NOAA Fisheries FishNews – July 23, 2020

JULY 23, 2020

Too Hot to Cook? Try Ceviche! The dog days of summer are here. Fortunately, you can Eat Seafood, America! without turning up the heat. Ceviche—a delicious dish made of raw seafood marinated in citrus juice—really hits the spot on a steamy summer day. Try this tasty skipjack tuna ceviche and visit FishWatch for more amazing recipes.

Highlights Last Call for Comments—U.S. Seafood Trade Task Force Seeks Input The Federal Register published a notice inviting the U.S. seafood and fishing industry to submit comments and suggestions for the newly established task force, which will be co-chaired by the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Commerce. The task force stems from the Presidential Executive Order signed May 7, 2020, on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth, and will work to support fair market access for U.S. seafood products through trade policy and negotiations. Looking Back On 30 Years of Teachers at Sea This week, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of NOAA’s Teacher at Sea program. Join us as we look back at the history and accomplishments of this groundbreaking program. NOAA Fisheries Launches Stock SMART NOAA Fisheries launched Stock SMART, its public access point for information related to Stock Status, Management, Assessment, and Resources Trends. Through Stock SMART, stakeholders can navigate, access, compare, and download thousands of stock assessment and status determination results for federally managed fish stocks. Stock SMART’s mission is to increase transparency, understanding, and trust in the fisheries management decision-making process by broadening awareness of the condition of fishery resources and informing discussions about the best ways to sustainably manage fisheries.

Alaska Current Sea Surface Temperatures in the Eastern Bering Sea A brief technical issue with the satellite data made the Bering Sea briefly appear cooler. With this technical problem solved, the bigger problem—near record warming—persists.

West Coast Three Partner-Driven Projects Restoring Polluted California Habitats NOAA invests in the environment—and communities. We provide scientific expertise, and funding from pollution settlements, to partners restoring habitat impacted by oil spills and hazardous waste releases. In California, we are partnering with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and local community organizations in areas where pollution has caused extensive impacts on natural resources. Meet Polly Hicks, Policy, Planning, and Communications Supervisor Polly Hicks is the Policy, Planning, and Communications Supervisor for the NOAA Restoration Center, a division of the Office of Habitat Conservation. She has been with NOAA for 15 years. She recently relocated to NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, after spending more than a decade at the Restoration Center’s Office in Seattle.

Pacific Islands Hawksbill Sea Turtles Are Truly Hawaiʻi Locals A team of NOAA researchers and collaborators recently shed light on the small population of endangered hawksbill sea turtles in Hawaiʻi. Their study revealed that most Hawaiian hawksbills spend their entire lives within the archipelago, making them true Hawaiʻi locals. The study also revealed that long ago, Hawaiʻi likely served as a “stepping stone” for hawksbills to colonize other parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Greater Atlantic Meet NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office 2020 Summer Interns The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, in partnership with the Chesapeake Research Consortium, is hosting five interns this summer. They started in mid-June and are with us until mid-August. Usually, our summer interns work in person with NOAA staff at our offices and in the field. This year is, of course, different. The interns are teleworking and are meeting frequently with their mentors and other staff virtually. Baleen Whales Have Changed Their Distribution in the Western North Atlantic A decade of acoustic data reveals changes in distribution in four species of baleen whales since 2010. Warming ocean waters and shifting prey could be among the reasons. Meet Bjorn Lake, National Fish Passage Engineer Bjorn Lake is a National Fish Passage Engineer at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Bjorn has worked with NOAA for five years. He currently works at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Meet Julie Reichert-Nguyen, Natural Resources Specialist Julie is a natural resources specialist with the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis. She focuses on climate issues in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Program. Julie has been with NOAA for just under a year.

Upcoming Events  July 29 Webinar: What the New Executive Order on Seafood Means for Expanding Sustainable U.S. Seafood Production

Federal Register Actions Visit NOAA Fisheries' Rules & Regulations web page to learn more about recently proposed and finalized regulations in your region.

Corrections or technical questions should be sent to the FishNews Editor at editor.fishnews@noaa.gov. www.fisheries.noaa.gov

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