Saving Seafood

Conservation & Environment

NOAA selects members to new advisory committee to advance area-based conservation

September 17, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA announced the selection of 20 members to serve on the inaugural Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee that will advise agency leadership on science-based approaches to area-based protection, conservation, restoration and management of coastal, Great Lakes and marine places.

NOAA has a wide range of responsibilities and authorities related to area-based management, including through the national marine sanctuary and national estuarine research reserve systems, and through fishery management areas.

“Area-based management is a critical tool in the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to combat the climate crisis and invest in our coastal communities and industries,” said U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves. “These 20 members will lend essential perspectives and expertise to Commerce’s conservation and restoration efforts as we work towards achieving sustainable development, environmental justice and a clean energy future for America’s ocean and coasts.”

The committee will provide valuable advice on how NOAA’s area-based management activities can enhance biodiversity, build climate resilience and expand access to nature and the outdoors for underserved communities. The committee will also advise NOAA on implementation of the America the Beautiful initiative, which aims to conserve and restore the nation’s public lands and waters.

The committee’s unique scope will help NOAA address all types of area-based management in coastal and marine areas, including sites that are managed under different authorities and for different purposes, such as national marine sanctuaries, national estuarine research reserves and areas for fisheries management.

Committee members reflect diverse perspectives and expertise in key areas, including:

  • Resource management for coastal, marine and Great Lakes areas.
  • Commercial and recreational fishing, marine industries, recreation and tourism.
  • Study of the structure, function, human use and management of coastal and ocean ecosystems.

The selected Committee members also represent tribal and Indigenous communities, conservation, philanthropic and non-governmental organizations, and organizations focusing on youth engagement, education, outreach and environmental justice.

“NOAA is pleased to welcome committee members with a wide range of perspectives and expertise — from science, policy, advocacy and industry – and including tribal and Indigenous leaders,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Effective management of special coastal, Great Lakes and marine areas – and the communities that rely on them — will benefit from their input and advice.”

To provide for staggered membership to ensure continuity, half of the members are appointed to a two-year term (renewable once) and half are appointed to a four-year, non-renewable term, with terms beginning at the committee’s first meeting.The following individuals will serve on the committee:

  • Peter Auster, senior research scientist and research professor emeritus, Mystic Aquarium, University of Connecticut (two-year term).
  • Linda Behnken, executive director, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association; Acting Director, Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (four-year term).
  • Jessica Coakley, fishery management specialist, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (two-year term).
  • Jenn Eckerle, deputy secretary for oceans and coastal policy, California Natural Resources Agency; executive director, California Ocean Protection Council (four-year term).
  • Deanna Erickson, reserve director, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (four-year term).
  • Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, associate professor and senior researcher, Department of Integrative Biology for Oregon State University (four-year term).
  • Martha Guyas, Southeast fisheries policy director, American Sportfishing Association (four-year term).
  • Heather Hall, intergovernmental ocean policy manager, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (two-year term).
  • Mark Hodor, senior legal counsel, Shell USA Inc., Safety, Environment, and Asset Management (two-year term).
  • Jaime Jahncke, director, California Current Group, Point Blue Conservation Science (two- year term).
  • Amy Kenney, executive director, National Ocean Protection Coalition (four-year term).
  • Aaron Kornbluth, owner, Akorn Environmental Consulting (two-year term).
  • Stephanie Mathes, director of special initiatives, The Corps Network (two-year term).
  • Joseph Oatman, deputy program manager and harvest director, Nez Perce Tribe (four-year term).
  • Eric Reid, chairman, New England Fisheries Management Council (four-year term).
  • Donald Schug, socioeconomic analyst, Northern Economics, Inc. (two-year term).
  • Tracey Smart, senior marine scientist, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division (two-year term).
  • Helen Smith, policy advocate, Creation Justice Ministries (two-year term).
  • Peter Stauffer, ocean protection manager, Surfrider Foundation (four-year term).
  • Angelo Villagomez, senior fellow, Energy and Environment, Center for American Progress (two-year term).

For more information, please visit the Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee website.

Rules to protect whales issued to offshore wind firm prepping for N.J. construction

September 14, 2023 — As developers get closer to building the Jersey Shore’s first offshore wind turbines, the safety of marine mammals continues to be an important factor.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday issued Ørsted a construction authorization that outlines rules for protecting whales and dolphins while installing monopiles, turbines and other offshore wind infrastructure for its first project.

The number of stranded whales on the Atlantic Coast this year reached 62, including nearly two dozen in New York and New Jersey. Although three federal agencies and various experts have repeated that scientific evidence has yet to connect the strandings to offshore wind development, the Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the permit.

Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 1 will be crucial in Gov. Phil Murphy’s larger ambition for New Jersey to become a leader in the clean energy alternative on the Eastern Seaboard.

Read the full article at NJ.com

Climate change takes habitat from big fish, the ocean’s key predators

September 14, 2023 — This year’s marine heat waves and spiking ocean temperatures foretell big changes in the future for some of the largest fish in the sea, such as sharks, tunas and swordfish.

The rising temperatures of the oceans are especially dangerous for these fish because warming makes their open-water habitats less suitable, scientists who study the species said. Loss of habitat could largely remove some of the most important predators — and some of the most commercially important seafood species — from the ocean.

One recent study, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, predicts that some large species could lose 70% of their habitat by 2100. It’s a sign that this year’s high temperatures aren’t an anomaly but a warning about what the ocean’s future could hold with climate change.

Species of large fish such as marlin and skipjack live in areas that are among the fastest warming ocean regions, projected to increase by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, said Camrin Braun, a marine scientist and an author of the Woods Hole study. That much warming would prompt widespread redistribution of the animals, potentially fundamentally changing sea ecosystems, Braun said.

“Across the board, with life histories so different, we see this consistent signal of loss of habitat,” Braun said. “For sure, their habitat will change. How they respond to that is an open question.”

Read the full article at Spectrum News

Environmental Alliance Challenges Accepted Offshore Sonar Levels

September 13, 2023 — Saying protective distances adopted by the National Marine Fisheries Service for incidental harassment authorizations related to offshore wind sonar work is having the opposite effect, Save the Right Whales Coalition wants the federal government to take emergency action to halt the work.

NOAA Fisheries issues permits for “incidental harassment” of whales and dolphins when it authorizes seabed surveying using high-intensity noise devices.

“Our data shows that the sonar is producing Level B harassment noise levels at distances that exceed those set by NOAA Fisheries,” Lisa Linowes, co-founder of Save the Right Whales Coalition, wrote in a Sept. 8 letter to Richard Spinrad, NOAA administrator and undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Marine mammals are likely getting much closer to the sonar than should be allowed.”

Read the full article at the Sand Paper

Drones hold promise as a new technique for tagging and monitoring endangered right whales

September 10, 2023 — North Atlantic right whales are notoriously difficult to track, but a new method for tagging them could hold promise for federal efforts to monitor the critically endangered species.

Researchers have traditionally approached right whales in a small boat and applied suction cup tags using a long pole. The method is often risky for both researchers applying the tags and for the whales themselves. And with a population of fewer than 340 right whales, poor weather conditions make it difficult to consistently tag and monitor them.

Read the full article at Maine Public

New NOAA report confirms widespread coral damage from Port Miami dredge

September 10, 2023 — Nearly a decade after dredging Port Miami left a swath of dead coral yet to be repaired, a new federal assessment confirms damage was far more widespread than originally reported.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report found dredging and rock chopping that pulverized the ocean bottom created a blizzard of silt that buried at least 278 acres around the reef, and likely far more. The report upholds previous findings and will be used to permit future dredging as well as long overdue repairs.

Those repairs, which should have started within a year of the dredge ending, could wind up costing Miami-Dade County hundreds of millions of dollars under a 2012 contract signed by the county.

Miami-Dade County officials said Thursday they were reviewing the report. Any estimate on costs to mitigate damage would be premature, they said.

In a statement, Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava said the county was working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on a mitigation plan to repair damage.

“I’m deeply concerned about the damage of coral colonies and committed to learning everything we can about what took place and where we go from here,” she said.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday it was still looking into the matter.

Read the full article at WLRN

Fleeing fish, upended lives

September 7, 2023 — Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” drifts from Karroll Tillett’s workshop, a wooden shed about half a mile from where he was born.

Tillett, known as “Frog” to everyone here, has lived most of his 75 years on the water, much of it chasing summer flounder. But the chasing got harder and harder, and now he spends his time making nets for other fishermen at his workshop, at the end of a dirt path next to his ex-wife’s house.

The house is on CB Daniels Sr. Road, one of several named after two of the fishing clans that have held sway for decades in this small coastal town. Besides CB Daniels Sr. Road, there’s ER Daniels Road and just plain Daniels Road. In Frog’s family, there’s Tink Tillett Road and Rondal Tillett Road.

Read the full article at Reuters

‘Very strong’ El Niño to bring warmer winter, with scorching ocean water for marine life

September 7, 2023 — A tropical weather system called El Niño is beginning its march up the coast of Oregon, bringing with it a warmer winter and inescapable heat for some marine life.

Oregonians on the coast could experience flooding from high tides and rising sea levels. In the mountains, areas hoping for snow are more likely to get rain, which could accentuate the drought plaguing the West. For aquatic species, warming ocean temperatures could spur a northern migration and could be deadly for plankton vital to salmon and other species up the food chain.

Spurred by a change in air pressure over the Pacific Ocean near the equator, El Niño last visited Oregon in the winter of 2018, and has occurred more than 20 times since 1950.

It is both an ocean and atmospheric weather pattern that touches all parts of the West.

The latest system, which recently reached the southern Oregon coast, is predicted to be among the fiercest in years, according to Oregon’s state climatologist, Larry O’Neill. There have only been three El Niños since 1970 that have reached the category of “very strong” as determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The last one was in 1997.

“Generally the rule of thumb is that El Niño leads to drier, warmer weather,” he said. “In strong years, it’s led to warmer, wetter weather. We don’t know yet how robust those relationships are though.”

Read the full article at the Oregon Capital Chronicle 

Biden-Harris Administration makes $45 million available for coastal habitat restoration and resilience for tribes and underserved communities through Investing in America agenda

September 2, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of up to $45 million in funding for projects that will advance coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of tribes and underserved communities. This funding is available as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, through the Inflation Reduction Act — the largest climate investment in history — and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

NOAA seeks to support opportunities for tribes and underserved communities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities, such as removing outdated dams and restoring coastal wetlands, which can help improve communities’ ability to recover from and adapt to the impacts of extreme weather and the climate crisis. Of the $45 million in funding available, $20 million is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes. The remaining $25 million will be available to all eligible applicants to support opportunities for tribes and underserved communities. 

“Across the country, tribes and underserved communities rely on our coastal habitats and ecosystems for commerce and culture. But too often, they don’t have access to the resources, capacity, and support they need to protect and restore our coasts and adapt to climate change,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, this program will support community-driven habitat restoration efforts and ensure that the benefits of these efforts flow back to these communities — helping to protect their ways of life and making their communities more climate resilient.”

Projects selected through this opportunity will span several types of activities, including capacity building, actionable science support, and restoration: 

  • Capacity building includes activities such as participation in municipal or regional-scale resilience planning, project planning and feasibility studies, stakeholder engagement or developing proposals for future funding.
  • Actionable science support includes activities such as the collection or analysis of climate, habitat or other community or conservation-related data that informs planning, decision-making or future restoration.
  • Restoration includes activities such as demonstration projects, engineering and design, permitting and on-the-ground habitat restoration work.

“NOAA is committed to the goals of advancing equity and supporting tribes and underserved communities through our work,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Through this funding, we’ll work to ensure that the needs and priorities of these communities are at the center of locally-based habitat restoration and coastal resilience efforts.”

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act provide a historic opportunity for NOAA to continue making an impact for fisheries, protected resources and coastal communities. To date, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation has awarded more than $480 million for 109 projects across the country through this funding. The Office of Habitat Conservation has a long history of conducting habitat restoration efforts with large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert technical assistance through its Community-based Restoration Program. 

Applications are due by December 19, 2023. For more information about this opportunity, visit the Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities webpage. 

This funding opportunity is aligned with actions outlined in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Ocean Climate Action Plan and the America the Beautiful initiative. It also advances President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, energy and other covered investments to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

Please visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act webpages to learn about current and future funding opportunities. 

Horseshoe crabs have roamed the planet for 450 million years, but they could be running out of time

August 26, 2023 —  One of the great delights of summer on the New England shore is catching sight in shallow waters of the humble horseshoe crab. Ancient and mysterious, these creatures are precious beyond their eerie beauty because their blood is essential to testing the safety of vaccines and medical equipment, and their nutrient-rich eggs provide food for endangered shorebirds such as the red knot.

But the horseshoe crab, surviving for at least 450 million years, is today imperiled by exploitation, both from commercial biomedical firms and from eel and whelk fishermen who use them for bait. Although scattered populations have rebounded, some — including the American horseshoe crab — are listed as endangered or vulnerable to extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.

Last month, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries issued new regulations for horseshoe crab harvesting, including the first biomedical quota of 200,000 crabs. The state also lowered the cap on harvesting for bait, to 140,000 crabs per season. Government wildlife managers seek to balance the needs of various constituencies, including commercial interests, against the conservation of critical species. But given their essential role both in human health and coastal biodiversity, you have to ask why the state allows the taking of any horseshoe crabs for bait.

Read the full article at the Boston Globe