HIGHLIGHTS
Status of
Stocks 2017: Number of Overfished Stocks at All-Time Low In a new leadership message,
Chris Oliver, head of NOAA Fisheries, announces the release of the Status of U.S. Fisheries report for 2017. The report shows the number of stocks on the overfished list
just reached a new all-time low. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the United
States has become an international leader in fisheries management.
Study:
Climate Change to Shift Many Species North A NOAA Fisheries–funded study
published this week presents the first major projections of where U.S. fish
species populations may shift under future climate scenarios. The research was
led by James Morley and Malin Pinsky of Rutgers University–New Brunswick.
NOAA Announces Habitat Restoration Partnership NOAA’s Damage Assessment,
Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) helps to restore natural resources after
disasters like oil spills or releases of hazardous waste. NOAA will enter a new
5-year partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to implement
DARRP restoration grants, starting with $1.5 million toward restoration in
California.
Easy Ways to
Boat Safely, for You and for Wildlife Whether you are boating, fishing,
or on a sightseeing cruise, NOAA and our partners share these tips to help you
safely enjoy time on the water and keep the marine environment healthy and
protected.
NOAA Seeks
Information on IUU Fishing, Bycatch, and Shark Catch In preparation for the next Biennial Report to Congress
and the updated MMPA List of Foreign Fisheries, NOAA
Fisheries issued a notice to collect information on foreign vessels engaged in
illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing or fishing that results in bycatch
or catching sharks. NOAA will host a webinar on this
information collection on June 26.
Submissions are due via email by December
31, 2018.
Saildrones
Voyage into Remote Waters Through a public-private
partnership between NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and
Saildrone, Inc., saildrones—autonomous, solar- and wind-powered sailing
vessels—are providing a cost-effective way to enhance NOAA’s ocean-monitoring
fleet.
West Coast
2017 West Coast Whale Entanglement Report NOAA Fisheries’ 2017 West Coast
Whale Entanglement Report is now available online. Large whale entanglements along the
West Coast were down in 2017 from historic highs, but are still higher than
average. Check out our Frequently Asked Questions to learn how NOAA’s efforts, and those of our partners, are helping
recover and sustain whale populations.
Studying
White Abalone’s Cousin Helps Researchers Gain Insight Researchers are hoping to
reintroduce endangered white abalone into their native California waters in the
next few years, and they want to give the lab-grown shellfish the best odds of
survival. So a team of scientists is tracking the movements of a related and
more abundant species, pinto abalone, to learn how abalone disperse in the
wild.
NOAA to
Manage FADs in Eastern Pacific NOAA Fisheries is implementing
new management measures for fish aggregating devices—floating and drifting
structures used by fishing vessels to attract fish (such as skipjack and bigeye
tuna). The measures reflect international standards developed through years of
negotiations.
Study: Ice Age Sperm Whale Population Bottleneck Researchers found evidence that
an ice age that ended just over 100,000 years ago confined the world’s sperm
whales to a single population in the Pacific Ocean, creating a genetic
“bottleneck” that explains the low genetic diversity of today’s worldwide sperm
whale populations.
Remote
Cameras Track Antarctic Species Cheaply An international research team
has developed a simple method for using a network of autonomous time-lapse
cameras to track the breeding and population dynamics of Antarctic penguins.
The network of 51 cameras, positioned across the Antarctic Peninsula and the
South Shetland Islands, provides a new, low-cost window into the health and
productivity of the Antarctic ecosystem.
Pacific Islands
Three Monk
Seals Found Dead on Oahu NOAA Fisheries staff are sad to announce
that three monk seal deaths were reported on Oahu in the past week: two adult
females and one premature pup. Preliminary post-mortem exams did not find signs
of trauma, and researchers are working to determine the final causes of death.
NOAA reminds the public to please report all monk seal sightings.
Southeast
Building
Coastal Resiliency with Natural Infrastructure in Louisiana Hundreds of thousands of acres of
coastal wetlands in Louisiana have been washed away by natural and man-made
disasters. To build up the state’s coastal defenses, NOAA and partners have
built or enhanced almost 3,000 acres of barrier islands and marsh.
Limited
Opening of South Atlantic Red Snapper – Open for Public Comment By June
18, please submit your comments on a proposed rule for Amendment 43 to the
South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The proposed measures
would open recreational and commercial red snapper seasons for limited harvest
beginning in 2018.
Gulf of Mexico Habitat
Areas of Particular Concern – Open for Public Comment By July 5, please submit your comments on a draft environmental impact
statement for Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for Gulf of Mexico
Coral and Coral Reef Resources. The statement evaluates a proposal to establish
new habitat areas of particular concern (HAPCs) and prohibit dredge fishing in
all HAPCs with fishing regulations.
South
Atlantic Update Spring 2018 Available The latest issue of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
newsletter, South Atlantic Update, is now available. Read about the Council’s latest
actions, collecting recreational data, possible red snapper seasons, electronic
monitoring, and more.
Greater Atlantic
Science
Blog: Lobster Shell Disease Researchers at sea right now on
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow are busy
catching lobsters at the southern edge of the Northeast Channel. Joining NOAA
scientists is a researcher from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who is
investigating lobster shell disease and ways to avoid it in the lobster
fishery.
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