NOAA Fisheries FishNews — September 21

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Highlights NOAA Fisheries Releases Updated National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy Saltwater recreational and non-commercial fishing is an integral part of American coastal life. Following extensive engagement with the recreational fishing community, NOAA Fisheries has released updates to the 2015 National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy and multi-year national and regional implementation plans. The policy now includes goals for climate change and diversity and inclusion. Biden-Harris Administration Announces $82 Million for Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales This week, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the next steps to conserve and recover endangered North Atlantic right whales with $82 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate and conservation investment in history. It is part of the $2.6 billion framework to invest in coastal resilience that NOAA announced earlier this year. Secretary of Commerce Appoints Three New Committee Members to NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo appointed three new members to NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, bringing the group’s membership to the full complement of 21. The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce and NOAA on all marine life matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. Restoring Estuary Habitat After Oil Spills and Natural Disasters It’s National Estuaries Week! Estuaries provide critical habitat for juvenile fish, migratory birds, and other wildlife species. They also filter water pollution and protect against flooding. Learn about recent efforts by NOAA’s Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program to restore estuaries damaged by oil spills and toxic waste releases. Marine Mammal Stocks in North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Are Highly Vulnerable to Climate Change A new study led by NOAA Fisheries has found that a majority of marine mammal stocks in the western North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea are highly vulnerable or very highly vulnerable to climate change. NOAA Fisheries conducts climate vulnerability assessments for coastal and marine habitats and species as part of its Climate Science Strategy.

Alaska Collaborative Rockfish Survey Yields Promising Results NOAA Fisheries scientists and rockfish fishermen are working together to provide survey data in formerly inaccessible rocky areas of the Gulf of Alaska. Through the Science/Industry Rockfish Research Collaboration, a team of scientists and three partnering fishing vessels collected data on Pacific ocean perch, dusky rockfish, and northern rockfish. NOAA Fisheries and Partners to Host 5th Annual Belugas Count! September 23 NOAA Fisheries and partners invite the public to celebrate the 5th Annual Belugas Count! and the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act this Saturday, September 23. Beluga viewing will take place around Cook Inlet, with afternoon festivities in Anchorage and Kenai.

West Coast New Forest Conservation Plan Is a First for Oregon, Benefitting Salmon and Steelhead NOAA Fisheries has approved a new conservation framework for about 30,000 acres of private forestland in northwest Oregon. The plan will improve habitat for threatened Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead over the coming decades while the company that owns the land continues to harvest timber.

Pacific Islands NOAA Fisheries Awarded $10.28 Million to Pacific Islands Region Projects This Fiscal Year In fiscal year 2023, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office awarded approximately $10.28 million to 32 projects via grants and cooperative agreements. The projects support our efforts to achieve healthy marine ecosystems and recover threatened and endangered species in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawai‘i, and other U.S. Pacific Islands.

Southeast Restoring Habitat for Florida Sport Fish at Robinson Preserve The effects of habitat restoration efforts don’t show up overnight—it can take years for the habitats and the species using them to recover. A long-term monitoring program for the ongoing Robinson Preserve project near Tampa Bay, Florida, will help scientists better understand how the restoration is affecting recreational fisheries, the hydrology of the wetlands, and the local community.

New England/Mid-Atlantic Nearly $1.2 Million in Funding will Support Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration NOAA Fisheries is awarding nearly $1.2 million in funding for four partners to continue ongoing projects to restore habitat for Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine region. An iconic species of the Northeast, endangered Atlantic salmon now return only in small numbers to rivers in central and eastern Maine. This Gulf of Maine population is one of nine NOAA Species in the Spotlight. Meet the Aquaculture Scientist Growing Fish, Marine Worms and Sea Vegetables Together Catch up with Mike Acquafredda on a sustainable way to grow fish, what he’s learned at our Howard Laboratory in New Jersey, and what’s next for him. A Community Comes Together for a Gray Seal A gray seal that showed up in a Beverly, Massachusetts, pond quickly won over the town’s hearts during his week-long stay before officials relocated him. On the anniversary of his rescue, we catch up on what he’s been up to this past year. Science Blog: Are Restored and Natural Oyster Reefs in Long Island Sound Healthy? Mariah Kachmar is a shellfish health and disease technician at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Milford Lab in Connecticut. She gives wild oysters a health check to promote Long Island Sound restoration and aquaculture.

Upcoming Deadlines October 6: Comments due for the proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the Rice’s whale under the Endangered Species Act October 16: Applications due for Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Grants October 17: Comments due for the proposed rule to designate critical habitat for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act October 23: Applications due for 2024 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. October 30: Comments due for the proposed reclassification of pillar coral from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act November 6: Proposals due for Innovative Strategies to Reduce Red Snapper Discards in the South Atlantic November 8: Applications due for Tribal Priority Fish Passage Grants November 17: Applications due for Transformational Habitat Restoration Grants November 21: Applications due for 2024 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant competition November 30: Letters of intent due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity December 19: Applications due for Coastal Habitat Restoration Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities  February 13: Applications due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Funding Opportunity View more news and announcements

Upcoming Events September 23: Alaska 2023 Belugas Count! September 26: Public hearing for the proposed reclassification of pillar coral from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act September 26–28: New England Fishery Management Council September 2023 Meeting  September 27: Webinar on using Magnuson-Stevens Act authority for fisheries in the geographic area of more than one council September 28: Public hearing on the proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the Rice’s whale under the Endangered Species Act September 28: Listening session via webinar for the Southeast Equity and Environmental Justice Request for Information September 30: Open House at NOAA Fisheries Milford Laboratory October 3–5: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council October 2023 Meeting October 5–10: North Pacific Fishery Management Council October 2023 Meeting October 23–26: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council October 2023 Meeting November 1–8: Pacific Fishery Management Council November 2023 Meeting November 4–5: 2023 Right Whale Festival View more events

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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