NOAA Fisheries FishNews – April 25, 2018

April 25, 2018 HIGHLIGHTS NOAA Fisheries Celebrates Fish Migration Day In honor of World Fish Migration Day on April 21, we’re showcasing migratory fish facts and conservation efforts from sea to shining sea. 21 Migratory Fish Facts From river herring and Atlantic salmon to rainbow smelt, even the most die-hard fish fans will learn something new. How Do Scientists Know Where Fish Go? Acoustic telemetry—electronic tags that can be read by a receiver—helps researchers keep tabs on fish movement to learn more about where and when they migrate. West Coast Veterans Connect Fish to Upstream Habitat Veterans Corps programs in Washington and California are providing former service members with new skills and valuable job experiences as they help improve habitat connections for migratory fish populations. State-of-the-Art Fish Passage A recent collaboration between NOAA and 33 partners, years in the making, installed state-of-the-art fish passage along Oregon’s Clackamas River while maintaining hydropower generation for the surrounding communities. River Herring are Running It’s that time of year—river herring are returning to Northeast rivers and streams to spawn. Volunteers help NOAA Fisheries researchers count the returning fish. . Shrimp and Abalone in the Seafood Import Monitoring Program NOAA has lifted the stay on shrimp and abalone in the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program.  By December 31, shrimp and abalone imports will be subject to SIMP reporting requirements, further leveling the playing field for rule-abiding fishermen, aquaculture producers, and seafood producers around the world. West Coast Entangled Puget Sound Whale Largely Freed After Unusual Chain of Events A gray whale entangled in fishing gear in Puget Sound on April 13 was largely freed over the weekend after a response team fitted the whale with a tracking buoy, which then serendipitously caught on a yacht's rudder and pulled off some of the entangling fishing gear. Southeast Gulf Spill Restoration: Two Years after Settlement It’s been 2 years since the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (of which NOAA is one) settled with BP and began implementing their programmatic plan to restore the Gulf of Mexico. Read an overview of outreach, planning, and restoration work completed in 2017 or, for more detail, dive into the 2017 Restoration Project Data. Greater Atlantic Watch Out for Whales East of Boston NOAA Fisheries established a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone to protect a group of five right whales sighted 12 nautical miles east of Boston on April 18. This zone is in effect through May 3.   New Software Available for VMS-Equipped Vessels A new Vessel Monitoring System software release is now available to vessel owners and operators. This software update supports recent NOAA Fisheries regulatory actions, including Sea Scallop Framework 29. Northeast Observer Coverage Requirements The 2018–2019 Northeast Fisheries Observer sea-day schedule is now available. The schedule shows how many days fishery observers plan to cover to obtain discard estimates for 14 federally managed species groups and sea turtles. Effective monitoring programs are essential to understanding and managing fish stocks. Faces of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Meet John Kocik, the station director at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Maine Field Station in Orono. A supervisory research fish biologist, John leads the Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team. Events April 30 – May 4 Georges Bank Ecosystem Strategy Peer Review in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. May 3 Free Atlantic SharkIdentification Workshop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. May 7–21 Three free Protected Species Safe Handling, Identification, and Release workshops in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. May 10 and 29 Two informational webinars on federal for-hire permit holders, hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Announcements April 26 Applications due for 2018 Chesapeake Bay Office Fisheries Science grants. May 4 Proposals due for recreational fishing education, outreach, and conservation projects in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. May 14 Pre-proposals due for 2018 Fisheries Innovation Fund. 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. For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal Register online. Corrections or technical questions should be sent to the FishNews Editor at editor.fishnews@noaa.gov. www.fisheries.noaa.gov

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