NOAA’s Favorite Catch Photo Contest 2.0! is running through December 31, 2021. Don’t forget to submit your photos for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime fishing experience in the Florida Keys, provided by Bonnier Corporation. This year’s exciting new tournament-style contest is open to the millions of saltwater recreational anglers across the country, giving American anglers a chance to showcase their passion for sustainable saltwater recreational fishing. 

The #NOAAsFavoriteCatch photo contest is a continuation of a strong partnership between NOAA Fisheries and Bonnier Corporation, publisher of the largest saltwater fishing magazines in the country, including Saltwater Sportsmen, Sport Fishing, and Marlin magazines.  

You can submit your photos through Saltwater Sportsman. Sport Fishing, or Instagram using #NOAAsFavoriteCatch.  View the contest details and rules at the above links, and share your best shot, today!

Our celebration of National Seafood Month in October was not complete without highlighting a special source of seafood: the fish we catch ourselves! Catch-and-release angling plays an important role in U.S. fish conservation—more than half the fish caught are released - but there are plenty of opportunities around the nation for anglers to keep the fish they hook. Plus, a dinner featuring seafood you caught yourself adds a delicious capstone to an exciting day on the water. Read more...

The Pacific Fishery Management Council met November 15-19 and 21-22, 2021 to address issues related to groundfish, highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, salmon, coastal pelagic species, and administrative matters. Key actions considered at the meeting included regulations for recreational Pacific halibut in 2022, adoption of groundfish stock assessments for use in 2023 and beyond, and adoption of groundfish harvest specifications and preliminary management measures for 2023-2024. Read more...

A National Marine Ecosystem Status website was created to provide a snapshot of the health of major U.S. marine ecosystems through scientific indicators. This site captures the status and trends of seven U.S. ecosystem regions and an overall, national status, while also providing the opportunity to explore the key indicators for a particular topic area. This site provides links to more detailed sources of NOAA data and information. Information on this site is sourced from publicly available data and is updated annually. Read more...

NOAA released two Atlases compiling the best available science to inform the identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in the Gulf of Mexico and Southern California. NOAA previously identified these regions for their potential to host sustainable commercial aquaculture development in the United States. Areas in the Atlases will have characteristics expected to support multiple types of aquaculture industries including finfish, shellfish, seaweed, or some combination. Read more...

New research shows that if fishermen return deep-water rockfish to their natural depths quickly, their bodies return to normal and they can survive any ill effects of barotrauma. The research focused on cowcod and bocaccio caught off the coast of Southern California. They were returned to the depths using special descending devices that are now standard for many recreational fishermen.  Scientists used acoustic transmitters to track released cowcod and bocaccio for up to a year, beyond the typical 2-day tracking window used in many fish survivorship studies. By tracking the fish for extended periods, researchers found that most fish survived beyond 30 days. Read more...

NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) published its updated implementation plan, which highlights 2021 milestones and 2022 priorities. Since the first MRIP Implementation Plan was adopted in 2008, annual updates have been published that describe the program’s approach toward providing high-quality recreational fishing data that meet science and management needs. Read more...

NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries invites the public to participate in the designation process for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on the central coast of California. The Northern Chumash Tribal Council submitted the sanctuary nomination in July 2015 and NOAA is considering sanctuary designation to protect the region’s important marine ecosystem, maritime heritage resources, and cultural values of Indigenous communities. Virtual public meetings will be held in December and January to gather input on the scope and significance of issues to be addressed in the environmental impact statement that are related to designating this area as a national marine sanctuary. Public comments are also being accepted electronically and via mail. Read more...

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is hosting two sets of stakeholder meetings to solicit public comments related to the environmental review of offshore wind energy projects.

The first set of public meetings is focused on the recently announced designation of the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore central California and plans to conduct an environmental review of the WEA.

BOEM is also developing guidance to mitigate potential impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries. The first step in this process is to collect knowledge from the people and organizations that know and use these areas. On November 21, 2021, BOEM issued a Request for Information (RFI) - Offshore Wind Fisheries Mitigation with a comment period that closes on January 7, 2022. BOEM is hosting a series of stakeholder-focused workshops to receive public comment, including a Recreational Fishing Workshop (Dec. 7) and a West Coast Workshop (Dec. 13).