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Plans to move NOAA hub to Newport are being finalized, Reed says

March 19, 2023 — The federal government is “finalizing plans” to move a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration marine operations center from Virginia to Naval Station Newport, according to US Senator Jack Reed.

Reed said the move from Norfolk, Va., to Newport would mean a $150 million federal investment and 200 jobs in Rhode Island.

“This is a major win for Rhode Island and our Blue Economy that will help NOAA improve mission fulfillment while achieving savings through consolidation and enhancing collaboration with the Navy, URI, the Coast Guard, and leading ocean scientists and marine businesses,” Reed, a Democrat, said in a news release Wednesday touting the development, as well as his role in it.

Read the full article at the Boston Globe

Catching Crabs in a Suffocating Sea

March 7, 2022 — The crab pots are piled high at the fishing docks in Newport, Oregon. Stacks of tire-sized cages fill the parking lot, festooned with colorful buoys and grimy ropes. By this time in July, most commercial fishers have called it a year for Dungeness crab. But not Dave Bailey, the skipper of the 14-meter Morningstar II. The season won’t end for another month, and “demand for fresh, live crab never stops,” Bailey says with a squinting smile and fading Midwestern accent.

Most marine animals don’t breathe air, but they need oxygen to live, absorbing it from the water as they swim, burrow, or cling to the seafloor. But lately, bouts of dangerously low oxygen levels—or hypoxia—have afflicted parts of the North American west coast, affecting critters from halibut to sea stars. These “dead zones” cause ecological disruption and economic pain for fishers like Bailey, who can’t sell crabs that have suffocated in their traps.

The phenomenon offers a preview of what climate change holds for many other parts of Earth’s oceans, which are already stressed by human impacts. As seawater warms, it holds less oxygen. Warmer surface water also acts like a cap that prevents the gas from mixing from the atmosphere down into the deep. And rising air temperatures can shift weather patterns in ways that worsen the problem.

It’s a subtle but significant change. While well-oxygenated water contains about eight milligrams of oxygen per liter, hypoxic water holds less than two and can sometimes approach zero. Overall, the world’s oceans have lost up to two percent of their total oxygen content over the last 50 years, and scientists estimate that they could lose another two to four percent over the next century. By 2100, some amount of climate-related oxygen loss could affect more than three-quarters of the ocean’s area, inflicting widespread damage to marine ecosystems and the billions of people who depend on them.

Read the full story at Hakai Magazine

OREGON: Pacific Seafood donates to Newport water fund

July 23, 2021 — Pacific Seafood has donated more than $240,000 to assist the city of Newport in its efforts to maintain, upgrade and address its aging water infrastructure. The donation will help the city to safely address the water needs of local residents and businesses.

“As a result of a corrected billing error, Pacific Seafood has agreed to forgive over $240,000 in overcharges,” said Newport City Manager Spencer Nebel. “Pacific Seafood’s generous action comes at a critical time for the city’s water fund. The city of Newport has several major projects that are in need of immediate attention in order to ensure that city residents continue to have uninterrupted access to water service.” Nebel added, “Pacific Seafood’s donation to the water fund is greatly appreciated, and we thank them for their continued partnership with the city.”

Read the full story at the News Times

Coast Guard medevacs man from fishing vessel near Newport, OR

July 22, 2021 — A Coast Guard aircrew medevaced a man Monday afternoon from a 40-foot commercial fishing vessel after suffering a medical emergency 5 miles west of Newport.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend command center received a call from the vessel operator at 1:15 p.m., who reported that a 70-year-old male aboard had had passed out and lost consciousness.

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Sector North Bend, already airborne conducting training in the area, diverted to the scene.

Read the full story at The News Guard

OREGON: Newport restores water to commercial users

July 9, 2020 — “The good news is, we’re up and running again in Newport,” said Lori Steele, executive director of West Coast Seafood Processors. “It’s really good news.”

As part of the city of Newport’s declared water emergency, production at fish processing plants on the Bayfront had been halted. This action was taken because the city could not supply its industrial users with water, due to the unexpected fouling of membrane filters at the city’s water treatment plant.

“There were concerns that we were going to shut down longer than just through the holiday weekend,” Steele told the News-Times early Tuesday afternoon. “There were financial losses and disruption in the fishing community when this happened, but we got though it.”

Read the full story at the Newport News Times

NEFMC December 3-5, 2019, Newport, RI, Listen Live, View Documents

November 25, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fisheries Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, December 3 through Thursday, December 5, 2019.  The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; Hotel Viking.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  However, please note that the meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3 and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, December 4 and 5.  The webinar will end at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST or shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221.  The access code is 525-617-944.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The agenda and meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC December 3-5, 2019 Newport, RI.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available here.

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

Pots dropped: Oregon Dungeness season is in full swing

January 9, 2019 — The Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee, which oversees the northern California, Oregon and Washington Dungeness crab fisheries, opened the season between Cape Arago, Ore., and Klipsan Beach, Wash., after a month-long delay. At 8 a.m. on January 1, 73 hours before the opening, Dungeness crab pots finally splashed into the water off the coast of Oregon and southern Washington.

“They can start to pull pots at 9 a.m. on Jan. 4,” says Troy Buell, the fisheries management program leader at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “But I don’t know about the weather.”

On Jan. 3, Newport, Ore., crab fisherman Mike Retherford headed out. “We’re leaving now because the bar is going to be pretty bad by morning,” he says. “The swell is building.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

New England Council Discusses Whiting, Enforcement, Dogfish, Herring, Ecosystem Management, and More at December Meeting

December 14, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council covered numerous issues during its December 4-6 meeting in Newport, RI. In addition to taking final action on Scallop Framework 30, Groundfish Framework 58, and the Clam Dredge Framework, the Council discussed a slate of other topics. Here are a few highlights.

WHITING: The Council took final action on Whiting Amendment 22, which was developed to consider limited access options for the small-mesh multispecies fishery. After reviewing all public comment and available analyses and considering a recommendation from its Whiting Committee, the Council selected the alternative called “status quo/no action.” As such, the whiting/small-mesh multispecies fishery will remain an open access fishery and no changes will be made to existing regulatory measures. More information, including summaries of public hearing comments, is available at December 3 Committee Meeting and December 4, 2018 Council Meeting Materials.

ENFORCEMENT: The Council adopted several consensus statements drafted by its Enforcement Committee. One of these pertained to use of the OMEGA Mesh Gauge® to measure fishing nets. The Coast Guard extensively tested the OMEGA gauge and concluded that it has notable benefits over the weight-and-spade tools currently being used to measure webbing. Coast Guard representatives provided a demonstration for Council members comparing the OMEGA gauge versus the weight-and-spade. The Council recommended that NOAA, under existing authority, adopt the OMEGA gauge to measure mesh size once the Enforcement Section of NOAA General Counsel determines that all legal requirements have been met.

Read the full release at the New England Fishery Management Council

 

New England Shellfish Harvest OK’d, With More Monitoring

December 7, 2018 — A regulatory board is allowing shellfish harvesting in a key management area off of New England, though more monitoring of the fishery will now apply.

The New England Fishery Management Council has approved new measures to allow the harvest of surfclams within the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area. The council says mussel fishermen will also be able to operate in the new areas.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S News and World Report

NEFMC December 5-7, 2017 meeting, Newport, RI, live streaming information

November 28, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, December 5 through Thursday, December 7, 2017.  The public is invited to listen-in via webinar or telephone.  Here are the details.

MEETING LOCATION:  Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; Hotel Viking website.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.  The webinar will end at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST or shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2377136829113858817.

There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (914) 614-3221.

The access code is 946-542-697.

Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  The agenda and all meeting materials are available on the Council’s website at:

https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/december-2017-council-meeting.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available here.

QUESTIONS:  If you have questions prior to or during the meeting, call or email Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

 

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