October 12, 2016
EVENTS
October 13
Free Atlantic Shark Identification workshop in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Open session of the fall meeting of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Honolulu. October 15 - 16Visit the NOAA booth at Wellfleet OysterFest in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
October 17 - 21
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi. October 17 - November 1
Four public meetings to discuss an industry-funded monitoring omnibus amendment, hosted by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, in three states and via webinar.
October 20 and 26
Two free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshops in South Carolina and New Jersey. October 25Public hearing on the Atlantic cobia recreational fishing season hosted via webinar by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. October 25 - 28Recovery planning workshop for the Main Hawaiian Islands false killer whale distinct population segment, open to the public, in Honolulu. November 4 and 7Two free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshops in North Carolina and Florida.
November 10
Free Atlantic Shark Identification workshop in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.November 15 - 17New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. November 15 - 21Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Garden Grove, California.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Proposals due for 2017 Community-based Marine Debris Removal grants. October 15Abstracts due for the 2017 Northeast Aquaculture Conference and Exposition.
Applications due for 2017 Species Recovery Grants to States. October 31Nominations due for membership on the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific scientific review groups, established to provide advice on regional marine mammal issues.
November 18Nominations due for the 2017 Climate Adaptation Leadership Awards. December 19Proposals due for 2017 Marine Debris Researchgrants.
FEDERAL REGISTER ACTIONS
Visit regulations.gov for a list of only those actions open for public comment. Scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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Join NOAA Fisheries this October in celebrating Seafood Month! We'll be sharing some "Seafood Soundbites" to help you make smart, sustainable seafood choices all year round.
This year, not only does the Magnuson-Stevens Act-the primary law governing marine fisheries in U.S. federal waters-turn 40, but we've also reached another significant milestone in fisheries management. We're announcing our 40th rebuilt stock: barndoor skate. And while you might not find barndoor skate on the menu, we're sharing some delicious recipes for other rebuilt stocks for National Seafood Month.
The health and safety of our observers and at-sea monitors is a top priority for the agency. As part of an ongoing effort to review our observer program, NOAA Fisheries has launched an Observer Safety Review to be conducted by an outside contractor and finished in late 2017. The results will inform the NOAA Fisheries' observer program and international observer programs alike.
The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) met in Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier this month. Parties to the convention agreed on conservation actions for chambered nautiluses, devil rays, and sharks. These slow-growing and slow-reproducing species are at risk of overexploitation due to commercial trade for their shells, fins, gill rakers, and meat.
NOAA Fisheries announced a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Pacific bluefin tuna as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. We found that the petition presents substantial evidence to merit further consideration, and we will conduct a status review of the population to determine whether listing is warranted. Please submit pertinent scientific and commercial information by December 12.
NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will initiate a 5-year review for the North Pacific Ocean loggerhead sea turtle distinct population segment to ensure its listing classification under the Endangered Species Act is accurate. The agencies also intend to draft a recovery plan for the population. Please submit pertinent scientific and commercial information by
December 12.
By January 9, please submit your comments on the draft regional marine mammal stock assessment reports for the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions, which were recently revised according to new information.
Although prevention of marine debris is essential, removal of debris already in our oceans is also necessary. NOAA's Marine Debris Program offers annual competitive funding for projects that focus on community-based marine debris removal. Read about the 14 recipients of the 2016 funds.
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In Alaska, NOAA scientists work with the fishing industry to learn more about the impacts of trawling on marine habitats. Conducting collaborative research studies on board fishing vessels helped better reproduce the impacts of particular fishing gear. Ultimately, the findings help the industry fish using the most environmentally friendly practices, promoting the long-term sustainability of the fisheries.
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By November 10, please submit your comments on proposed regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act to implement two resolutions adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). One regulation would require purse seine vessels to ensure that fish aggregating devices are marked with unique codes. The other would prohibit purse seine vessels from retaining carcasses of silky sharks caught in the IATTC Convention Area.
Meet Eric Chavez, a marine habitat resource specialist with NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Regional Office. Eric discusses his work to conserve fish habitat in Southern California, including unique partnerships and ongoing projects.
New grants from NOAA Fisheries will fund collaborative efforts between marine mammal researchers and West Coast crab fishermen to head off a sharp increase in the number of large whales that get entangled in crab pot lines.
The final necropsy reports for Southern Resident killer whales L95 and J32 are now available online. NOAA Fisheries convened an independent panel of scientists to review the findings of the necropsy of L95, a 20-year-old male tagged by Northwest Fisheries Science Center scientists. That report is also available now online.
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NOAA-funded scientists working in the Hawaiian Archipelago are calling some of the deep coral reefs found in the region's so-called oceanic "twilight zone" the most extensive on record, with several large areas of 100 percent cover. They also found that the deep coral reefs studied have twice as many species unique to Hawaii as their shallow-water counterparts.
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By December 6, please submit your comments on proposed Amendment 37 to the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The amendment would manage South Atlantic hogfish as two populations (North Carolina to Georgia, and East Florida/Florida Keys). The amendment would establish a rebuilding plan for the southerly population and specify limits and accountability measures for both. |
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Like other diadromous fish species in New England, today's populations of American shad are at historically low levels. But there are signs of a rebound and cause for optimism. This year, the number of American shad returning to the Milford Dam-which, after recent dam removals, is now the lowermost dam on Maine's Penobscot River-represented a five-fold increase over last year's returns.
David Packer, a marine ecologist from NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, reviews his decades of work to build awareness of essential fish habitat. When Essential Fish Habitat provisions became part of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1996, David helped agency scientists collect the species-specific habitat information that managers needed.
Following a comprehensive review, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council determined that management of river herring and shad through a council fishery management plan is not warranted. The council will continue to work with partners, including the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission-which currently manages these stocks-to promote effective conservation and management of river herring and shad.
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