Recreational Fisheries August 2023 Newsletter

Cooperative research is a team effort! But what is it exactly? It's research that involves NOAA scientists as well as recreational and commercial fishermen. In this podcast episode, we explore a few different kinds of cooperative research. Hear from NOAA’s Dr. Melissa Monk and John Harms on how recreational anglers are improving West Coast fisheries. Listen to the podcast

We partnered with the National Park Trust, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Reel Guppy Outdoors, and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to get families fishing for the first time at the Channel Islands, the Mallows Bay-Potomac River, and the Florida Keys. And wow, did they catch a lot of fish! Read about the fishing excursion and watch the Reel Anglers Fishing Show Youtube recap video

NOAA Fisheries announces that the Pacific Fishery Management Council submitted Amendment 32 of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan to the Secretary of Commerce for review. Amendment 32 includes actions such as creating and authorizing the use of Groundfish Exclusion Areas as a new type of Groundfish Conservation Area and remove the Cowcod Conservation Area seaward of California for non-trawl groundfish fisheries and more. Provide public comment

Imagine a cross between a fishing pier and a cruise ship, and you might envision something like a fishing barge. Fishing barges such as the Georgia, Ike Walton, and Point Loma gave many California anglers their first chance to catch marine fish in prime waters. A motley fleet of these enterprising vessels helped popularize recreational ocean fishing along the West Coast starting about the early 1920s. It’s an often-forgotten chapter in California’s rich fishing history. Read more

A large marine heatwave that developed offshore has reached the coast of Oregon and Washington. It increases the potential for harmful algal blooms and other impacts on the coastal ecosystem and marine life in the coming weeks and months. Large marine heatwaves have occupied the eastern north Pacific Ocean for much of 2023 but until now have remained far offshore. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are tracking a range of indicators for signs of the heatwave and its impacts, such as harmful algal blooms. Read more

Welcome Catherine Ross as the fourth Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design/NOAA Fisheries Service Art + Science Fellow! Catherine Ross is a researcher, creative technologist, and sound artist whose practice is centered in social and environmental justice as they relate to burgeoning technologies. The 2023 Fellowship will focus on imagining ways to identify and engage recreational and subsistence fishing communities, ensuring that those sometimes-overlooked communities have a voice in the decision-making process and help the agency allocate services in equitable ways. Learn more

Calling all photographers, regardless of skill level or experience, select your best photos to participate in the 2023 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest. Submissions are being accepted in the following categories: Recreation, Views, Life, at Home, and Around the World. Submit your photos until Monday, September 4, 2023. Learn more

NOAA is seeking proposals for transformational projects that will restore coastal habitat and strengthen community resilience under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Through this competition, NOAA will prioritize projects that demonstrate a broad base of stakeholder and community support. Projects that were developed with inclusive practices and incorporate meaningful strategies to engage a diverse range of community groups, including tribes and underserved communities, will be prioritized. Applications are due by November 17, 2023. Learn more

The restoration of the Klamath watershed, spanning 15,000 miles of California and Oregon, is the largest dam removal project in history. It will reopen access to more than 400 miles of habitat for threatened coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and other threatened native fish. It is the end result of decades of effort by citizens and government entities alike, and perhaps most consequentially, by the tribal nations who first inhabited the area and who relied on the Klamath River for salmon.  Listen to the podcast