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SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Message From Our Director

Greetings! This is now the second issue of Sea Notes—we’d love to hear your feedback and hope you share it with others. 

Looking ahead to the new fiscal year, I am reflecting on priorities we’ve committed to and goals we’d like to accomplish in the coming year. Over the summer, NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad and Janet Coit, NOAA Fisheries’ assistant administrator, were appointed. Both of them have expressed their commitment to many of the same values that we have outlined in the science center’s strategic plan—things like personifying scientific integrity and expertise, building a more diverse workforce, and ensuring that everyone is treated with respect. 

I am happy to report that our realignment exercise is nearly complete and we will be starting FY22 off with a fresh new look. More on this in the next issue, but, in short, the location-based organizational structure will be gone and a more efficient functionally-organized structure will take its place. We’ve also just instituted the first operational strategic plan the Southeast Fisheries Science Center has ever had, complete with measurable targets and quarterly reviews. 

Together with our excellent staff, these changes will put the center in an even better position to meet the challenges of our incredible mission. And I mean incredible in every sense of the word. The Southeast Region supports more fishermen than the rest of the United States combined, and more fisheries-related jobs than any other region. We also have more fishery management councils, more managed fish stocks, and more marine mammal and sea turtle stocks than any other region.

Our work in the upcoming year will focus on becoming even better stewards of this vast charge by improving the processes we use to manage the myriad data we receive from across the region, developing innovative ways to collect better data and expand our scientific advice, and forging new partnerships to further advance our ecosystem-based goals. We will also be expanding our engagement on two of the administration’s highest priorities: climate change and wind energy.

I want to offer my congratulations to Andy Strelcheck on his permanent position as the new Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office. A few weeks ago Andy was officially selected for this position and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him. I invite you to continue reading to learn more about the work that we’ve been doing this summer and to meet some of our diverse and talented staff. 

Thanks for your continued support and interest, Clay Porch, Ph.D Southeast Fisheries Science Center Director clay.porch@noaa.gov

Science Stories

Florida Fishermen Collect Data to Help Red Tide Response

You’ve probably heard that Florida’s Gulf Coast is experiencing a worse-than-normal red tide event again this year. Our team at NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center is collecting oceanographic data from commercial fishermen offshore of Tampa Bay. It’s part of our collaboration with the Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation.

Listening to a Changing Gulf

Recently we joined university partners to study deep ocean waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists on board R/V Pelican recovered underwater listening devices that were deployed in 2020 to record ocean sounds. The team then reset the instruments to record for another year. The data collected contributes to our understanding of how dolphins and whales and noise varies in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts Collaborate on Mission to Document Protected Species

Our scientists recently completed a mission to survey marine mammals and other protected species in waters off the southeast coast of the United States. They were locating, identifying, and counting marine mammals from both a NOAA ship and aircraft. We will use the data they collected to assess the abundance, distribution, ecology, and behavior of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds.

Faces of SEFSC

Meet Canh Nguyen, Fisheries Methods and Equipment Specialist

Canh Nguyen has a long history with turtle excluder devices in the shrimp fishery. He provides outreach about TEDs to the shrimping community—in English and Vietnamese. Meet Canh.

Meet John Carlson, Research Fishery Biologist

Dr. John Carlson works to provide data and analysis for shark population assessments and recovery plans. A major portion of his current research helps support recovery of endangered sharks, rays, and skates. Meet John.

Meet Enric Cortés, Research Fishery Biologist

Dr. Enric Cortés is a shark researcher who works to provide shark population assessments. He has been working on this domestically and internationally since 1998. Meet Enric.

Meet Andy Davis, Pelagic Observer Program’s Safety Coordinator

Andy Davis serves as the primary liaison with the highly migratory species pelagic longline fishing industry. He is a Fisheries Biologist with the center's Pelagic Observer Program and is the program's safety coordinator. Meet Andy.

Meet Elena Flores, Graduate Scholar

Elena Flores is a Masters student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is also a NOAA Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems scholar working at the science center’s Galveston facility. Meet Elena.

Meet Luis Noguerol, Information System Security Officer

Dr. Luis O. Noguerol leads cybersecurity work for the center. He develops and enforces new standards, policies, and cybersecurity processes to keep information secure while meeting the agency's critical mission and goals. Meet Luis.

Mark Your Calendar

TED Tuesdays...continued: In September, October and November, the science center’s fishing gear specialists are hosting additional question and answer webinars summarizing skimmer trawl Turtle Excluder Device (TED) requirements. They are able to assist participants with program information and compliance. 

The mission of NOAA's Southeast Fisheries Science Center is to provide the scientific advice and data needed to effectively manage the living marine resources of the Southeast region and Atlantic high seas.

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