NOAA Fisheries FishNews—January 25th

JANUARY 25, 2024

Highlights Biden-Harris Administration Makes $9.6 Million Available for Regional Ocean Partnerships The Department of Commerce and NOAA announced $9.6 million in funding is available through four established Regional Ocean Partnerships and five Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations. The funding supports cross-jurisdictional priorities and data sharing that address the most pressing ocean and coastal management issues within each region. Applications for established Regional Ocean Partnerships are due April 12, 2024, and applications for Regional Associations will be due this summer. NOAA Fisheries Announces Recreational Fishing Data Collection Priorities for 2024 We have published our 2024 priorities for saltwater recreational fishing data collection. These priorities support unique regional needs as well as stock assessments and sustainable fisheries management nationwide. This plan underscores our commitment to re-evaluate and update our large-scale surveys that produce recreational fishing catch and effort estimates. With this plan as our guide, we aim to strengthen our relationships with our partners and work toward a renewed state-regional-federal data collection partnership. NOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers in 2022 NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program released a National Report on Large Whale Entanglements Confirmed in the United States in 2022. There were 67 large whale entanglement cases in 2022—a slight decrease from 2021, and slightly below the historical average. $4.3 Million Will Support Habitat Restoration in Coastal Louisiana The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act Program has approved more than $4.3 million in funding for the NOAA-sponsored South Delacroix Marsh Creation Project. This funding will support engineering and design of the project, which would restore more than 400 acres of marsh in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. NOAA Fisheries and BOEM Release Joint North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the release of their final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy. The joint strategy identifies the agencies’ goals and key actions to continue to evaluate and mitigate the potential effects of offshore wind energy development on North Atlantic right whales and their habitat.

New England/Mid-Atlantic Science Blog: Following Fenway—A Right Whale’s Journey Through Aerial Surveys Marine mammal observer Alison Ogilvie and others regularly take to the skies to document and monitor endangered North Atlantic right whales, including a female named Fenway. Learn all about Fenway, her journey along the East Coast in 2023 and 2024, and her brand new calf spotted off the coast of Georgia in early January 2024 in Alison’s science blog! Science Blog: Bottom Trawl Survey 60th Celebrations Continue Two new blogs highlight our bottom trawl survey and its 60th anniversary. Learn about Justin DaSilva, his work, and what the survey and anniversary means to him as a survey technician aboard NOAA Office Of Marine and Aviation Operations’ ship Henry B. Bigelow. Or read data quality specialist Liz Ouellette’s blog to find out what the scientific staff and crew read during the fall survey. From science and sci-fi, to linguistics and church history, there’s something for everyone!

Upcoming Deadlines January 31: Highly Migratory Species Art Contest submission deadline February 5: Applications due for NOAA Gulf of Mexico Bay Watershed Education and Training Program February 5: Public comments due for proposed incidental take regulations for Maryland Offshore Wind Project February 13: Applications due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Funding Opportunity February 14: Proposals due for Ruth D. Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grant funding February 16: Applications due for Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program February 20: Applications due for NOAA New England Bay Watershed Education and Training Program February 28: Applications due for the Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity funding opportunity March 4: Applications due for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund funding opportunity March 15: Proposals due for the eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-grants Program March 20: Full proposals due for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program 2024 Funding Opportunity March 31: Applications due for the Rural Energy for America Program  Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement funding opportunity April 12: Applications due for established Regional Ocean Partnerships funding opportunity April 30: Applications due for the Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program funding opportunity View more news and announcements

Upcoming Events January 29–February 1: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council January 2024 Meeting January 30: NOAA Fisheries Financial System Demonstration and Feedback Session January 30–February 1: New England Fishery Management Council January 2024 Meeting January 31: Informational webinar for those applying to the eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-grants Program February 5: Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Research Summit February 6: Workshop for Educators: Creating a District Environmental Literacy Plan  February 6–8: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council February 2024 Meeting February 8–12: North Pacific Fishery Management Council February 2024 Meeting March 4–8: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council March 2024 Meeting March 5: Workshop for Educators: Connecting Students to Climate Solutions March 5–7: North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Risk Reduction Technology Workshop March 5–11: Pacific Fishery Management Council March 2024 Meeting March 18–22: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council March 2024 Meeting  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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