HIGHLIGHTS
Hurricane Harvey – Conditions and Resources As you know, Hurricane Harvey is causing
catastrophic flooding in Texas and Louisiana. Get the latest on weather
conditions and advisories from NOAA’s National
Hurricane Center. For the most up-to-date
resources and information on the federal response to Harvey, please visit FEMA’s Hurricane Harvey page. In addition,
Texas Sea Grant has
compiled a list of resources designed to assist in recovery efforts.
Saving
Springer, 15 Years Later Fifteen
years ago this summer, the Northwest joined forces to orchestrate the
unprecedented rescue of an orphaned wild killer whale calf named Springer. The
effort was successful, with Springer eventually rejoining her family and giving
birth to a calf in 2013 and another this year. The effort built trust,
partnerships, and goodwill that continues to contribute to killer whale
recovery today. We celebrate the 15-year anniversary of this miraculous event
with a three-part story—read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Bycatch
Reduction Engineering Program Grants NOAA Fisheries awarded 18 grants
totaling more than $2.3 million under the Bycatch Reduction Engineering
Program. The grants support key partners in the research and development of
innovative approaches and strategies for reducing bycatch, bycatch mortality,
and post-release mortality in our nation’s fisheries.
Seafood
Import Monitoring Program Roundtable NOAA Fisheries is hosting another roundtable in Honolulu on September 7 to discuss the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program’s
traceability data reporting and record-keeping requirements before they become
mandatory in 2018. The roundtable will address topics relevant to foreign exporters and U.S.
domestic importers of seafood species covered by the program.
New Online System for HMS Tournament Reporting NOAA Fisheries is offering a new
online option to register Atlantic Highly Migratory Species tournaments and
report HMS tournament catches. Tournament registration and reporting helps
characterize receational fishing effort and landings, providing data that will
inform the management of swordfish, billfishes, tunas, and sharks.
Photo
Essay: Summer 2017 Vacation—with NOAA Think summer is time to sit back and relax? Not if you’re building
an underwater robot, measuring ocean salinity, or testing a wind
turbine! Across the country, students and teachers kept their minds sharp
in the lab and the great outdoors with NOAA educational opportunities. Here’s a
look back at summer 2017 with NOAA.
Alaska
Photo by John Moran / NOAA Fisheries, Permit #18786-01
NOAA-Trained
Team Cut Line Entangling Whale A humpback whale became entangled
in the anchor line of a cruise vessel early Sunday morning near the mouth of
Tracy Arm. NOAA Fisheries marine mammal entanglement experts conducted a
successful operation to cut the anchor line and are hopeful that the whale is
now free.
West Coast
Responders dig a trench for the tide. Photo credit: SR3. Permit #18786
Rescue
Effort Frees Whale in Olympic National Park A rescue effort during high tide
late on Saturday, August 19, successfully freed a young gray whale that had
been stranded for about 3 days on a remote beach in Olympic National Park and
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
Pacific Islands
Building Capacity in Guam’s Habitat Focus Area The Manell-Geus Habitat Focus
Area, one of 10 NOAA Habitat Blueprint sites, is located in southern Guam.
Recently, The Nature Conservancy’s Micronesia Program received a grant from the
NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation to build community capacity for restoration
and conservation of the watershed.
Lehua Island
Lehua Island Project Environmental Assessment Following consultation with NOAA
Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the completion of the
Final Environmental Assessment for the proposed Lehua Island Ecosystem
Restoration Project.
Southeast
Louisiana
Trustee Group Seeks Restoration Ideas The Louisiana Trustee
Implementation Group is planning restoration activities to address injuries
caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and is seeking input on restoration
opportunities in the Louisiana Restoration Area. Please submit project ideas by
September 18.
Cooperative
Research Program Funding Available The Cooperative Research Program
supports projects seeking to improve and strengthen the relationship between
NOAA Fisheries researchers, state fishery agencies, universities, and the U.S.
fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean regions.
Proposals must address one of five priority areas. Applications are due September 22.
Greater Atlantic
Unmanaged
Forage Fish in the Mid-Atlantic NOAA Fisheries announced a new
rule to protect unmanaged forage fish in Mid-Atlantic waters. Forage fish are
small schooling species that serve as prey for larger fish, marine mammals and
birds. This action sets landing and possession limits for 17 species and
species groups to protect the important ecological role these forage fishes
play.
North
Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event Since June 7, 2017, an unusual
number of North Atlantic right whales have died, primarily in Canada. NOAA
Fisheries has declared this an Unusual Mortality Event. An
independent team of scientists has launched an investigation into the cause.
Stakeholder
Engagement in Management Strategy Evaluation In a recent presentation to the
American Fisheries Society, NOAA Fisheries scientist Jon Deroba shared
what he’s learned about communicating and designing research with broad
stakeholder involvement.
Improving
Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management with Rpath In a recent presentation to the
American Fisheries Society, NOAA Fisheries scientist Sean Lucey presented
his work on linking multiple Ecopath models using Rpath. This allows scientists
to build models that account for fish biomass traveling between adjacent ocean
regions.
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