National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Archives - Page 59 of 259

WASHINGTON: Applications open for federal relief funding to commercial fishing, shellfish, charter and seafood sector industry members

February 11, 2021 — Eligible commercial fishing, shellfish, charter and seafood sector industry members who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) for assistance.

Industry members who experienced a gross revenue loss from January through July 2020 greater than 35 percent of their 2015-2019 average, are eligible to apply for federal relief funding. Washington-based commercial fishers who fish in Alaska are also eligible.

Under Section 12005 of the CARES Act, Congress provided $300 million to states to distribute to fisheries participants. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries allocated the funding among states, territories, and tribes with Washington and Alaska receiving the highest allocation of $50 million each.

Washington non-tribal commercial fishing, shellfish and charter industry members have been allocated $39 million, with $11 million allocated to members of Washington’s 24 treaty tribes. The CARES Act funds are intended to help those who have experienced negative impacts to commercial, subsistence, cultural and ceremonial fisheries resulting directly or indirectly from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full story at Chinook Observer

NOAA Taking Input On New Right Whale Rules

February 11, 2021 — The public can weigh in this month on a federal plan aimed at saving critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Researchers estimate that fewer than 375 right whales are still alive. Their leading causes of death are getting hit by ships or tangled in fishing gear, especially long vertical lines such as those used in lobstering. Getting tangled in lines and dragging fishing gear through the ocean exhausts and stresses out the whales, and can cause serious injuries and infections.

So the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed new fishing and lobstering rules to prevent entanglements.

But Gib Brogan with the environmental group Oceana said this week that the plan isn’t good enough.

Read the full story at GPB

Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Birthplace of NOAA Fisheries

February 10, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

When the U.S. Fish Commission was established in 1871, there was not much question as to who should lead the special investigation into a serious food fish decline off southern New England.

Spencer Baird ticked a number of boxes—prominent scientist, already in the government, willing to work in the job without additional pay—and he knew just about everyone in the field. He also had a demonstrated track record for attracting Congressional interest and funding for his work. Much has been written about Baird’s subsequent accomplishments in the job. But what led to the decision to site the first permanent federal fisheries laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts?

For the initial work of the U.S. Fish Commission, Baird settled on Woods Hole as a base. Up to this point, the village was mostly a tourist location. People fished and farmed; whaling was nearly a thing of the past. The largest employer was a fertilizer factory that relied on guano shipped from Pacific islands.

Read the full release here

New rules to limit New England herring fishing to start

February 10, 2021 — New restrictions that will limit commercial herring fishing off New England take effect on Wednesday.

Atlantic herring are the source of a major East Coast fishery. They’re used as food and bait. Concerns about the size of the population motivated federal regulators to craft new rules about herring fishing.

The rules prohibit certain kinds of fishing in inshore federal waters from the border of the U.S. and Canada to the border of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The rules state they are designed to bring sustainability to the species.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Milford Mirror

$400K in federal funds may help open new markets for Maine aquaculture

February 9, 2021 — A research project looking at new and underserved markets for Maine’s aquaculture industry has been awarded $400,499 in federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant program.

The award, announced Friday, will go to the Maine Sea Grant, according to a news release.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact on all seafood producers,” said Sebastian Belle, the association’s executive director. “The work that will be done in this project will be critical in helping our members adapt to and recover from the challenges they are facing.”

The award will support the research of potential new and underserved markets for Maine-grown aquaculture products, and will fund efforts to seek partnerships between aquaculture and wild capture supply chains.

“Maine’s aquaculture industry has undergone significant growth and diversification in recent years, creating new jobs and economic opportunities in our state,” U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a joint statement.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

New Slow Zone Southeast of Atlantic City to Protect Right Whales

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction) to protect right whales.

Today, February 9, 2021, a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution acoustic buoy detected the presence of right whales 20nm southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey Slow Zone is in effect through February 24, 2021.

Mariners, please go around this slow zone or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

39 25 N
38 44 N
073 44 W
074 36 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

New Atlantic herring protections set to take effect Wednesday

February 9, 2021 — New Atlantic herring protections announced last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will take effect on Wednesday.

The regulations will limit the annual catch levels for the commercial herring industry. It will also end the use of giant trawls in nearshore waters from New England to the Canadian border.

The new rules are expected to benefit the Atlantic puffin which was once on the brink of local extinction because of overhunting.

Don Lyons, the director of conservation science at the National Audubon Society’s Seabird Institute, says Maine could see more fishing regulations like this in the future.

Read the full story at News Center Maine

NOAA FISHERIES: Now Accepting Entries for the 2021 Marine Endangered Species Art Contest

February 9, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Contest for Kids K-12: Entries Due Friday, April 23

Teachers: Celebrate Endangered Species Day (May 21) by having your classroom participate in the 2021 Marine Endangered Species Art Contest!

Endangered and threatened species need our help. Students’ artwork will showcase their knowledge and commitment to protecting these animals. We invite Massachusetts schools as well as schools from anywhere in the U.S. and beyond to submit entries.

Artwork should highlight one or more marine endangered or threatened species from the New England/Mid-Atlantic region. Text highlighting why the animals are important and what people can do to protect them may also be included. Younger students, in grades K-2, who may not understand the threats to endangered species (i.e., pollution, fishing, etc.) are encouraged to portray the animals in their natural habitat instead.

Get the details on entry requirements, entry submissions, prizes, and more.

Questions?

Contact Edith Carson-Supino, Regional Office, 978-282-8490

NOAA Celebrates 10 years of Integrated Ecosystem Assessments

February 8, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA is celebrating 10 years of implementing Integrated Ecosystem Assessments—a science and management effort to integrate all components of an ecosystem, including human needs and activities, into the decision-making process. We have published a special issue of the Coastal Management Journal, titled “Ten years of NOAA Integrated Ecosystem Assessment.” It is comprised of seven papers that highlight how, over the past 10 years, scientists have used the IEA approach to build:

Relationships with other scientists from different disciplines, stakeholders, and managers
A community of practice and share lessons learned
An improved process to integrate social, economic, ecological, and physical components of the ecosystem together

This approach is a key part of NOAA’s ecosystem science enterprise. The introduction of the special issue provides a detailed description of each step of the approach.

The IEA approach is executed by scientists across the globe. Our IEA program is a NOAA-wide initiative that oversees the direction and execution of IEAs within U.S. ocean and coastal ecosystems. The program currently has five active regional programs:

Each region executes the IEA approach in different ways depending on the regional issues and needs. One of the many benefits of the IEA approach is its flexibility to meet the goals of the people and ecosystems involved as the environment and human activities change.

Read the full release here

Northeast scup: With abundant biomass, fishermen look to expand market post-pandemic

February 8, 2021 — Commercial scup, or porgy, landings peaked in 1981 at 21.73 million pounds but dipped to 2.66 million pounds by 2000. In recent years, commercial fishermen have not landed the commercial quota, and there have been industry-wide efforts focused on closing the gap.

The commercial fishery is year-round, and mostly in federal waters during the winter and state waters during the summer. A coastwide commercial quota is allocated between three quota periods: winter I, summer and winter II. Total ex-vessel value in 2018 was $9.70 million, resulting in an average price per pound of $0.73. NOAA data shows landings from October to the end of December 2020 are below last year’s landings.

Despite being highly abundant, and not considered overfished, the industry has grappled with achieving a harvest of the full quota every year, in part because commercial fishermen often do not fish for scup when the dock price is depressed. If market demand were increased, prices and opportunities for fleets to harvest the fish would follow.

Dave Aripotch, a commercial scup commercial fisherman in Montauk, N.Y., says 2020 was decent, but that he pulled in less volume than previous years.

“A lot of times with scup, if you catch them, you catch a lot of them. This year, there were a lot of small and mediums around, and this means the market gets plugged even for jumbo.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman