HIGHLIGHTS

How Changing Ocean Chemistry Affects Shellfish
Scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Milford Lab are shining some light on ocean acidification by examining how a more acidic ocean affects the oysters, surfclams, and scallops that we eat. The results of this project will help managers forecast fishery responses to climate change and provide recommendations for oyster growers and surfclam and scallop fishermen.

The Spills Behind the Ocean Pollution Act
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 significantly improved measures to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills in U.S. waters. It requires those responsible for the oil spills to pay for the costs associated with cleanup, environmental assessment, and restoration. A new Story Map examines the events of 1989 that inspired the Oil Pollution Act.

Fishing for Energy - 2019 Request for Proposals
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in collaboration with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, requests proposals for the 2019 Fishing for Energy Partnership. Up to $1 million in grant funding is available for strategies to reduce the impacts of derelict fishing gear on the environment and navigational safety. Proposals are due April 25.

Protecting Our Ocean—and Our Bottom Line
Improving the health of our ocean requires investment. But that investment doesn’t have to be a choice between our planet and our pocketbooks. Sometimes solutions to ocean problems can save money. Learn about three solutions to ocean problems that NOAA researchers found save or even make money.

West Coast

Habitat Project Restores Coho, Reduces Flooding
The work of NOAA and our partners to restore estuary habitat in Oregon’s Tillamook Bay created 443 acres of various estuary habitats critical to juvenile coho salmon. A recently published study confirms that the restoration project also reduced flooding in surrounding communities and farmlands.

Revisions to Anchovy Measures – Open for Comment
By April 23, please submit your comments on NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule to revise the annual reference points (including the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, and annual catch limit) for the central subpopulation of northern anchovy off the Pacific coast under the Coastal Pelagic Species Fishery Management Plan.

Southeast

FORCE BLUE Tackles Coral Disease
A new video chronicles the efforts of NOAA partner FORCE BLUE, a nonprofit that engages veterans in restoring coral ecosystems, to halt the spread of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which is ravaging the Florida Coastal Reef Tract.

Greater Atlantic

Watch Out for Whales South of Nantucket
NOAA Fisheries extended a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone previously established south of Nantucket to protect a group of 15 right whales sighted in the area on April 7. This zone is now in effect through April 23.

International Collaboration on Ocean Acidification
NOAA Fisheries' lab in Milford, Connecticut, is known for its long-standing international research relationships, and is currently hosting post-doctoral researchers from around the world. Meet Emilien Pousse, a post-doc from France investigating the impact of ocean acidification on the development and metabolism of oysters and surfclams.

New Buoys for Chesapeake Bay
Each spring, the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System team looks forward to redeploying buoys that were pulled late the previous year to avoid potential ice damage during the winter. This year, the team is transitioning to using a new kind of buoy.

Lone Bowhead Whale Sighted in Gulf of Maine
Bowhead whales generally live in Arctic waters, migrating north into the high Arctic in the summer months and south to lower latitudes of the Arctic in the winter. But for the past few years, one bowhead has been sighted in the waters off Cape Cod.

Events

April 11
Last day of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Avalon, New Jersey.

April 11
Free Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification workshops in Warwick, Rhode Island.

April 11–16
Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Rohnert Park, California.

April 12
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting via teleconference.

April 15–16
Annual spring meeting of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT.

April 16–18
New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Mystic, Connecticut.

April 23–24
Caribbean Fishery Management Council meeting in San Juan,
Puerto Rico.

April 24–May 21
Four public meetings on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan.

April 25
Free Atlantic Shark Identification workshop in Wilmington, North Carolina.

April 30 and May 1
Two public hearing webinars on Snapper-Grouper Regulatory Amendment 29, hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

May 2 and 15
Two free Protected Species Safe Handling, Release, and Identification workshops in North Carolina and Louisiana.

May 7 and 9
Two scoping webinars on proposed additions to the Dolphin-Wahoo Fishery Management Plan, hosted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

May 21–23
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Announcements

April 11
Proposals due for 2019 American Lobster Research funding.

April 15
Letters of Intent due for Sea Grant’s Advanced Aquaculture Collaborative Programs funding.

April 15
Proposals due for FY 2019 Marine Aquaculture Pilot Projects.

April 16
Full proposals due for 2019 Community-Based Habitat Restoration funding.

April 25
Proposals due for 2019 Fishing for Energy Partnership funding.

April 29
Applications due for the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee.

May 8
Proposals due for recreational fishing projects supporting the mission of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Federal Register Actions

Visit regulations.gov for a list of only those actions open for public comment. Scroll search for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For a list of all daily actions, check the Federal Register online.