HIGHLIGHTS
 NOAA aerial imagery of flooding near Otey, Texas
NOAA’s Hurricane Forecast, Preparation, Response
NOAA, with the nation, has been
focused on responding to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana and preparing
for Hurricane Irma in Florida. In Texas, NOAA conducted aerial surveys of the
flooded area to aid emergency personnel, while NOAA boats from Galveston
participated in search and rescue operations. NOAA’s National
Hurricane Center is now working to monitor and
predict the path of Hurricane Irma. The recovery and restoration following
Harvey—and possibly Irma—will span months to years, and NOAA’s focus will shift
to supporting impacted fishing communities and marine ecosystems.
Fishermen
and Scientists Collaborate at Sea
Scientists from the Northwest
Fisheries Science Center, along with university and state partners, are part of
a NOAA Fisheries science initiative that employs local fishing boats as floating
research platforms. The program, now in its third year, promotes collaboration
between scientists and local fishermen through quarterly research surveys off
Newport, Oregon.
Thousands of
Citizens Help Count Steller Sea Lions
By the end of August, more than
6,500 people participated in Steller Watch, a citizen science project that
invites the public to help classify thousands of images of Steller sea lions.
Their help has been invaluable to scientists working to determine why the sea
lion population continues to decline in the western Aleutian Islands.
Final Amendment on Essential
Fish Habitat for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species
NOAA Fisheries announces the
availability of Final Amendment 10 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly
Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan on Essential Fish Habitat and an
associated Environmental Assessment. Maps and shape files depicting updated essential
fish habitat boundaries will be available on our website.
 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.
Alaska
 Photo by H. Europe and J. Barbaro / NOAA Fisheries, Permit #20465
Field
Dispatch: Beluga Whale Photogrammetry
Scientists from the Alaska
Fisheries Science Center’s Marine Mammal Laboratory wrapped up their fieldwork
collecting photos of beluga whales. In addition to conventional photos, the
researchers took more than 16,000 photos from the hexacopter. Scientists will use
the photos to measure the whales and collect data on growth and condition.
 Photo by Paul Wade / NOAA Fisheries. Permit #20465
Public
Invited to Help Count Cook Inlet Belugas
NOAA Fisheries and partners
invite members of the public to participate in a new event called “Belugas
Count!” this Saturday, September 9,
in the greater Anchorage area. Cook Inlet beluga whales are one of NOAA
Fisheries’ eight Species in the Spotlight.
West Coast
NOAA
Scientists Join Partnership to Restore Central Valley Salmon
The Southwest Fisheries Science
Center’s Fisheries Ecology Division has joined a broad group of stakeholders in
the new Central Valley Salmon Habitat Partnership. The group will work together
to support robust fisheries and self-sustaining wild populations of Central
Valley salmonids through science-based habitat restoration.
Southeast
Revised
Reporting for Federal Seafood Dealers Impacted by Harvey
After Hurricane Harvey made
landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 25, NOAA Fisheries determined
that catastrophic conditions exist in all coastal and adjacent counties in
Texas and in Cameron and Vermillion parishes in Louisiana. NOAA has temporarily
revised reporting requirements for federal seafood dealers in the affected
areas.
Summer Issue
of Gulf Fishery News Available
The latest issue of the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council’s newsletter, Gulf Fishery News, is now available. Topics include new Council members,
updates from the August Council meetings, management actions awaiting
implementation, and more.
South
Atlantic Update Summer 2017 Available
The latest issue of the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s newsletter, South Atlantic Update, is now available. Read about changes to
hogfish management and regulations, new spawning Special Management Zones,
plans for the September Council meeting, a possible red snapper season, and
more.
Greater Atlantic
NOAA Removes
Windowpane Flounder Accountability Measures
Following newly available data
showing that the 2016 southern windowpane flounder catch was below the annual
catch limit, we are removing the accountability measures for this stock for
both the groundfish fishery and non-groundfish trawl vessels.
Northeast Groundfish Operational Assessment
The Northeast Fisheries Science
Center is conducting regularly scheduled stock assessments for New England
groundfish. The peer review will take place September 11 to 15. Draft
groundfish operational assessments and a range of additional materials are now
available online.
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow Shipyard Update
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow headed to dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia, in early
August to undergo motor repairs. NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation
Operations now estimates that the ship will be back in service in early
November. This does impact several planned Northeast Fisheries Science Center
research surveys, and scientists are working to determine alternatives.
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