobe III was the consideration of global tools to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It was also a critical opportunity for the United States and its international partners to reach agreement on methods and approaches for implementing science-based management, improving the coordination of data collection and monitoring programs, and encouraging the use of fishing practices that reduce bycatch. Read more |
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National – Annual fish stock report shows steady progress towards rebuilding our nation's fisheries |
In this 35th anniversary year of the Magnuson Stevens Act, the nation's cornerstone for managing living marine resources, NOAA Fisheries has released the 14th Annual Report to Congress on the Status of the Nation's Fisheries. This report documents the national journey toward ending overfishing and rebuilding the nation's fisheries. As noted in the report, 2010 was a watershed year in the national commitment to sustainable fisheries and seafood. By the end of 2010, annual catch limits and accountability measures were in place for all stocks subject to overfishing and the U.S. is on track for implementing these same measures on all remaining stocks by the end of 2011. These measures work to prevent overfishing and quickly respond when overfishing is determined.
Progress continues on overfished stocks, with three fisheries stocks from the Northeast – Georges Bank haddock, Atlantic pollock and spiny dogfish –now been rebuilt to healthy levels, bringing the total rebuilt since 2000 to 21. Notably, the majority of domestic stocks are not subject to overfishing and not overfished. While 40 are subject to overfishing and 48 overfished, all are under rebuilding plans or have plans in development. This significant progress would not be possible without the hard work of scientists and managers, the commitment and investment of U.S. fishermen, and the support of stakeholders for the innovative, responsive and transparent process that has evolved. Read more |
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National - NOAA announces aquaculture initiative to enable domestic seafood production and create jobs in coastal communities |
| On July 11, 2011, NOAA's administrator announced the Aquaculture Technology Transfer Initiative, a new initiative to help meet our country's growing demand for seafood, while creating jobs and restoring healthy ecosystems. As part of this initiative, NOAA will work with its partners in the private sector, academia, government and communities to advance technology, monitor performance indicators, and showcase best practices and market-based standards. The initiative will be implemented with the active involvement of NOAA's regional offices and science centers, Sea Grant Extension, and other federal, state, local and non-governmental partners. NOAA and its partners will identify and pursue projects that promote sustainable domestic marine aquaculture. American expertise and innovation has played a significant role in the development of aquaculture in foreign countries. The DOC and NOAA policies and this new initiative will promote sustainable practices and developments in the U.S. so that American ingenuity can be applied here at home. Read more |
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National – NOAA, BOEMRE and Fish and Wildlife Service advance Nation's largest survey of marine protected species |
The nation's largest survey of protected marine species is now underway for its second year along the East Coast. Aboard the NOAA ships Henry B. Bigelow and Gordon Gunter, researchers are documenting animals in deeper waters beyond the edge of the continental shelf off the northeastern and southeastern U.S. During July and August, NOAA aircraft will carry observers surveying for animals in the shallower waters on the shelf all along the East Coast, and USFWS aircraft will survey for seabirds during August from Maine to Florida.
The expeditions are part of the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS), a joint multi-year study involving NOAA's Fisheries Service, BOEMRE and USFWS. Comprehensive surveys of this type are rare, partly because it is difficult to collect the data. These surveys will allow scientists not only to better estimate the abundance of marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds in U.S. Atlantic waters, but also to investigate how the animals' distribution and abundance relate to the physical and biological ecosystem. The study will help NOAA Fisheries manage, conserve and protect living marine resources within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, waters three to 200 miles offshore. The study also will help inform BOEMRE's decision-making process for future energy development. Finally, this partnership will give USFWS much better scientific information about seabird populations, so that the agency can more clearly define the needs of these species and make better management decisions. Read more |
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National – Several teachers return from NOAA Teacher at Sea missions |
Steve Wilkie, a high school science teacher at South Fort Myers High School, recently returned after 14 days of assisting scientists surveying groundfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Wilkie boarded Oregon II, a NOAA ship, on June 23 in Pascagoula, Miss. Survey findings will be used for population assessments and models that improve how Gulf fisheries, including shrimp and red snapper, are managed. The research mission also examined some of the non-living features of the Gulf, including the "dead zone", an area of low-oxygen water that extends from the mouth of the Mississippi River every year. Wilkie's blog of his at-sea experience is accessible online.
Tammy Orilio, a high school teacher from Parkland, FL, and Jason Moeller, a science educator at the Knoxville Zoo, recently returned after 18 days of assisting scientists surveying walleye pollock in the Gulf of Alaska. The teachers boarded the Oscar Dyson, a NOAA ship, on June 13th in Kodiak, Alaska. They assisted the scientists as they fished and measured the walleye pollock they caught. Orilio and Moeller both kept blogs of their experience, accessible at www.orilioisateacheratsea.blogspot.com and teacheratsea.wordpress.com/category/teachers/jason-moeller.
Now in its 21st year, NOAA's Teacher at Sea program has provided over 600 teachers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience participating in science at sea. This year, NOAA received applications from more than 250 teachers, and chose 33 to participate in research cruises. The educators chosen are able to enrich their curricula with the depth of understanding they gain by living and working side-by-side, day and night, with scientists studying the marine environment. Read more |
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National – NOAA Fisheries notifies international trade permit holders to take care if importing bluefin tuna products harvested by Libya |
| Through the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), it has come to the attention of NOAA Fisheries that Libyan vessels may not be meeting ICCAT requirements for Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean. NOAA Fisheries advises importers to take great care with respect to any import of Atlantic bluefin tuna harvested by Libyan vessels in 2011, as these shipments may have been illegally harvested and could be subject to increased scrutiny and potential liability. Read more |
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Northeast - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council submits Amendment 11 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan, seeks public comment through September 6 |
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 11 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan for review by the Secretary of Commerce and is requesting comments from the public. The goals of Amendment 11 are to:
(1) Establish a cap on capacity in the mackerel fishery via a limited access program based on current and historical participation that does not impede optimal U.S. utilization of the fishery;
(2) Update the species' essential fish habitat (EFH) definitions;
(3) Evaluate fishing-related impacts on Loligo egg EFH and, if necessary, minimize any adverse effects on Loligo egg EFH caused by fishing; and
(4) Establish an allocation for the recreational mackerel fishery to facilitate implementation of upcoming Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs).
Comments must be received on or before September 6, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Northeast – NOAA Fisheries proposes Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan, seeks public comment through August 5 |
| NOAA Fisheries has proposed regulations to implement Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Deep-Sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The New England Fishery Management Council developed Amendment 3 to bring the FMP into compliance with the annual catch limit (ACL) and accountability measure (AM) requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Although recommended by the Council as part of Amendment 3, this proposed rule announces NOAA Fisheries' intention to disapprove proposed measures to modify the existing trap restrictions and to remove the prohibition on landing more than one standard tote of female red crabs. Comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. eastern standard time, on August 5, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Southeast – NOAA Fisheries lists largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti) as endangered |
| NOAA Fisheries has issued a final determination to list the largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA Fisheries does not intend to propose to designate critical habitat for the species. NOAA Fisheries has reviewed the status of the species and conservation efforts being made to protect the species, considered public and peer review comments, and has determined that the largetooth sawfish is in danger of extinction throughout its range, and should be listed as an endangered species, based on the best available scientific and commercial data. Read more |
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Alaska - North Pacific Fishery Management Council submits Amendment 13 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Scallop fishery off Alaska for review by the Secretary of Commerce, seeks public comment through September 9 |
| The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has submitted Amendment 13 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Scallop fishery off Alaska for review by the Secretary of Commerce. If approved, Amendment 13 would implement an annual catch limit and accountability measures to prevent overfishing in the target fishery for weathervane scallops. Implementing these measures would require revising the maximum sustainable yield and the optimum yield for weathervane scallops to account for total catch. Amendment 13 would also clarify that, in the absence of a statewide estimate of spawning biomass for weathervane scallops, the overfishing level is specified as the maximum sustainable yield. Under Amendment 13, scallop species not targeted in the fishery would be classified as Ecosystem Component species. Written comments on Amendment 13 must be received on or before 5 p.m., Alaska local time, on September 9, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Southwest - Conserving water to save salmon in California |
| One of the main missions of NOAA Fisheries Southwest Region is to protect endangered and threatened salmon. Since one of the biggest threats to salmon in California is a lack of water in the streams and rivers in which they spawn, water conservation is very important to ensure their survival. Southwest Region employees all do what they can to conserve water, but some take it to a higher level. Chris Yates and Chris Fanning, from the regional headquarters in Long Beach, CA have replaced their lawns with drought tolerant plants to help reduce their water consumption. Read more |
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Southwest/Pacific Islands – NOAA Fisheries requests public comment on proposed amendments for eastern Pacific longline and purse seine fisheries for tuna and tuna-like species per the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, comments due July 27 |
| NOAA Fisheries is requesting public comment on certain amendments under consideration for the regulations governing the longline and purse seine fisheries targeting tuna and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific Ocean to conform to recommendations adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). At its Eighty-first Meeting, held in September 2010, members of the IATTC adopted three recommendations addressing tuna conservation, seabirds, and prohibiting fishing on data buoys. The United States already has domestic seabird conservation measures in place for U.S. longline fisheries that operate in the eastern Pacific that satisfy IATTC's recommendations, so no additional regulatory action is required to implement this recommendation. The United States is considering amending regulations to implement IATTC Recommendations on Tuna Conservation and the Recommendation Prohibiting Fishing on Data Buoys, which would require rulemaking to implement domestically. Comments must be submitted in writing by July 27, 2011. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Pacific Islands – NOAA Fisheries disapproves amendment that would have prohibited purse seine fishing within 75 nm of shore around American Samoa |
| NOAA Fisheries has disapproved proposed Amendment 3 to the Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific that would have prohibited purse seine fishing within 75 nm of shore around American Samoa. NOAA Fisheries found that the proposed measures were inconsistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act's National Standard 2 which requires conservation and management measures to be based on the best scientific information available and that fishery actions be founded on thorough analyses that allow the agency to conclude that the selected alternative will accomplish necessary and appropriate conservation and management objectives. Therefore, NOAA Fisheries has withdrawn the proposed rule for Amendment 3. Read more |
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EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS July 19: NOAA Fisheries to Hold Public Meeting on Revising National Standard 10 Guidelines On April 21, 2011, NOAA Fisheries published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to request public comment on potential revisions to the National Standard 10 Guidelines. NOAA Fisheries is holding several meetings where presentations are given on National Standard 10. The public is allowed to comment at the meetings. The next meeting will be held July 19, 2011 from 10 am – noon at the Swedish Cultural Center in Seattle, Washington. Read more
Due July 29: Call for Nominations for the 2011 David H. Hart AwardThe Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking nominations for the 21st annual Captain David H. Hart Award. This annual award will be presented at the Commission's 70th Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, November 7-10, 2011. Anyone associated with the Commission's activities is encouraged to nominate worthy candidates – individual(s) who contribute to the betterment of the fisheries of the Atlantic Coast through significant biological, legislative, enforcement, or management activities. A nomination should include a description of the candidate's achievements and effects on the fisheries of the Atlantic coast. Please note that candidates nominated but not selected the previous year will now be carried over and therefore do not need to be re-nominated. Nominations should be sent as soon as possible to Laura C. Leach via email: lleach@asmfc.org; fax at (703)842-0741; or U.S. mail at 1050 N. Highland St, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201. Please indicate on your nomination that it is a confidential document. All nominations must be received no later than Friday, July 29, 2011.
Nominations Sought for Open Positions on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee; Nominations Accepted through August 26Nominations are being sought for appointment by the Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) beginning in January 2012. MAFAC advises the Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The Committee makes recommendations to the Secretary to assist in the development and implementation of Departmental regulations, policies and programs critical to the mission and goals of NOAA Fisheries. MAFAC members represent a wide spectrum of fisheries interests, environmental, academic, state, tribal, consumer and other related national interests. Members draw on their expertise, experience and other appropriate sources to conduct their work.
Nominations are encouraged from all interested parties involved with or representing interests affected by NOAA Fisheries actions in managing living marine resources. Nominees should possess demonstrable expertise in a field related to the management of living marine resources and be able to fulfill the time commitments required for two annual meetings. Individuals serve for a term of three years for no more than two consecutive terms if re-appointed. NOAA Fisheries is seeking qualified nominees to fill upcoming vacancies being created by term limits.
Full nomination instructions and guidelines are detailed in the Federal Register notice. For more information please contact: Executive Director, MAFAC
NOAA Fisheries Holding Several Public Meetings in July and August on Reducing Risk of Serious Injury or Mortality of Large Whales Due to Entanglements in Vertical LinesNOAA Fisheries is holding 15 public scoping meetings during July and August to solicit public comments on ways to reduce the risk of serious injury or mortality of North Atlantic right, humpback and fin whales as a result of vertical lines (buoy lines) in commercial trap/pot and gillnet fisheries. NOAA Fisheries is committed to publishing a final rule to address vertical line entanglement by 2014. Read more
NOAA Fisheries Announces Workshops on Protected Species Release, Disentanglement, and Identification and Atlantic Shark Identification in July, August, and SeptemberNOAA Fisheries will hold free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops in July, August, and September of 2011. Certain fishermen and shark dealers are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and maintain valid permits. The Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop is mandatory for all federally permitted Atlantic shark dealers. The Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop is mandatory for vessel owners and operators who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear, and who have also been issued shark or swordfish limited access permits. Additional free workshops will be conducted during 2011. Click here for more information, dates, and locations.
NOAA Fisheries to Hold Six Public Hearings in August on Proposed Revisions to Critical Habitat for the Hawaiian Monk SealNOAA Fisheries will hold six public hearings for the proposed rule to revise critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal, which was published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2011. Meetings will be held:
• August 8, 2011 - Mitchell Pauole Center, 90 Ainoa Street, Kaunakakai, Molokai 96748 - 5:30-8 p.m.
• August 9, 2011 - Kihei Community Center, 303 E. Lipoa Street, Kihei, Maui 96753 - 5:30-8 p.m.
• August 10, 2011 - Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, 4191 Hardy Street, Lihue, Kauai 96766 - 5:30-8 p.m.
• August 11, 2011 - McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Park, 1201 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, Oahu 96814 - 5:30-8 p.m.
• August 15, 2011 - Mokupapapa Discovery Center, 308 Kamehameha Avenue, Suite 109, Hilo, Hawaii 96720 - 5:30-8 p.m.
• August 16, 2011 - Kahakai Elementary School, 76-147 Royal Poinciana Drive, Kailua Kona, Hawaii 96740 - 6:30-9 p.m.
Read more
As noted in the proposed rule, NOAA Fisheries will also consider written comments received on or before August 31, 2011. Submit a written comment
WWF Announces 2011 International Smart Gear Design Competition to Reduce Fisheries Bycatch; Open March 1 – August 31The World Wildlife Fund recently launched the 2011 International Smart Gear Competition, to find innovative ways to reduce the amount of fisheries bycatch. NOAA, Fondation Segré, ISSF, and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans are supporting the 2011 competition. Open to anyone from fishermen, backyard inventors and students, the competition will be open from March 1 to August 31, 2011. The 2011 International Smart Gear Competition is offering a grand prize of $30,000 and two $10,000 runner-up prizes. Additionally, in partnership with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), the competition is offering a $7,500 special tuna prize that will be awarded to the idea that will reduce the amount of bycatch found in tuna fisheries. Tuna sustainability is the top WWF global fisheries conservation priority.
FEDERAL REGISTER ACTIONS
For a list of only those actions open for public comment, go to http://www.regulations.gov and scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal register online
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