WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
National – NOAA-Supported Whale Rescue Inspires Hollywood
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| Universal Pictures recently premiered Big Miracle,
a new movie inspired by "Operation Breakthrough," the real-life rescue
of three gray whales trapped by sea ice off the coast of Barrow, Alaska,
in 1988. Dave Withrow, a NOAA Fisheries marine mammal biologist,
participated throughout the two-week rescue. Withrow, who still works
for NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center, talks about his experience
in an interview found here. View images of "Operation Breakthrough" in NOAA Fisheries image gallery. Read more |
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National
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries Extend Comment
Period on Proposed Policy to Improve Implementation of Endangered
Species Act; Comments Now Due March 8
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| The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, the two federal
agencies responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act,
recently announced a 30-day extension of the public comment period on a
draft policy interpreting the phrase "significant portion of its range"
in the Act's definitions of "endangered species" and "threatened
species." Considering the complexity of the issues addressed in the
draft policy and the level of public interest, the agencies determined
that additional time for public comment will be particularly valuable
for this action. The public comment period on the draft policy will now
close on March 8, 2012. Information about this policy and how it will
improve administration of the Act can be found online. Read more |
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National – NOAA Honors the Regional Fishery Management Councils
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| On
January 30, 2012, NOAA and NOAA Fisheries honored the eight fishery
management councils for their role in shaping the science-based
management of U.S. fisheries and the historic milestone to be achieved
this year with the implementation of annual catch limits on all
federally managed fisheries. These eight councils and the challenges
unique to each of their regions, have developed the diverse innovations
in management and science that defines U.S. fisheries. Presided over by
the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D.,
recognized each council with a plaque for their unique contributions to
managing the nation's fisheries. Read more |
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National - New Method Improves Recreational Catch Estimates
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As
part of NOAA's ongoing work to improve the accuracy of and confidence
in recreational fishing data, NOAA Fisheries and leading experts in the
field have developed a new peer-reviewed method for calculating
recreational catch estimates. The new technique addresses a major
recommendation made by the National Research Council for improving our
recreational data collection program and fulfills an important mandate
of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
The new catch methodology fixes a "mismatch" between the way we collect
information from anglers during dockside interviews, and how we use that
data to generate catch estimates. There are no consistent trends either
in size or direction of change between the improved Marine Recreational
Information Program estimates and what has been previously reported. On
a species-by-species basis, some estimates go up, some go down, and
some remain about the same. However, in all cases, the numbers are more
accurate. Read more |
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National - New Probiotic Bacteria Shows Promise for Use in Shellfish Aquaculture
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| Researchers
at NOAA's Milford Laboratory in Milford, Conn. have shown that
naturally-occurring bacteria isolated from the digestive glands of adult
eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and northern bay scallops (Argopecten irradians irradians)
may be used as potential probiotic candidates in oyster larviculture.
The use of probiotic bacteria, isolated from naturally-occurring
bacterial communities, is gaining in popularity in the aquaculture
industry as the preferred, environmentally-friendly management
alternative to the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials for
disease prevention. Known to the public for their use in yogurt and
other foods to improve human digestion and health, probiotic bacteria
isolated from other sources can also be used to improve survival,
nutrition and disease prevention in larvae grown in shellfish
hatcheries. Read more |
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National
– NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Revising Guidelines for
Preparing Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports; Comments due March 26
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| The
Marine Mammal Protection Act provides only general guidance on
assessment methods and on the content of the Reports. As a result, NOAA
Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have held a series of
workshops since 1994 to develop guidelines that may be consistently
applied nationally to marine mammal stock assessments. NOAA Fisheries is
currently seeking public comments on draft revisions to these
guidelines. Comments must be received by March 26, 2012. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Pacific Islands - NOAA Fisheries Removes Aggressive Monk Seal KE18 from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
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| An
aggressive Hawaiian monk seal known for attacking pups and juvenile
seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, has been removed from the
wild and is no longer a threat to young monk seals at Midway and Kure.
Crews carefully caught the seal, known as KE18, and sedated him with
valium. The nine-year-old seal was placed in an outdoor cage for about
nine hours before being flown over to Honolulu. KE18 is staying
temporarily at the Waikiki Aquarium, and officials said he is adjusting
nicely. Dr. Charles Littnan, lead scientist for NOAA's Monk Seal
Research Program, said KE18's aggressive behavior in the wild is not
uncommon, but what causes such behavior is still unknown. The plan is to
relocate KE18 to a marine lab at the University of California Santa
Cruz for two years. His aggressive behavior will be studied, and
scientists can also gather research vital to monk seal conservation
efforts. After KE18's two-year stay, NOAA officials plan to move him to
what they hope will be his final home, Oahu's Sea Life Park. He will not
be released back into the wild. NOAA says euthanizing KE18 is still an
option if the current plan fails. Read more |
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Northeast
– NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Exempted Fishing Permit for
Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog; Comments due Feb. 21
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| NOAA
Fisheries is soliciting public comment on an exempted fishing permit
application that would exempt up to three commercial fishing vessels
from the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog Georges Bank Closure Area.
This would continue research to assess the performance of an approved
sampling protocol and to allow for continued sample collection and
testing to obtain additional data in locations where toxin levels may be
higher than were present during the pilot phase of the study. Comments
must be received on or before February 21, 2012. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Northeast/Southeast - New Protections in Place for Atlantic Sturgeon
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NOAA Fisheries recently announced a final decision to list five distinct population segments
of Atlantic sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. The Chesapeake
Bay, New York Bight, Carolina, and South Atlantic populations of
Atlantic sturgeon will be listed as endangered, while the Gulf of Maine
population will be listed as threatened.
It has been illegal to fish for, catch or keep Atlantic sturgeon for
more than a decade. The listing decisions will not have an immediate
effect on fishing. NOAA will work with fishery management councils,
interstate fisheries managers, state agencies, and the fishing industry
to find ways to further reduce bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in federal
and state waters without unduly hampering fishing activities. For
example, NOAA continues to fund research to test modifications to
fishing gear that can reduce bycatch of fish, including Atlantic
sturgeon. Read more |
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Southeast - NOAA Fisheries Requests Public Comments on Actions Affecting South Atlantic Black Sea Bass; Comments due April 2
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| NOAA
Fisheries requests public comments on Amendment 18A to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
Region. The primary purpose of Amendment 18A is to reduce effort in the
black sea bass component of the snapper-grouper fishery to address the
continued shortening of fishing seasons caused by derby fishing
conditions, and to improve data reporting in the for-hire sector of the
snapper-grouper fishery. Comments on Amendment 18A must be received no
later than April 2, 2012. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Northwest
– NOAA Fisheries Proposes Changes to Pacific Halibut Catch Sharing Plan
for Washington, Oregon, and California; Comments due Feb. 21
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| NOAA
Fisheries is proposing to approve and implement changes to the Pacific
Halibut Catch Sharing Plan for the International Pacific Halibut
Commission's regulatory Area 2A off Washington, Oregon, and California.
NOAA Fisheries proposes to implement the portions of the Plan and
management measures that are not implemented through the Commission.
These measures include the sport fishery allocations and management
measures for Area 2A. These actions are intended to enhance the
conservation of Pacific halibut, provide greater angler opportunity
where available, and protect overfished groundfish species from being
incidentally caught in the halibut fisheries. Public comments are due
February 21, 2012. Read more or submit a comment. |
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Northwest/Southwest – NOAA Fisheries Releases Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund 2011 Report to Congress
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| The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
was established by Congress in FY 2000 to protect, restore, and
conserve Pacific salmon and steelhead populations and their habitats.
Under the Fund, NOAA Fisheries manages a program to provide funding to
states and tribes of the Pacific Coast region -- Washington, Oregon,
California, Nevada, Idaho and Alaska. The thousands of Fund projects
that have been implemented throughout the region have made important
contributions to improve the status of Endangered Species Act-listed
species, prevent extinctions, and protect currently healthy populations.
These accomplishments are summarized in independent reviews and annual Reports to Congress. The 2011 Report is now available online. |
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Southwest - Area of West Coast Now 'Critical' to Leatherbacks
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NOAA
recently designated 41,914 square miles of marine habitat in the
Pacific Ocean off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington as
critical habitat to provide protection for endangered leatherback sea
turtles. This designation will not directly affect recreational fishing,
boating, and other private activities in critical habitat. Critical
habitat designations only affect federal projects that have the
potential to adversely modify or destroy critical habitat. Critical
habitat designations aid the recovery of endangered and threatened
species by protecting habitat that the species rely on.
NOAA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have already designated critical
habitat for leatherback turtles along Sandy Point Beach at the western
end of the island of St. Croix, U.S.V.I., and in adjacent Atlantic
coastal waters. NOAA is designating this additional critical habitat in
the Pacific Ocean as a result of a petition to revise the existing
critical habitat for leatherbacks to include important habitat off the
U.S. West Coast. Read more |
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Southwest - Aerial Survey of Gray Whales Takes Off
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| Whale
researchers are taking to the sky to study the gray whale migration
that is currently underway off the coast of California. The Southwest
Fisheries Science Center's whale research team is conducting aerial surveys
from a twin otter plane to capture photos of the gray whales that are
swimming south on their annual migration from their summer feeding
grounds in the Arctic to their winter calving areas in warmer waters off
the coast of Baja California and in the Gulf of California. These
surveys are a non-invasive way to assess the body condition of gray
whales in order to gain valuable information about their reproductive
and nutritional status. Read more |
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EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOAA
Fisheries Announces Workshops on Protected Species Release,
Disentanglement, and Identification and Atlantic Shark Identification in
February and March 2012
Free Atlantic Shark Identification Workshops and Protected
Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshops will be
held in February and March of 2012. Certain fishermen and shark dealers
are required to attend a workshop to meet regulatory requirements and
maintain valid permits. Specifically, 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 2012. Click here for dates, times, and locations.
Woods Hole Science Institutions Offer Undergraduate Summer Program on Cape Cod; Applications due Feb. 15
The Partnership Education Program (PEP), a project of a
consortium of six science institutions in Woods Hole, Mass., is seeking
applicants for a 10-week summer program that combines undergraduate
course work with research in marine and environmental science. Launched
in 2009, PEP is an ongoing diversity program designed to recruit talent
from minority groups that are under-represented in marine and
environmental sciences. The 2012 PEP program will run May 31 through
August 10. The 2012 program will cover the cost of tuition, travel,
room and board, and provide a stipend. Students who apply by February 15
will have priority for admissions and financial support. Application
information and reports on the 2009, 2010 and 2011 programs are
available on the Woods Hole PEP website. Read more
NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel Meeting March 13-15
NOAA Fisheries will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly
Migratory Species Advisory Panel meeting March 13 through March 15,
2012. The intent of the meeting is to consider options for the
conservation and management of Atlantic highly migratory species. The
meeting is open to the public. The meeting will be held at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Read more
Northwest Fisheries Science Center Hosts Science Symposium on March 14-15
NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center is hosting its
3rd Science Symposium on March 14-15, 2012 at NOAA's Sand Point
facility, Building 9 Auditorium in Seattle, WA. The goals of this event
are to foster communication and collaboration among our scientists as
well as to showcase new and exciting areas of our fisheries science in
the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The 2-day symposium will consist of
oral presentations and posters contributed by Northwest Fisheries
Science Center scientists. Presentations will highlight research areas
related to the four key themes that encompass our research:
1. Ecosystem management for the California Current Large Marine
2. Habitats to support sustainable fisheries and recovered populations
3. Recover, rebuilding and sustainability of marine and anadromous species
4. Sustaining marine ecosystem and human health
Registration, an agenda, and other event information are forthcoming.
Woods Hole Science Aquarium Announces 2012 Summer Programs for High School Students; Applications due March 15
The Woods Hole Science Aquarium is offering two summer
programs for high school students in 2012, a five-week internship and a
two-week seminar devoted to careers in marine science. Both programs are
designed for students who are interested in marine science and marine
animals, aquarium operations, and marine education and conservation. To
participate in either the internship or the seminar, students must have
finished 10th, 11th or 12th grade and must be at least 16 years old by
July 2. Applicants must have U.S. citizenship. Application forms are
available in the aquarium and online.
Applicants must also provide a transcript and two references. E-mail
applications are welcome. All application materials must be postmarked
by March 15. The 2012 interns and seminar participants will be
announced by March 30. Read more
Northeast Fisheries
Science Center Announces 2012 Bradford E. Brown Summer Internship
Program for Undergraduate Students; Applications due April 15
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is offering
summer employment /internship positions in 2012 through its Bradford E.
Brown Student Internship Program. Named for a retired NOAA Fisheries
scientist who was a leader in introducing young people to fisheries
science, the program offers a limited number of paid summer positions
during May to September distributed across Center programs and
laboratories. Research topics include population biology and dynamics,
resource assessment and environmental surveys, taxonomy, physical and
biological oceanography, social sciences, data management, larval
fish/plankton ecology, large marine ecosystems, aquaculture,
biotechnology, remote sensing, protected species and apex predators. To
participate in the internship program, applicants must be an active
full-time student or half-time undergraduate/graduate student at a
college or university for the upcoming 2012 school year at the time of
application, or be accepted as a full-time or half-time student in an
academic program for the 2012 school year by the time the summer
position begins. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen. All completed
application materials must be postmarked by April 15, 2012. Read more
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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