National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archives - Page 29 of 260

Gulf of Mexico Individual Fishing Quota Program Reminder

June 2, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries is sending this reminder to ensure Individual Fishing Quota program (IFQ) participants are informed about new and important requirements, such as IFQ system functions and how to participate in the program.
For further information, IFQ participants can contact Catch Share Support at (866) 425-7627 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday excluding federal holidays.

U.S. Postal Mail Delay:

Catch Share staff are working remotely.
As a result, processing any mail received through the U.S. Postal Service may be delayed.
Catch Share Support is available via telephone and email during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time).

New Catch Shares Online System:

In December 2020, NOAA Fisheries launched an updated Catch Shares Online System. The new system is hosted in a cloud application that should decrease unexpected down-times.
The new online system functions in a similar manner as the previous online system and there are some improvements, including:
1. Mobile phone and tablet compatibility.
2. Accepts multiple entries per species in landing transactions to allow for different prices per pound. Previously, separate transactions were required.
3. Enhanced security through stronger PIN requirements and secret questions. See FB20-064 for further details.
The website address has changed to https://secatchshares.fisheries.noaa.gov/.
1. Remember to update all bookmarks.
2. NOAA Fisheries will redirect from the old website for the foreseeable future.

Approved Landing Locations:

Vessels landing IFQ species must only land at approved IFQ landing locations. Gulf for-hire sites are not approved for commercial vessels.
Landing locations must be approved in advance to ensure the sites actually exist and law enforcement agents can access these sites.
Landing locations should have a street address. If there is no street address on record, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for an identifiable geographic location must be provided.
IFQ Landing locations must be publicly accessible by land and water, and must satisfy the following criteria:
1. Vehicles must have access to the site via public roads.
2. Vessels must have access to the site via navigable waters.
3. No other conditions may impede free and immediate access to the site by an authorized law enforcement officer. Examples of such conditions include, but are not limited to: a locked gate, fence, wall, or other barrier preventing 24-hour access to the site; a gated community entry point; a guard animal; a posted sign restricting access to the site; or any other physical deterrent.

Failure to adhere to the above specified requirements will result in landing locations being disapproved.

Federal Finance Program (FFP):

The IFQ program is now set up to track and monitor loans from the FFP relating to the purchase of permits and/or IFQ shares, or utilizing IFQ shares as collateral for other FFP loans.
The FFP provides long-term fixed rates for specific fisheries related loans. The maximum loan term for borrowing with no prepayment penalties is 25 years at a fixed rate interest of 2% above the Treasury Rate.
The FFP provides loans relating to:
1. Refurbishing, modernization or purchasing of existing fishing vessels, fisheries facilities, or aquaculture facilities.
2. Harvesting privileges in federally managed limited access systems (Catch Shares).
3. Refinancing existing debt incurred for these purposes. The FFP will not finance a vessel refurbishing project that materially increases a vessel’s harvesting capacity.
For more information, contact the Southeast Financial Services Branch at 727-824-5377.

Pre-Landing Notifications:

When using the 24/7 call service to report your pre-landing notification, please provide your vessel’s Coast Guard documentation or state registration number. This will ensure the pre-landing notification is given for the correct vessel instead of another vessel with a similar name.
If you make a pre-landing notification and any details change, including estimated pounds onboard, you must make a new, revised pre-landing notification.
1. If the landing location changes or an earlier time than previously submitted is needed, then the new notification will need to be submitted at least 3 hours prior to landing.
2. If the change is to the dealer, the weights, or an arrival time that is later than previously submitted, the new notification does not require the vessel to wait an additional 3 hours.
  - For vessels that make a pre-landing notification before a day trip, you must update the estimated pounds onboard before you land.
3. Only one “change” to a landing notification can be made before the vessel is required to wait an additional 3 hours.
For more information about IFQ pre-landing notifications, including example scenarios, refer to Frequently Asked Questions on the catch share online system.

Dealer Landing Transactions With No Landing Notifications:

When dealers complete a landing transaction, step 4 on the landing transaction page specifies to select a notification confirmation to link the vessel’s pre-landing notification with the landing transaction.
For a variety of reasons, sometimes there are no notifications to select. In this case, the dealer must select “No Notification Meets Criteria” to complete the landing transaction.

Transferring Allocation to Another Shareholder’s Vessel Account:

When transferring allocation to another shareholder’s vessel account, use the vessel’s Coast Guard documentation or state registration number in the search box.
Many vessels have similar names and this will ensure the correct vessel receives the allocation.

Read the full release here

NOAA Sets Framework to Reduce Right Whale Entanglements

June 1, 2021 — As North Atlantic Right whale populations continue to dwindle, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has put out a new biological opinion that will require fixed gear and trap pot fisheries in the Northeast to reduce whale entanglements by 87 per cent over the next decade.

Issued by NOAA Fisheries on May 27, the nearly 600-page opinion includes a phased, four-step conservation framework to cut down on serious injury and mortality for the species throughout federal waters along the Atlantic coastline, although it does not detail the specific conservation measures necessary to achieve the reduction.

The opinion follows a federal U.S. District Court ruling that NOAA had violated the Endangered Species Act by not adequately regulating the lobster industry, instituting a Take Reduction Plan that allowed for approximately three times as many right whale deaths per year as was sustainable.

Current conservation measures proposed by NOAA’s right whale take reduction team include new rules on the Jonah crab and Northeast region lobster industry that focus on gear markings, vertical line and rope reduction, seasonal fishery restrictions or closures and weaker rope for pots. The rules represent the first phase of the conservation framework, and will reduce right whale serious injury and mortality by an estimated 60 per cent.

But the new biological opinion and conservation framework claims that is not nearly enough to save the species from extinction.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

Recent Conviction Confirms Our Commitment to Observer Safety

June 1, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Part of our job at NOAA Fisheries is ensuring a level playing field for commercial fishermen. Fishery observers and at-sea monitors play a critical role in that process. Observers are professionally-trained biological scientists whose work helps monitor fisheries, assess fish populations, set fishing quotas, and inform management. Their work is vital to our mission.

For observers to be effective, their working conditions must be safe and professional. Although U.S. fisheries are among the safest in the world, we understand the inherent risks that observers face while working in remote and offshore locations. As our eyes and ears on the water, they spend days, weeks, or even months out at sea. Their work can be dangerous and puts them in vulnerable situations. It is our job to make sure their unique workplaces are as safe as possible.

Preparing observers for safe deployments requires an active partnership among NOAA Fisheries, observers, observer providers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the fishing industry. Since the inception of the observer program in the 1970s, we have continually worked to develop and institute world-class training and safety protocols. This includes a zero tolerance policy for observer harassment or assault.

As part of their training, observers are encouraged to report inappropriate behavior. They are given examples of unacceptable behavior and taught what steps they can take if something inappropriate happens. Violators are subject to civil and criminal penalties of up to six months in prison and a $130,000 fine.

On May 3, 2021, Galen Burrell, a commercial fishing deckhand, was sentenced in the Eastern District of North Carolina to six months in prison after pleading guilty to sexually harassing a federal fishery observer. This prosecution is the result of collaboration between NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, the Office of General Counsel, the Observer Program, and the Department of Justice. The successful prosecution of this case highlights our commitment to observer safety, and demonstrates that bad actors can—and will—be held accountable.

The NOAA Office of Law Enforcement will continue to pursue any and all credible allegations concerning an observer’s safety.

Any observer who has experienced harassment or assault should feel empowered to take action. Our Law Enforcement Hotline is always open at (800) 853-1964. There are numerous victim advocacy resources available such as NOAA’s Sexual Assault/Sexual Harassment Helpline and RAINN.

Lobster industry still waiting for precise rules from feds to protect right whales

June 1, 2021 — Maine’s lobster fishermen are anxiously waiting to learn exactly what they will have to change to meet new federal requirements to protect the endangered right whale. On Thursday, the federal agency NOAA Fisheries released their final biological opinion about the threat to right whales, saying there have to be major changes by New England fishermen so whales won’t get tangled in fishing gear and die.

Fishermen have been worrying about and waiting for federal guidelines for more than two years. They had some of their fears confirmed by the latest report from NOAA, but still are waiting to get the needed details.

The big target to protect whales is called risk reduction, primarily by cutting the number of vertical ropes in the water that connect traps to buoy.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, part of NOAA Fisheries, said those ropes pose a big risk of tangling right whales, so they have to be reduced 60 percent right away. How that should happen is one of the details fishermen are waiting to learn, but previous documents from NMFS suggested a primary method should be requiring longer trawls, meaning putting many more traps on each line, in addition to using sections of weaker rope that can break away if snagged by a whale.

Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association said Maine is being unfairly penalized for whale deaths actually happening in Canada and those from whales being hit by ships at sea. She said that while lobstermen will have to follow the rules, the industry will continue to pressure NMFS to improve its data and create more fair regulations.

Read the full story at News Center Maine

NOAA FY 2022 budget advances America’s response to the climate crisis

June 1, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

From the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean and in communities from coast to coast, NOAA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request delivers the science, data, and services Americans need to address the climate crisis.

“This historic increase in NOAA’s budget will put American businesses, workers, and communities in a better position to respond to the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “Our economic competitiveness relies on our communities’ resilience and our ability to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to climate change and extreme weather. For decades, NOAA has provided critical weather and climate guidance that supports our economy, infrastructure, and security, and this historic investment will enable NOAA to deliver on its mission.”

For FY 2022, NOAA proposes a budget of $7.0 billion in discretionary appropriations, an increase of $1.5 billion from its enacted FY 2021 budget. NOAA provides 24×7 actionable information about climate change through a complex suite of oceanic, atmospheric, and space-based observing tools, using ships, planes, satellites and autonomous aerial and undersea vehicles. This budget increase will accelerate NOAA’s efforts to research, adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of climate change, in support of the Administration’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad, through $855.1 million in targeted investments in the following areas:

Research ($149.3 million increase): NOAA will strengthen core research capabilities for improved climate forecast products and services. These improved products and services will help communities prepare for and adapt to impacts of extreme weather and climate disasters that have become much more frequent and costly in recent decades.
Observations and Forecasting ($368.2 million increase): NOAA will expand its delivery of the best available climate observations and information (physical, biological, social, economic) to understand, prepare for, and adapt to future conditions and support job creation in frontline and underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Restoration and Resilience ($259.3 million increase): NOAA will invest in ecological restoration and community resilience, and address an increasing demand for NOAA’s science and services needed to enhance natural and economic resilience along our ocean and coasts through our direct financial support, expertise, robust on-the-ground partnerships, and place-based conservation activities. NOAA will support the president’s goal to conserve at least 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030 and through the Civilian Climate Corps.
Offshore Wind ($20.4 million increase): NOAA will further the Administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030, while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use in our nation’s Blue Economy.
Equity ($57.9 million increase): NOAA will enhance its integration of equity across the organization, from management, to policies, to service-delivery. NOAA will cultivate a more diverse, climate-ready workforce of the future that builds upon NOAA’s long history of investments in graduate and postgraduate training, fellowships, and extension programs, an enterprise which already has an alumni base numbering in the thousands.

Communities across the country are struggling with the effects of extreme events like hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and fisheries collapse. In 2020, a record-setting 22 weather and climate disasters each caused over $1 billion in damage in the United States, including the worst wildfires in California history and several major hurricanes in a season that saw a record 30 named storms. With 2021 bringing massive, unprecedented winter storms to several southern states and predictions for another above-average hurricane season, investments in climate research to understand extreme events and provide services to help communities and businesses make smart climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation decisions are more important than ever.

“NOAA is the nation’s 24×7 provider of trusted and life-saving environmental information. From your daily weather forecast to decades of climate monitoring, NOAA is always on call,” said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA Administrator. “NOAA’s focus on equity inside and outside the agency positions us well to increase our support for vulnerable communities, and ensure that we are helping all Americans better prepare for and respond to the increasing impacts of climate change and extreme weather.”

The FY 2022 budget also strengthens investments in NOAA’s vessels, aircraft, and satellites — the observational platforms vital for measuring and monitoring our environment — as well as space weather observation and prediction services that protect critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid, aviation, and satellite communications:

Fleet Support ($101 million increase): NOAA will invest in key components of the nation’s environmental at-sea observation platforms and facilities, by enabling a single-phase mid-life maintenance on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and construction of a dedicated marine operations facility (Pier Romeo) in Charleston, South Carolina – homeport for NOAA Ships Ronald H. Brown and Nancy Foster.
NESDIS ($2.029 million ): NOAA will make crucial, timely investments to ensure that the Nation’s next-generation satellite systems not only improve existing services, but that they also expand delivery of essential climate, weather, atmospheric, and oceanographic information to meet the needs of the American public. In support of Executive Order 14008, NOAA’s data and information infrastructure will expand the use of the best available observations, from NOAA and partner satellites and systems, to enhance the understanding of climate change-related trends and patterns, and deliver essential products, information, and climate services to inform decision makers.
Space Weather ($5 million increase): NOAA will continue to build towards a space weather prediction capability that will ensure national and global communities are ready for and responsive to space-weather events.

Restoring Habitat for Migratory Fish: A Look Back at the Recovery Act—Part 2

May 28, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NOAA funded 125 habitat restoration projects in coastal areas throughout the country. Now, more than a decade later, we’re taking a look back at some of the projects we funded. We’ll explore the benefits this restoration work continues to bring to communities and ecosystems across the country. In Part 2 of this 3-part series, we’re highlighting examples of how Recovery Act projects have benefitted migratory fish.

Part 1 focused on community benefits like jobs and recreation. Part 3 will explore how Recovery Act-funded projects laid the groundwork for continuing habitat restoration efforts.

NOAA received $167 million from the Recovery Act to restore coastal habitat and help jumpstart the nation’s economy. We established 50 cooperative agreements that funded 125 high quality habitat restoration projects in 24 states and territories. They spanned from New England’s salt marshes to the coral reefs of the Pacific Islands.

On-the-ground projects funded through the Recovery Act restored more than 25,000 acres of habitat. They opened more than 670 miles of stream for fish and removed more than 433,000 tons of marine debris. This work provided much-needed habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries, and for threatened and endangered species.

Below, learn about two waterways where Recovery Act projects have benefitted important migratory fish species.

Read the full release here

Why Fish are the Catch of the Day for Climate Research

May 28, 2021 — Climate change in the ocean has made a splash with people who want to protect marine animals, like fishes, from warming oceans. But the problem goes beyond endangered species and threatened ecosystems. It also affects people who rely on fish not only for food but also for income.

To learn more about these impacts, scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Marine Station are collecting data on where fish live today and how those environments are changing. Gathering and analyzing this information is the most accurate way to protect the fish and the fishing communities.

“Understanding how fish respond to climate change is important but not the only factor,” said Steven Canty, a marine biologist and the program coordinator of the Marine Conservation Program at the Smithsonian Marine Station. “We can’t only be thinking about the fish when so many people rely on them for food security and their livelihoods.”

Read the full story at the Smithsonian Magazine

2021-2022 Northeast Fisheries Observer Sea Day Schedule Now Available

May 28, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The 2021-2022 sea-day schedule for trips selected for observer coverage is now available. Two new information reports that support the schedule are also available. View or and download the schedule and reports here.

We did not conduct a discard analysis this year because of an observer data gap caused by observer coverage waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s sea day schedule is instead based on last year’s analysis, incorporating the effects of FY21 funding and sea scallop compensation rate.

There are 3,248 agency-funded days for fishery monitoring, 3,096 days fewer than required. We have used the prioritization process described in the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology Omnibus Amendment to allocate available funds to fishing fleets monitored using these sea days.

For groundfish vessels in this fishing year, we estimate that 699 Northeast Fisheries Observer Program sea-days can offset the days required for at-sea monitoring, and that 100% of vessel costs for at-sea monitoring will be reimbursed with funds specifically appropriated by Congress in FY2019 and FY2020 for this purpose.

Read the full release here

Surveys Will Collect Data Crucial for Managing Alaska Fisheries and Monitoring Alaska Marine Ecosystems

May 28, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Scientists from NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center and partners have begun another busy survey season off the Alaska coast. Eight surveys are planned in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Chukchi Sea to monitor fish, crab, marine mammals, and marine ecosystems.

“Information collected as part of these surveys and other available data on oceanographic conditions, fisheries, and protected species are integrated to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Alaska marine ecosystems to support sustainable resource management and conservation,” said Robert Foy, science and research director, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

During surveys, NOAA scientists sort, weigh, and count species collected by longline or trawl. They will also collect specimens and data on various species, as requested by cooperating scientists, agencies, and institutions.

Longline Survey of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska

The annual longline survey is an important data source for producing timely resource assessments for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The 2021 survey continues a 44-year time-series of sablefish and other groundfish species stock trends. The survey is being conducted from May 28 to September 1 aboard the F/V Alaskan Leader, which is a 150-foot freezer longliner.

The 2021 survey begins in Dutch Harbor and makes port calls in Ketchikan, Yakutat, Cordova, and Kodiak. The survey samples the Gulf of Alaska every year, the Bering Sea in odd-numbered years, and the Aleutian Islands in even-numbered years. It surveys at depths from 200 to 1,000 meters. The survey produces catch rates, species compositions, length, and age data for:

Sablefish
Pacific cod
Several rockfish species
Shortspine thornyhead
Sharks
Grenadiers
Greenland turbot

The survey also tags and releases a subsample of sablefish, shortspine thornyhead, and Greenland turbot for studying movement behavior and life history. The survey operates on a cost-recovery basis: proceeds from the catch are sold to offset the cost of the vessel charter.

Read the full release here

Commercial Closure of the Golden Tilefish Hook-and-Line Component in South Atlantic Federal Waters on June 1, 2021

May 27, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

What/When:

The commercial hook-and-line component for golden tilefish in federal waters of the South Atlantic will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2021.

Why this Closure is Happening:

The 2021 commercial catch limit for the golden tilefish hook-and-line component is 82,935 pounds gutted weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the commercial hook-and-line catch limit and harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

During and After the Closure:

The closure prohibitions for the commercial hook-and-line component apply in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper permit.
The South Atlantic golden tilefish commercial longline component closed on February 10, 2021, and reopened for 11 days beginning March 20, 2021, and closed at 12:01 a.m., local time, on March 31, 2021, for the remainder of the fishing year. Therefore, all commercial harvest and sale of South Atlantic golden tilefish will be prohibited effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, June 1, 2021. Harvest or possession is limited to the golden tilefish recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open, without regard to where the golden tilefish was harvested (i.e. in state or federal waters).
Golden tilefish bag and possession limits and the prohibition on sale/purchase apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.
The prohibitions on harvest or possession and sale or purchase during the closure do not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2021, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
The 2021 fishing season for golden tilefish commercial hook-and-line component in the South Atlantic will open on January 1, 2022, with a commercial catch limit of 82,935 pounds gutted weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. The complete list of regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6.