NOAA Fisheries FishNews—September 28

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table Join us for Aquaculture Week 2023 to learn how marine aquaculture—or farmed seafood—is vital for supporting our nation’s seafood production and year-round jobs, enhancing coastal resilience, and more. Seaweed: The Miracle Macroalgae with Major Economic and Environmental Value Discover the versatility of seaweed and the contributions of seaweed farming—or seaweed aquaculture—to working waterfronts and environmental sustainability. Tide to Table Profile: Island Creek Oysters In the chilly waters of Duxbury, Massachusetts, Island Creek is more than a farm—it’s a destination. Tide to Table Profile: Turtle Creek Aquaculture Turtle Creek Aquaculture restores salt marshes while raising redfish, also known as red drum, in Palacios, Texas. Tide to Table Profile: Holdfast Aquaculture Planting seeds of change—Holdfast Aquaculture produces native seaweed and shellfish seed for farms in California. Tide to Table Profile: Superior Fresh Farm-fresh salmon from central Wisconsin? Meet the farmers growing salmon and leafy greens in America’s Dairyland.

Highlights Funding Available for Innovative Bycatch Solutions NOAA Fisheries is making $2.3 million available for innovative bycatch reduction solutions. We are accepting proposals for bycatch reduction projects that develop innovative technological solutions to fishery bycatch issues through collaborative research and partnerships. The deadline for pre-proposals is December 15, 2023. Full proposals are due March 20, 2024. New Interactive Tool Consolidates Data from Climate Vulnerability Assessments NOAA Fisheries has launched its new Climate Vulnerability Assessment Tool, providing information on the vulnerability of hundreds of species in one convenient location. Veteran Interns Build Their Skills Supporting NOAA’s Habitat Restoration Efforts For years, NOAA and partners have worked to provide opportunities for military veterans to build their skills and gain work experience by contributing to habitat and fisheries restoration projects along the West Coast. Read about the experiences of three veteran interns in the program.

Alaska NOAA Fisheries to Revise Critical Habitat for Right Whales in Alaska NOAA Fisheries has concluded that a revision of the endangered North Pacific right whale critical habitat is warranted. We intend to proceed with a revision, including initiating the rulemaking process. There are only an estimated 30 eastern North Pacific right whales remaining. Agency Statement: Response to Recent Reports of Killer Whale Incidental Catches in Alaska NOAA Fisheries is evaluating data collected on 10 killer whales incidentally caught in Alaska by Bering Sea and Aleutian Island groundfish trawl fisheries in 2023. We are working quickly to evaluate these incidents and will share findings as soon as possible after all required analyses are completed. Auke Bay Laboratories Welcomes a New Deputy Director NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the selection of Angela Doroff as the new Deputy Director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau, Alaska.

West Coast Commerce Secretary Announces Fishery Disaster Determinations for Yurok Chinook Salmon The Secretary of Commerce has determined that a commercial fishery failure—due to a fishery resource disaster—occurred in the 2021 and 2022 Yurok Tribe Chinook salmon fishery. This determination makes these fisheries eligible for disaster assistance from NOAA. United States Leads Conservation Gains in Eastern Pacific Fisheries, Benefiting Sharks and Tuna Fishing panel adopts policies to bar shark finning and reduce ocean waste; adopts harvest strategy for albacore; and pledges to consider climate change impacts in its future work.

Pacific Islands New Hawaiian Language Video Series: He Moʻolelo ʻĪliokai Join us on a journey through the Hawaiian archipelago to learn more about the charismatic and endangered Hawaiian monk seal through He Moʻolelo ʻĪliokai, the Story of the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Growing Seaweed: Aquaculture in Harmony with the Environment A NOAA-supported project is determining how to grow native limu (seaweed) in Hawaiʻi using nutrient-rich water from aquaculture operations.

Southeast Rewriting the Disaster Narrative in New Orleans through Collaboration and Community With $1.2 million in funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA is amplifying local efforts in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish to restore wetlands and revitalize communities. A Fish Out of Water? Not If We Can Help It! In Greenville, North Carolina, concerned citizens reported a large fish stranded in a small pool in Green Springs Park. A team of biologists mobilized quickly and found a massive armor-plated Atlantic sturgeon, measuring more than 5 feet long, and were able to return it to its habitat. Meet Observer Coordinator, Kate Walter As part of the Faces of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center series, meet Kate Walter.

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 15: Pre-proposals due for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2024 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 March 20: Full proposals due for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2024 Funding Opportunity View more news and announcements

Upcoming Events 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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