HIGHLIGHTS
Make Way for Whale Week 2019 Join us as we celebrate Whale Week, February 11-15, and discover more about these awe-inspiring marine mammals and our work with partners to conserve and protect them. Check out NOAA Fisheries website throughout the week for whale-focused content.
A Message from Donna Wieting Read a leadership message from Donna Wieting, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources, about the challenges and progress in whale conservation.
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Video: Whale Disentanglement Sarah Wilkin, NOAA Fisheries National Marine Mammal Stranding and Emergency Response Coordinator, explains how we help to disentangle whales all around the country.
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Sei, Beluga, Bowhead, Blue How well do you know your whales? Learn more about various whale species and the latest in whale research.
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13th National Stock Assessment Workshop Report In May 2018, NOAA Fisheries brought together stock assessment scientists from across the country to discuss topics centered around two themes: model complexity and stability, and ensemble modeling. The workshop proceedings are now available online.
Share Your Feedback on NOAA Fisheries’ Website We are still seeking volunteers for a 20-minute call at your convenience to learn how we can make the NOAA Fisheries website better for you. Your direct feedback will help us with new features and future updates. If you are interested in participating, please tell us a little about yourself by completing this online form.
West Coast
NOAA Offers Reward for Info on Sea Lion Shootings NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to a civil penalty or criminal conviction in the shootings of California sea lions in and around West Seattle. More than 12 sea lions have been confirmed shot in King and Kitsap counties since September.
Southeast
Study Indicates Fish in Deep Water Not Immune from Hurricane Effects In a recent paper, researchers at NOAA Fisheries’ Beaufort Laboratory and the Naval Postgraduate School show that fish occupying habitats as deep as 120 feet can be strongly affected by hurricanes.
Tuna and Swordfish Restoration Project Continues NOAA kicked off the third year of restoring important fish species impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill through a multi-year partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and pelagic longline fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. The effort engages with a variety of stakeholders, including seafood dealers, and is seeing positive results.
Tagging the Oceanic Whitetip Shark This month, NOAA Fisheries scientists joined researchers from partnering universities on an expedition to the Bahamas to study the reproductive biology of the oceanic whitetip shark, a species recently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Rare Bryde’s Whale Strands Off Florida On January 29, a 38-foot male Bryde’s (broo-dus) whale washed up along Sandy Key in the Florida Everglades. Scientists are working to determine how it died and whether it was a member of the rare Gulf of Mexico population.
50-Year-Old NOAA Message in a Bottle Last month, a Texas couple found one of 7,863 bottles that were released in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico in 1962 and 1963 by scientists at NOAA Fisheries’ Galveston Laboratory. The releases were part of a study to determine the role of water currents in the movement of young shrimp.
GulfCorps Initiative, Crew Member Win Awards NOAA’s GulfCorps Initiative employs young adults from coastal Gulf of Mexico communities to help them develop skills in habitat restoration. Recently, GulfCorps was selected by The Corps Network as a 2019 Project of the Year and crew member Jasmine Poole was named Corpsmember of the year.
Greater Atlantic
Agencies Announce Atlantic Salmon Recovery Plan NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a final recovery plan for endangered Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine—the only population that remains in the United States. The plan outlines strategies, timelines, and cost estimates for achieving recovery goals. Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon are one of NOAA Fisheries’ eight Species in the Spotlight.
Aquatic Invasive Species Funding Opportunity The Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species is hosting a small-grants competition to fund proposals to research, control/eradicate, or increase awareness of aquatic invasive species. Proposals are due March 11.
Final Rule for Blueline Tilefish NOAA Fisheries published a final rule revising the annual catch limit for blueline tilefish in the mid-Atlantic. Informed by the most recent stock assessment, the final rule increases the commercial and recreational blueline tilefish catch limits by 15 percent.
Restoration Partners Highlight Work on the Hudson Buildings, businesses, and millions of people line New York’s Hudson River, but the estuary is also home to hundreds of fish species important to regional ecosystems. We’re working with our partners to clean up pollution and restore habitat for American eel, herring, Atlantic sturgeon, and other resources in this urban waterway.
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