HIGHLIGHTS
 Photo credit: University of Georgia. NMFS Permit #1420
Announcing
2017 Species Recovery Grants
Today, NOAA Fisheries announced a total of
$5.8 million in grants awarded under the 2017 Species Recovery Program. These
grants will fund new and ongoing projects implementing high-priority recovery
actions for threatened and endangered species. The application periods for 2018
Species Recovery Grants to States and
Tribes are now
open through November 1.
Pacific Bluefin Tuna Listing Not Warranted
NOAA Fisheries conducted a formal
status review of Pacific bluefin tuna and determined that listing under the
Endangered Species Act is not warranted at this time. The United States is
committed to sustainable, science-based management of Pacific bluefin tuna,
which requires a balance of international and domestic management.
Three Leadership Job Openings at NOAA Fisheries
Three key Senior Executive
positions were posted on usajobs.gov on Monday,
August 7. Find more information on the positions and the application process below:
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Alaska
NOAA to Offer
Electronic Monitoring Option
NOAA Fisheries is integrating
electronic monitoring into the North Pacific Observer Program for the 2018
fishing year. Alaska fishermen, some of whom may not have the space or life
raft capacity for a NOAA Fisheries observer, will have the option to use an
electronic monitoring system instead.
Steller
Watch – Help with Sea Lion Research
Researchers studying Steller sea
lions in Alaska have added new images to the Steller Watch project, through
which volunteers can help count sea lions in aerial photos. The data collection
will help scientists work toward a solution to the continued decline of Steller
sea lions in the Aleutian Islands.
Field Dispatch: Bottom-Dwelling Fishes in the
Eastern Bering Sea
Check in with researchers
studying bottom-dwelling fishes and crabs of the Eastern Bering Sea. One
interesting species found in the coldest waters is the marbled eelpout, which
produces an antifreeze-like protein that keeps their blood from freezing.
 NMFS Permit # 20465
Field
Dispatch: Arctic Marine Mammal Surveys
The 2017 aerial surveys of arctic
marine mammals has begun. In July, scientists sighted an amazing feeding
aggregation of bowhead whales—the earliest documented “krill trap” on record
for bowhead whales in the western Beaufort Sea.
West Coast
Monitoring Salmon Habitat in Puget Sound
A team of researchers led by a scientist
at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has begun an ambitious, long-term
program to monitor the habitat essential to threatened steelhead, coho, and
Chinook salmon in Puget Sound. Using aerial photographs and satellite images,
the team has devised a new methodology for tracking habitat changes over time.
Pacific Islands
Tour
Operator Fined for Harassing Dolphins
A judge fined a tour operator
$2,500 for illegally harassing Hawaiian spinner dolphins. In efforts to clarify
and reduce human activities that harass and disturb these dolphins, NOAA
Fisheries published a proposed rule in 2016 that prohibits swimming with or
approaching a Hawaiian spinner dolphin within 50 yards.
August’s Monk
Seal of the Month
The Monk Seal of the Month for August
is TT40, an adult male born in 1984 who lived to the ripe old monk seal age of
27. In 2004, he was the first-ever Hawaiian monk seal to undergo an anesthetic
and surgical procedure to remove an ingested fish hook.
Southeast
 Illustration by Diane Peebles
Final Rule for
Mackerel Permit Restrictions
NOAA Fisheries announced a final
rule to allow vessels with federal commercial permits for king and Spanish
mackerel to fish recreationally for these species in zones or regions when
commercial harvest is closed. The final rule applies to the Gulf of Mexico,
South Atlantic, and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Final Rule
for Atlantic Cobia Management
NOAA Fisheries announced a final
rule to revise management measures for Atlantic cobia (Georgia through New
York.) In 2015 and 2016, recreational landings of Atlantic cobia exceeded catch
limits. This final rule, implementing the recommendations of the Gulf and South
Atlantic councils, is intended to reduce the likelihood of exceeding those
limits again.
Greater Atlantic
 Photo credit: Christopher Katalinas
Photo credit: Christopher Katalinas
The
Unexpected Tastiness of Green Crab
Maine Sea Grant checks in on
recent successes in the quest to find commercial uses for invasive European
green crab. With help from Italian fishermen who fish for a similar species,
researchers have made progress in identifying the “molt indicators” that
identify green crabs ready to shed—and therefore ready to be cooked and served
in soft-shell.
 Photo credit: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Photo credit: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Derelict
Fishing Gear in the Northeast
NOAA’s Marine
Debris Program is working with many partners in
the Northeast to prevent, remove, and better understand the impacts of derelict
fishing gear. Efforts include working with commercial lobstermen to remove
derelict lobster gear in Massachusetts, and partnering to support innovative
strategies to prevent gear loss.
Nominees for NAFO Consultative Committee
The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization is a regional management body that coordinates scientific study
and cooperative management of many of the fisheries resources in the Northwest
Atlantic Ocean. NOAA seeks nominations for the NAFO Consultative Committee.
Final Rule
Reducing Northern Red Hake Limit
NOAA Fisheries reduced the
commercial possession limit for northern red hake for the remainder of the 2017
fishing year. The reduction is required to prevent fishing vessels from
exceeding the total allowable landings.
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