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SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

This newsletter has been updated to reflect a change in the upcoming Caribbean Fishery Management Council meeting. 

Message From Our Director

Greetings everyone,

As you no doubt know by now, massive Hurricane Helene took a devastating toll as it rampaged across six states—Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. At least 121 people have been confirmed dead and millions more are suffering severe flooding and other damages. Fortunately, all of our staff are safe and our facilities were out of harm's way, but some of our friends at the Regional Office had serious flooding and other damage to their homes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them, and all those impacted by this natural disaster. 

Our summer was jam-packed full of survey activities, and our staff are still out at sea collecting critical data to meet our mission. Since our last issue, surveys we’ve completed include:

• SEFSC Bottom Longline Survey 
• Southeast Fishery-Independent Survey (SEFIS), including sampling new sites within the Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Area
• SEAMAP Summer Groundfish Survey
• National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) surveys at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and around the Dry Tortugas
• Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds 
• Gulf Fishery-Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources (G-FISHER)
• SEAMAP Fall Plankton Survey (still in progress)

In other news, our teams have been out conducting Section 609 Turtle Excluder Device verification visits across the world, restoring mesophotic and deep benthic coral habitats, and tagging sea turtles in coastal Louisiana, reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico, manta rays in the Caribbean, sawfish in South Florida, and rare Rice’s whales in the Gulf of Mexico to better understand these important species. 

If you’re located in, or visiting the Carolinas, we welcome you to come visit our Beaufort, North Carolina facility on Saturday, November 16th to celebrate the laboratory’s 125th anniversary. This family-friendly event will feature hands-on activities, laboratory tours, and lots more science fun!

Keep reading! 

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

Science Stories

Trika Gerard Named Southeast Fisheries Science Center Deputy Director

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Trika Gerard as the new Deputy Director for Science and Operations of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

An Elegant Start to the Second Round of Surveying for Marine Mammals and Seabirds

Join us as we set sail for Leg 2 of the Vessel Survey for Abundance and Distribution on Marine Mammals and Seabirds.

Adding New Species to the Survey Sighting List

Concluding the first week of Leg 2 on the Vessel Survey for Abundance and Distribution on Marine Mammals and Seabirds.

Under Pressure to Restore Deep-Sea Corals

NOAA Fisheries and partners conducted a saturation diving mission deep in the Gulf of Mexico to advance our coral restoration efforts. Throughout the mission, the pressure was on in more ways than one—literally and competitively.

All That Remains: Severe Decline in Wild Elkhorn Coral Genetic Diversity on Florida’s Reefs

NOAA Fisheries published results of the 2023 marine heatwave’s impacts on elkhorn coral genetic diversity in Florida. Our report states that only 23 percent of known genotypes remain in the wild.

Technology Helps Drive Sample Collection in Near Real-Time

On the Coastal Pelagic Species Survey, scientists use acoustics to locate the best sampling locations to trawl.

Whales, Dolphins, and Beautiful Skies—Oh, My!

After a few quiet survey days for both the visual and acoustic teams, the next few were full of amazing sightings and acoustic detections. Read more from the blog series, Collecting Information to Restore Marine Mammals and Seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico.

Settling Into the Coastal Pelagic Species Survey—Complete with Fish and Whales

Trawl biologists and NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker crew are settling into the Coastal Pelagic Species Survey while dealing with higher seas.

Southeast Scientist Invited to West Coast Pelagic Species Survey

Southeast fisheries biologist Andy Ostrowski is participating in the Southwest Coastal Pelagic Species Survey. In this blog, Andy shares what he hopes to learn and how the survey is off to an exciting start!

NOAA-Funded Program Helps Miami Teens from Under-Resourced Schools Enter Marine Science Field

The Your Shores program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science provides high school students from diverse backgrounds with dive certifications, habitat restoration and research experience, and marine science training.

National Stories

NOAA Fisheries, Gulf Partners Release Blueprint to Improve Recreational Fishing Data Collection

This joint plan prioritizes research projects to improve recreational fishing data collection now and into the future.

Minimizing Risk, Maximizing Gain: an Investment Portfolio Approach to Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management

Researchers from NOAA Fisheries are exploring the use of portfolio optimization techniques to minimize risk in fisheries management.

Climate Change Escalates Threats to Species in the Spotlight

Climate change will continue to amplify existing threats to our Species in the Spotlight—including two endangered whale species found in the Southeast U.S. Our recovery efforts for these species are increasingly important as they face the additional challenges of a changing climate.

Twenty-Seven New Projects Will Advance Habitat Restoration and Climate Resilience Priorities of Tribes and Underserved Communities

More than $45 million in funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will help ensure tribes and underserved communities are at the center of restoration and resilience efforts happening in their communities.

Making Progress on Two Major Recreational Fishing Data Collection Initiatives

NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology Director Evan Howell provides a progress update on the ongoing study of the Fishing Effort Survey and the collaborative initiative to re-envision the recreational fishing data partnership

Faces of the Science Center

Meet NOAA IN FISH Intern, Jonathan Venable

As part of the Faces of the Southeast Fisheries Science Center series, meet Jonathan.

Mark Your Calendar

• Beaufort Laboratory 125th Anniversary Public Open House - November 16; Beaufort, North Carolina
• Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Scientific & Statistical Committee Meeting – October 8-10; Tampa, Florida
• Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Meeting - November 4-7; St. Petersburg, Florida, and virtual
• South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting – October 22-24; Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, and virtual
• South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting - December 2-6; Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and virtual
• 185th Caribbean Fishery Management Council Meeting – December 4-5; Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico, and virtual

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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