NOAA Fisheries FishNews – May 6, 2021

MAY 6, 2021

Celebrate with Seafood Mothers Day is this weekend and the moms in your life deserve to be celebrated! If you're still looking for the perfect meal to show you care, be sure to browse the recipes on FishWatch for inspiration. As our friends at Seafood Nutrition Partnership point out, seafood is not only delicious, it's also important for women's health. Just one more reason to #EatSeafoodAmerica!

Highlights Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which pays tribute to generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched our nation's history and are instrumental to its future. Join us in celebrating this month by meeting some of our colleagues from coast to coast who help NOAA Fisheries ensure sustainable fisheries, conserve and recover protected species, conduct scientific research, and conserve important habitats. Electronic Monitoring: Technology to Ensure Sustainable Fisheries Ensuring the sustainability of our nation’s fisheries—and the millions of jobs and billions of dollars in sales they support—requires a clear understanding of when, where, and how fishermen are operating and monitoring what they catch, keep, and discard. Report: The 10-year Plan for Conserving and Restoring ‘America the Beautiful’ NOAA and federal partners released the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report, a roadmap for a decade-long, inclusive, voluntary and locally-led effort to conserve at least 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030. New Discoveries and Management Decisions in the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program Report to Congress NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program just released its report to Congress. It showcases new accomplishments and scientific discoveries and summarizes exciting activities from 2018 and 2019. The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth and the least well known. Our research improved our understanding of deep-sea coral communities, supported management decisions, and leveraged joint priorities with different partners. Innovation and Dedication Earn NOAA Fisheries Scientist Prestigious “Sammie” Recognition When NOAA Fisheries Senior Scientist Jay Barlow wanted a low-cost way to assess whale populations off Southern California, he invented one. He devised a network of floating buoys that listens for whales. The buoys then triangulate and translate the acoustic data into information about the size, area, and trends in whale populations. Innovative and resourceful, Barlow is now a finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, also known as the "Sammies." Please vote for Jay! National Fish Habitat Partnership Projects to Enhance Recreational Fishing and Restore Habitat NOAA is funding four projects designed to enhance recreational fisheries engagement and restore habitat through the coastal National Fish Habitat Partnerships. Saltwater recreational fishing is a part of the fabric of coastal communities, and anglers make critical contributions to the conservation of fish habitat nationwide. NOAA Fisheries is committed to collaborating with the recreational fishing community and supporting access to sustainable saltwater recreational opportunities. These projects will actively involve anglers in habitat restoration efforts that will benefit coastal communities and economies.

Alaska New Video Looks at Environmental Conditions in the Gulf of Alaska in 2020 More than 90 researchers and local community members contributed knowledge and information to help NOAA Fisheries scientists generate an ecosystem status report for the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem last year. This new video captures some of the high points of that report.

West Coast Genetic Milestones Multiply Value of Tissue Collections, Revealing New Species and More The next generation of genetic analysis is rapidly increasing the value of tissue and DNA collections that federal scientists have quietly amassed over many years. These collections are now revealing new species, conservation insights, and details to guide modern-day management. New Web Tool Aims to Reduce Whale Entanglements on the U.S. West Coast NOAA scientists have combined the latest data on ocean conditions and marine life off the West Coast in a new tool that gives fishermen and fishery managers up-to-date ecosystem information that may help reduce the risk of whale entanglements.

Pacific Islands Monk Seal Pup Born at Kaimana Beach NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce that a Hawaiian monk seal pup was born April 26 on Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī, Oʻahu. Both the newborn male pup and his mother, RK96 (Kaiwi), are healthy. We expect that the pair will remain in the Kaimana area for approximately 6 weeks while the new pup is still nursing. The pup will remain in the area for anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months after weaning. Using Sound as a Tool to Help Count Snappers in Hawai‘i and Prevent Overfishing Snappers are economically important species for fisheries worldwide. To determine the health of snapper populations, we must monitor their abundance and record any changes in their biomass. NOAA scientists conducted a study to test new more efficient and accurate methods to regularly monitor snapper in the Hawaii bottomfish fishing grounds. The results of this study were recently published in the Journal of Marine Science. Hawaiian Monk Seals Join the Animal Telemetry Network For more than two decades, NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program has been tracking monk seals throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago as part of their larger effort to study and protect this endangered seal. And now you can see all of those tracks online.  The program has shared its entire archive of satellite telemetry locations through the Animal Telemetry Network.

Southeast $12 Million Approved for GulfCorps to Create More Jobs, Restore Thousands of Acres of Habitat After four years of success, the RESTORE Council approved almost $12 million for GulfCorps to continue work for an additional four years, restoring habitat and boosting local economies to help the Gulf Coast recover after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Greater Atlantic Using Science to Support the Chesapeake Bay’s Rockfish Population Heading out on the Chesapeake Bay for trophy rockfish season is a treasured rite of spring for recreational anglers. In the Chesapeake, fishermen often call striped bass “rockfish” because these fish often hang out near oyster reef “rocks.”

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

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