NOAA Fisheries Archives - Page 70 of 225

Eight aquaculture projects slated to receive USD 11 million through NOAA grant program

June 9, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries has recommended more than USD 11 million (EUR 9 million) for 43 projects under the 2021 Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Competitive Grants Program – eight of which are aquaculture initiatives.

The eight aquaculture-related projects recommended by NOAA include a number of scientific research projects examining topics ranging from pathogens to work on monetizing industry byproducts. Of the projects recommended for funding, five of them are examining subjects relevant to shellfish and bivalves.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Progress Update: Engaging Recreational Anglers in Habitat Conservation

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

NOAA funded four projects to engage recreational anglers in habitat conservation in Washington, Virginia, California, and Alaska in 2020. The projects were funded through the National Fish Habitat Partnership. They demonstrated NOAA’s commitment to collaborate with the recreational fishing community. Despite a challenging year, these projects made great progress to benefit coastal communities, fish, and habitats.

Improving Fish Passage on Mink Creek in Alaska

The Takshanuk Watershed Council removed a culvert that was blocking fish passage in Mink Creek in Southeast Alaska in August of 2020. The stream is home to coho and chum salmon, as well as Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout. It is listed in the Alaska Anadromous Waters Catalog, which provides habitat protection under state law. This spring, the Takshanuk Watershed Council began the next phase of the project. This phase includes planting native vegetation along the streambank, constructing a footbridge over the creek, and monitoring fish populations and water quality in the area. These activities will involve youth from the Chilkat Forest Investigators’ after school outdoor science program, as well as recreational anglers. The project will restore the stream and enhance habitat for species important to the recreational and subsistence fishing communities. The culvert removal was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This work is being conducted as part of the Southeast Alaska Fish Habitat Partnership.

Read the full release here

Climate Change: NOAA Fisheries Supports Coastal Communities

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

By now we have all heard about climate change and some of us may have started to notice changes out on the water. Warmer ocean temperatures, more frequent algal blooms, your favorite species arriving earlier in the fishing season—these are all signs the environment is changing. Across the United States, changes in our climate and oceans are affecting our communities, businesses, and natural resources—including our fisheries and coastal habitats.

Climate change is already affecting the productivity, abundance, distribution, and composition of fish stocks that anglers enjoy. As waters warm, popular recreational species like black seabass and flounder are moving north along the Atlantic Coast to keep pace with rising temperatures. In the Gulf of Mexico, species are encountering more frequent algal blooms and expanding low-oxygen zones. Scientists from our Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center have found that Pacific tuna stocks will likely decrease because of climate change, regardless of how we change our management and harvest strategy.

As a result of these kinds of changes, coastal businesses, and the associated industries we cherish, face unprecedented challenges. U.S. recreational and commercial fishing and seafood industries drive $244 billion in annual economic activity and support 1.74 million jobs. These could be disrupted by changes in climate and ocean conditions in the coming decades.

NOAA Fisheries and our partners are working across the country to understand climate challenges and do our part to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of U.S. fisheries. We are working with our partners to provide data and information needed by the fishing public, coastal businesses, local planners, and many others.

Much of this work is implemented through our Climate Science Strategy. The strategy was developed to enhance the production, delivery, and use of climate-related information in resource conservation and management. It is designed to provide decision-makers with answers to four key questions:

What is changing?
Why is it changing?
How will it change?
How best can we respond

Read the full release here

Commercial Red Snapper Season Opening Announced in South Atlantic Federal Waters

June 8, 2021 — NOAA Fisheries announced the opening dates for both the commercial and recreational seasons for Red snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic.

The commercial sector will open at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2021, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2022, unless the commercial annual catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date. If the season closes before Jan. 1, NOAA will announce the closing in the Federal Register and publish another Fishery Bulletin.

Read the full story at Seafood News

What Happens After Dam Removals

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

Maine’s Penobscot River has more than 100 dams, many of which are aging and no longer serve their original purpose. Removing dams is becoming more common, with the purposes of addressing hazards posed by these aging dams, returning natural river flow and function, or both.

For Atlantic salmon and other species of sea-run fish, the last 200 years of dammed rivers and disconnected streams have, combined with historic fisheries and lower marine survival, spelled decline, and for Atlantic salmon, disaster. The storied Atlantic salmon runs had fish returning by the thousands to Northeast rivers. They are now limited to just a few rivers in Maine, with fewer than 2,000 fish returning each year. These runs are heavily reliant on hatchery-raised fish. The Penobscot River is home to the largest remaining population of endangered Atlantic salmon in the United States. Dams have been identified as one of the primary factors in the decline of Atlantic salmon.

Over the last decade, researchers have been studying whether removing two Penobscot River dams in 2012 and 2013 improved ecosystem conditions for salmon and other aquatic species. So far, results are promising.

Read the whole story on our website.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Joins Orca Action Month with Events Throughout June

June 7, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

This month, NOAA Fisheries is helping orca fans everywhere learn about and help protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales (called orcas) and other killer whales in the Northwest. Join us for a month of interesting webinars, educational opportunities, and outdoor activities.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has again proclaimed June Orca Action Month, which is organized by Orca Network and the members of the Orca Salmon Alliance.

“This is a time to consider what Southern Residents mean to the Northwest, and the whole West Coast,” said Scott Rumsey, Deputy Regional Administrator of NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region. “We are fortunate to live in a place with these wild predators, and we have a responsibility to look out for them. Whether it’s reducing polluted stormwater by planting a rain garden, or saving energy by walking instead of driving, we all can contribute.”

Many events this year will be online, expanding their reach not only across the country but around the world. Whether you live in Puyallup or Paris, you can ask biologists questions about the latest orca science. You can also join in interactive exercises that will provide new insight in how our personal actions can contribute to orca recovery.

An in-person kick-off event on June 6 helps start the activities. They will include socially-distanced volunteer habitat restoration such as restoring stream habitat on Chico Creek in Kitsap County and at Bothell’s largest park, the former Wayne Golf Course. Weekend kayak tours will explore Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River with guest speakers explaining the threats facing Southern Resident orcas.

Read the full release here

Meet Jason Letort, Fisheries Methods & Equipment Specialist

June 7, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Where did you grow up?

I’m a lifelong resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Biloxi).

How did you come to work at the Southeast Fisheries Science Center?

I was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi and have been a lifelong resident of South Mississippi. I grew up with a passion for anything outdoors, especially fishing and shrimping with my family. I have been a member of the Gear Monitoring Team for 4 years. Before working for NOAA Fisheries, I supported NOAA Office of Marine & Aviation Operations as a contractor since 2008. I provided production oversight during the construction of the Fisheries Survey Vessels including the NOAA Ships Bell M. Shimada and Pisces. After that, I was acting Port Engineer for Pisces successfully executing major dockside and dry-dock repair periods. I addressed several critical casualties during the sailing season, ensuring the ship was available to complete her missions. While performing these duties, I interacted with a lot of people working for NOAA and quickly realized that NOAA Fisheries was the place for me! I was selected for the position and haven’t looked back.

What do you do at the Science Center?

As a member of the Gear Monitoring Team, I provide commercial shrimp fishermen and industry members with education, outreach, and training of Turtle Excluder Device rules and regulations. Our team provides law enforcement training to state and federal agencies. We also conduct courtesy TED inspections during “at sea” patrols and dockside in order to maintain compliance requirements. As a dive team member I participate in the testing of TED design, efficacy, and determining exclusion rate.

Read the full release here

Notice to Fishermen: 2020 Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Tag Fees

June 7, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are announcing the 2020 cost recovery per-tag fees for the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) program.

2020 Cost Recovery Cage Tag Fees

Atlantic Surfclam: $0.62 per tag

Ocean Quahog: $0.36 per tag

The fee for each cage tag is calculated based on the number of ITQ cage tags that were used to land surfclams or ocean quahogs during the 2019 fishing year, and the costs associated with operating the program in 2019. The fees are then multiplied by the number of tags used during the 2020 fishing year to determine the final bill amount. These cost recovery fees are separate from, and in addition to, the price ITQ permit holders currently pay to the tag vendor to obtain cage tags each year.

Quota shareholders will soon receive bills based on these tags fees and the number of their cage tags that were used to land surfclams or ocean quahogs during 2020. The initial quota shareholder who first received the allocation of cage tags is responsible for the fee even if the tag is leased, sold, or otherwise used by someone else.

For more information read our bulletin.

Read the full release here

U.S. Interagency Working Group Marks International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing

June 7, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Every day, the United States works with our partners across the world to confront illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. IUU fishing activities hurt law-abiding U.S. fishermen and their consumers, damage economies of developing coastal nations, and threaten marine resources. The global economic impact resulting from these activities is in the billions, or even tens of billions, of dollars each year. Furthermore, IUU fishing is sometimes linked to criminal activity, such as human trafficking, including forced labor, drug trafficking, smuggling, and other forms of transnational crime. Wherever it occurs, IUU fishing undermines global maritime rules-based order, which has been essential to global prosperity and development for the last 70 years.

June 5 marks the annual United Nations International Day for the Fight Against IUU Fishing. This day raises awareness of the impact of IUU fishing as one of the greatest threats to the sustainability of the world’s ocean resources. IUU fishing refers not only to illegal fishing activities, but also the often overlooked, but equally important U’s in IUU fishing activities. Unreported and unregulated fishing refers to fishing activities that are not reported, insufficiently regulated, or are misreported to relevant authorities. This hinders the ability for scientists to fully assess the health of fish stocks and endangers our food security.

Tackling all these issues requires particular, concerted action by different agencies and different operational and legal frameworks. It also includes a large net of coordination among regional fisheries management organizations, foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Department of State recently began implementing a law which advances a “whole-of-government” strategy to fight IUU fishing.

The Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act (SAFE) Act was passed in December 2019. It directed twenty-one federal agencies to establish a central forum to coordinate and strengthen their efforts—the U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing. This Working Group set up mechanisms for agencies to:

Regularly share information and coordinate efforts
Strengthen maritime enforcement

Advance public-private partnerships

Provide technical assistance on IUU fishing

During its first year, member agencies developed an initial set of priorities and activities that included creating specific sub-working groups to collaborate on issues such as maritime intelligence, public-private partnerships, and human trafficking. The Working Group continues to conduct a series of outreach engagements with industry and the private sector. Moving forward, the Working Group will engage with various public and private stakeholders on building coordinated approaches in the priority regions where the Working Group has determined that IUU fishing issues are prevalent.

Combating IUU fishing is a top priority for the United States, and communication, collaboration and strategic coordination will be key in bringing about tangible results. The efforts of the Interagency Working Group now sit at the heart of our government’s coordination on tackling IUU fishing practices and setting the conditions where IUU fishing is neither accepted nor commonplace in the future. We are committed to continue working together on best practices and sharing results across agencies and partnerships to encourage their further adaptation and replication.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Input on Proposal to Close Commercial Salmon Fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ

June 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Council recommended measure responds to court ruling requiring Federal management of EEZ waters in Cook Inlet

NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comments on a proposal to amend the Fishery Management Plan for the Salmon Fisheries in the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska (Salmon FMP) to prohibit commercial salmon fishing in federal waters, also called the exclusive economic zone or EEZ, in Cook Inlet. The proposed action would not close any salmon fishing in State of Alaska waters.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council first developed the Salmon FMP under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act more than 40 years ago. The current Salmon FMP excludes designated federal waters in Cook Inlet. That has allowed the State of Alaska to manage commercial salmon fishing in the area.