HIGHLIGHTS
NOAA Responds to Hurricane Florence Our thoughts are with those
dealing with the impacts of Hurricane Florence. NOAA’s National Weather Service
cautions that, while Florence has departed, rivers will rise further in the
Carolinas for days to come as rainfall makes its way through regional river
systems. NOAA’s National
Geodetic Survey has started collecting aerial imagery to assess the
damage in the storm’s aftermath. And NOAA Coast
Survey’s navigation response teams are working to identify new
navigational hazards and reopen ports.
NOAA
Appoints New Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries NOAA announced the appointment of
Drew Lawler as the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries.
In this role, he will engage in high-level development and coordination of NOAA
international fisheries policy and bilateral meetings. Mr. Lawler has a long
career in international trade that includes a focus on saltwater sportfishing.
Shortfin Mako Rule – Extended Comment Period
By October 8
(formerly October 1), please submit your comments on a proposed rule and
Draft Amendment 11 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery
Management Plan. The proposed amendment aims to end overfishing of shortfin mako sharks and to rebuild their populations.
Marine
Debris Removal Grants – Call for Proposals The NOAA Marine Debris Program
announced its FY 2019 Marine Debris Removal federal funding opportunity. Awarded
projects will prioritize the removal of derelict fishing gear and other medium-
and large-scale debris to improve habitat and foster public awareness of marine
debris impacts. Proposals are due October
29.
West Coast
Pacific Groundfish
Measures – Open for Comment By October 19, please submit your comments on proposed harvest
specifications for the 2019–2020 Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. In 2017, after
years of low harvest levels, three previously-overfished stocks of rockfish
were declared rebuilt. The proposed measures will increase commercial and
recreational fishing opportunities while ensuring sustainable harvest into the
future.
Pacific
Salmon Treaty Renewal 2018 The Pacific Salmon Commission has
reached an agreement on conservation and harvest sharing of Pacific salmon, thereby
continuing the longstanding cooperative management partnership between the
United States and Canada. The Commission’s new agreement recommends reduced
harvest of Chinook salmon in both countries to reduce fishery impacts on
natural Chinook stocks and to complement recovery efforts.
Forest
Service’s Revised Forest Plans Protect Fish An updated blueprint for the
management of 5.5 million acres of public land in the Blue Mountains of eastern
Oregon and southeastern Washington prioritizes habitat restoration for
threatened salmon and steelhead where the fish need it most, thus boosting
their chances for recovery in coming decades.
Pacific Islands
Hatchery-Born
Mullets for Hawaiian Fish Ponds
Ancient Hawaiians developed fishponds as a kind of natural refrigerator to trap
and store mullet and other fish. A new NOAA Fisheries–funded project aims to
help these traditional fishponds increase production and become economically
sustainable. Three fishponds will receive hatchery-born mullets to raise
experimentally, providing valuable data on how different factors affect the
growth rate and health of fish.
Proposed Ecosystem
Components Rule – Open for Public Comment By October 29, please submit your
comments on NOAA Fisheries’ proposal to reclassify management unit species in
America Samoa, Hawaii, and the Mariana Islands as ecosystem components. This
proposed rule is intended to create a more effective federal management system
for Pacific Island fisheries by prioritizing conservation and management resources
toward those species caught in federal waters that are in the most need.
Southeast
Mississippi
Trustees Announce Changes to Early Restoration Project The Mississippi Trustee
Implementation Group for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage
Assessment announced changes to an early restoration project approved in 2015.
The Trustees canceled three of the eight components of the Restoring Living
Shorelines and Reefs in Mississippi Estuaries project after determining that
they are not feasible at this time. The five remaining project components will
move forward.
Alabama Releases Second Restoration Plan The Alabama Trustee
Implementation Group for the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage
Assessment approved its second Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment to
address natural resource injuries from the oil spill. Read more about the
plan’s restoration priorities and the steps leading up to its release.
Greater Atlantic
Video:
Blowing up Maryland’s Bloede Dam Following the recent Bloede Dam
removal kickoff, NOAA and project partners took the most important and exciting
step needed to begin opening up the Patapsco River: breaching the giant
structure with explosives to allow the river to pass. Over the
coming weeks, construction will continue on the remaining portion of the dam,
removing it piece by piece with heavy equipment.
River
Restoration: Finding the Next Sebasticook Restoring the Sebasticook River,
a smaller tributary to the Kennebec River, yielded historic river herring runs,
bringing back fish, eagles, and revenue to the region. While NOAA continues to
focus our efforts on restoring major East Coast rivers, we are also looking at the
huge restoration potential of smaller rivers that feed these major water bodies.
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