HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating
Habitat Month - Turtles Released on Restored Louisiana Barrier Island
Last week, NOAA and partners released 21 baby
terrapins on Louisiana’s Chenier Ronquille barrier island. Restoration at
Chenier Ronquille was part of a larger effort to restore four barrier islands
off the coast of Louisiana using early restoration funding received after the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
NOAA Fisheries
Continues Commitment to Saltwater Recreational Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries’ National Saltwater
Recreational Fisheries Initiative works to advance our agency’s commitment to
strong partnerships with the recreational fishing community. Read more about
our latest efforts, including plans for a 2018 National Saltwater Recreational
Fisheries Summit and the release of Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Snapshots
(informational factsheets) for the Gulf and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Seismic
Testing Interaction with Marine
Mammals – Extended Comment Period
By July
21 (formerly July 7), please submit your comments on proposals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act that would allow companies
proposing to conduct geophysical surveys in the Atlantic Ocean using seismic
air guns to incidentally harass marine mammals.
Regulatory
Review Executive Orders – Open for Public Comment
As part of ongoing efforts to implement
several of the President's recent Executive Orders, NOAA Fisheries and the
National Ocean Service opened a 45-day public comment period seeking broad
input on identifying existing regulations and processes that, among other
things, may be outdated, unnecessary, ineffective; inhibit job creation and
growth; or can be further streamlined in a manner consistent with
law. Comments due August 21.
NOAA’s Green
Infrastructure Effectiveness Database
NOAA has reviewed and compiled more than 250
publications to assist stakeholders with green infrastructure planning for
coastal resilience. Explore the new literature database to determine the
most effective green infrastructure approaches for various circumstances.
The database includes information on 32 different coastal green
infrastructure types.
Reminder:
Seafood Import Monitoring Roundtables
The first roundtable to discuss the Seafood
Import Monitoring Program’s traceability and record-keeping requirements will
be held tomorrow, July 13, in Long
Beach, California. Three more will follow July 18–25 in Seattle, Newark, and
Miami.
Alaska
Flatfish Feeding Behavior: It’s All in the
Lips!
Researchers from the Alaska Fisheries Science
Center are looking at fish lips to identify Bering Sea flatfishes and what they
feed on. Flatfish with bonier lips have lots of articulating parts that make it
easier for them to feed on animals like crabs, squid, and octopus. Fleshy-lipped
flatfish use their lips like opposable thumbs to maneuver clams, shrimp, and
worms.
Field
Dispatch: Alaska Native Women in Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries scientists wrapped up their
interviews with local fisherwomen in Bristol Bay salmon fisheries. Read the
final blog installment from this summer’s oral history project.
West Coast
Restoration
of Three Key Habitats on the Eel River
NOAA’s Restoration Center works with a
variety of state and local partners to restore California’s Eel River watershed
and rebuild its salmon and steelhead stocks. NOAA has been instrumental in
projects to improve habitat in the Eel River’s headwaters, mid-river reaches,
and coastal estuaries.
Saving Wild
Salmon – All in a Day’s Work
Meet Ruth Goodfield, marine habitat resource
specialist at NOAA’s Restoration Center. Ruth has been restoring salmon habitat
in Northern California for more than 20 years.
Pacific Islands
Hawaiian
Cetacean Survey Sets Sail
The 2017 Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and
Ecosystem Assessment Survey (HICEAS) set sail last Thursday for a 187-day survey
for cetaceans and seabirds in U.S. waters around Hawaii. Teacher at Sea Staci DeSchryver is
joining NOAA scientists for the first leg of the survey.
Camera
Fishing for Predators in Deep Places
Recent advances in electronics, video
cameras, and waterproof camera housings have made it easier for NOAA scientists
to explore deeper coral reef ecosystems off Hawaii. By adding a bit of bait in front of the camera, scientists
can “fish with video” to collect new insight on reef fish assemblages.
Potential of
West Hawaii Corals to Recover
Hawaii’s cherished underwater environment has
been wavering between seasons of health and seasons of stress in recent years.
The world’s worst recorded coral bleaching and die-off event began in 2014, but
may end this year. NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program released a new report
looking at Hawaii’s healthiest reefs and the keys to their resilience.
Southeast
Gulf
Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Snapshot
Check out our new
information factsheet highlighting the opportunities and economic impacts of
recreational fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico region. With more than 100 species
of fish available to saltwater recreational fishermen at any time of year, many
unexplored recreational opportunities await anglers in the Gulf
Greater Atlantic
Mid-Atlantic
Saltwater Rec Fisheries Snapshot
Check out our new information factsheet
highlighting the opportunities and economic impacts of recreational fisheries
in the Mid-Atlantic region. The
waters of the Mid-Atlantic are home to some of the nation’s most sought after
saltwater recreational species, including bluefish and summer flounder, which
are pursued by millions of anglers each year.
Watch
Out for Whales South of Nantucket
A voluntary vessel speed restriction zone has
been established south of Nantucket to protect an aggregation of three right
whales sighted in the area on July 3. This zone is in effect through July 18.
Summer
Flounder Stock Assessment Workgroup Seeks Applicants
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center seeks
Stock Assessment Workshop Working Group applicants for the upcoming summer
flounder stock assessment, scheduled for peer review in 2018. Candidates should
complete a short questionnaire to apply by August
3.
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