NOAA Fisheries FishNews—August 21, 2025

AUGUST 21, 2025

National Workshop Targets High-Tech Ways to Assess Endangered Whale Health Last year, NOAA Fisheries hosted a workshop to accelerate the development of advanced technologies for assessing the health of marine mammals in the wild. The workshop provided a forum for experts to discuss current practices, share lessons learned, and identify the tools or approaches that have the most potential to advance recovery. The results of the discussions are now available in a NOAA Technical Memorandum.

West Coast Southern California Restoration: NOAA and Partners Lead Coastal Recovery 10 Years After Refugio Oil Spill Ten years after the Refugio Beach oil spill injured a stretch of California’s coastline, NOAA commemorates a decade of restoration progress. This work continues to heal marine ecosystems, rebuild fisheries and wildlife populations, and reconnect communities with coastal habitats.

Pacific Islands 2025 Coral Reef Survey Sets New Records in the Mariana Archipelago Each year, scientists from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center spend several months at sea gathering long-term data to monitor changes in coral reef ecosystems. For this year’s mission, scientists traveled over 2,175 miles from Honolulu to Wake Atoll, setting a new record for number of fish and benthic surveys completed in a single year in the region. The efforts are funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program. The Endangered Population of False Killer Whales in the Main Hawaiian Islands is Declining A new analytical method improves population size estimates of endangered false killer whales in Hawaiʻi and reveals their population has been declining for more than a decade. Scientists at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center led the development of this new method to more accurately estimate the population size by incorporating animal movement.

Southeast Restoring Habitat, Bolstering the Economy, and Supporting Jobs in Florida The Office of Habitat Conservation evaluated the impact of community-led habitat restoration projects spanning the entire Florida coastline. The economic analysis shows that $72.5 million invested across 12 habitat restoration projects in Florida is estimated to support jobs and wages and increase both spending and economic activity. In total, more than $100 million will be added to the economy.

New England/Mid-Atlantic Uncrewed Vehicle Helps Fill Data Gaps in Northeast’s Difficult-to-Reach Areas A team of ocean researchers recently completed the second DriX survey out of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The DriX—a submarine-shaped uncrewed surface vehicle—operated nearly 24/7 for 20 days, collecting data to characterize fish and plankton, currents, and other environmental information in southern New England. This technology helps scientists study marine life and habitats in areas difficult for larger research vessels to access.

Upcoming Deadlines August 29: Proposals due for the Fisheries Innovation Fund solicitation from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries September 5: Proposals due for NOAA’s Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Marketing September 5: Proposals due for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s pilot regional industry-based bottom trawl survey September 10: Applications due for the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s 2025 Port Infrastructure Development Program October 1: Abstracts due for the 2026 Northeast Aquaculture Conference & Exposition and the Milford Aquaculture Seminar View more news and announcements

Upcoming Events August 21: Atlantic Shark Identification Workshop in Mount Pleasant, SC August 27: USDA Risk Management Agency Shellfish Crop Insurance Webinar for Oyster Producers August 27: 2025 Virtual Meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee August 28: 2025 eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Virtual Symposium September 2: American Samoa Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan Advisory Panel Meeting in Fagatogo Village, American Samoa September 3: Mariana Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan-Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Advisory Panel Meeting in Garapan, Saipan September 3: Hawai‘i Archipelago and Pacific Remote Island Areas Fishery Ecosystem Plan Advisory Panel Meeting in Honolulu, HI September 3: Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel Meeting in Silver Spring, MD and virtual September 4: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Fishing Industry Advisory Committee Meeting in Honolulu, HI September 4: Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop in Kenner, LA September 6: Mariana Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan-Guam Advisory Panel Meeting in Hagatña, Guam September 9–10: 157th Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting in Honolulu, HI September 15: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Executive and Budget Standing Committee Meeting in Honolulu, HI September 16–17: 204th Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting in Honolulu, HI September 20: Milford Lab Open House in Milford, CT September 26: 2025 U.S. Pre-Transboundary Management Guidance Committee 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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