HIGHLIGHTS
Bigeye tuna at the Honolulu Fish Auction. Photo by Joseph Bennington-Castro.
Improving
Fisheries Through an International Exchange of Ideas In June, resource management delegates from the
Philippines traveled to Honolulu to meet with NOAA staff, strengthening the
collaboration between the United States and the Philippines on international
marine resource management. The two groups spent the week sharing ideas and
experiences about fisheries science, management, and enforcement.
2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Competition The 2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy
Grant competition is now open. The S-K grant program funds projects that
address the needs of fishing communities, support sustainable fisheries, and
keep working waterfronts viable. Pre-proposals, which are required, are due October 10.
Final Rule on Critical Habitat for Atlantic Sturgeon NOAA Fisheries is designating
critical habitat for threatened and endangered Atlantic sturgeon. A formal
critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act focuses
conservation efforts and ensures federal agencies work with NOAA Fisheries to
minimize impacts to important sturgeon habitat.
Reminder: Comments due on Offshore Oil and Gas By tomorrow, August 17, please submit your comments on a new 5-year National
Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program on the Outer Continental Shelf. Learn
more about this program from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Alaska
North Pacific right whale. Photo by A. Kennedy.
Field
Dispatch: Rare Right Whales Sighted Exciting news from the Eastern
Bering Sea: scientists searching for critically endangered North Pacific right
whales spotted not one, but two, of the rare animals. The researchers were able
to capture images and collect important biological data.
West Coast
Fishermen See
Science in Action on NOAA Ship This year, scientists conducting
a survey of coastal pelagic species off the West Coast partnered with fishermen
to expand their reach into nearshore waters. Part of this collaboration
involved bringing two fishermen aboard NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker to see first-hand how the survey is conducted.
Adélie penguins in Antarctica. Photo by Grace Saba.
Scientists Use
Chemical Signatures to Track Antarctic Penguins A new study co-authored by NOAA’s
Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division examined a new method of tracking the
migrations of penguin populations. Researchers can analyze the chemical
signatures in an adult penguin’s feathers to learn where the bird has been and
what it has been eating—without capturing and tagging it.
Pacific Islands
Monk Seal Research
Expedition NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai departs this month on a 19-day research expedition in
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands to support Hawaiian monk seal and green sea
turtle research and recovery activities. The ship will also pick up biologists
who have spent the summer encamped in the remote islands to study monk seals
and sea turtles.
RK-30 has also survived shark attacks and entanglements.
Man
Sentenced for Beating Hawaiian Monk Seal In April 2016, witnesses recorded
and posted a video of a man beating a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal, and authorities
made a quick arrest. This summer, following an investigation by NOAA’s Office
of Law Enforcement and Hawaii’s Division of Conservation and Resources
Enforcement, the perpetrator was found guilty and sentenced to prison.
Southeast
August 2017
Gulf Council Update The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council met in San Antonio this month to discuss a number of fishery
issues. Read a summary of the Council’s actions.
Greater Atlantic
Photo credit: University of Georgia. NMFS Permit #1420
Species
Recovery Grants for Greater Atlantic Last week, NOAA announced a total
of $5.8 million in Species Recovery Grants to states and tribes around the
nation. These grants included support for one new project and six continuing
projects in the Greater Atlantic region.
Atlantic
Sturgeon Incidental Take Permit – Open for Public Comment NOAA Fisheries received an
application from Dominion for a permit to incidentally take endangered Atlantic
sturgeon in the course of activities associated with the Chesterfield Power
Station along the James River in Virginia. Please submit comments on the application
by September 13.
NOAA Announces River Herring Status Review NOAA Fisheries is initiating a
new status review of alewife and blueback herring. By October 16, please submit any information on the status, threats,
and recovery of alewife and blueback herring that has become available since
the last determination in 2013.
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