NOAA Archives - Page 306 of 464

NOAA research ship surveys salmon, other ocean fish

June 26, 2018 — PORT ANGELES, Wash. — A team of scientists set sail on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel last week to study juvenile salmon and other fish in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

Standing in the wheelhouse was Capt. Jesse Stark, a Port Angeles native who was making a homecoming as the newly-assigned commanding officer of the Bell M. Shimada.

“It’s always good to come back home,” Stark said last Tuesday as the ship was docked at Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1.

The NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps crew and scientists were gearing up for a three-day trawling cruise in the sanctuary, which extends 25 to 40 miles off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula.

“This is going to be a really interesting look at salmon,” said Jenny Waddell, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary research coordinator, in a Tuesday interview on the Shimada.

Read the full story at the Peninsula Daily News

NOAA’s Research Just Shifted from Climate Change to “Empowering the Economy” and “National Security”

June 26, 2018 — One of the country’s major federal science agencies seems to have been forced to abandon climate change research as a key organizational focus, the New York Times revealed this week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization is responsible for managing the National Weather Service and using its network of satellites to forecast the effects of climate change. Rather than concentrate on resiliency efforts, NOAA is now charged with prioritizing “a safe, secure and growing economy empowered through accurate, reliable and timely environmental information,” according to a slideshow presented by the agency’s acting director at a Department of Commerce meeting.

The Times had the details of the policy shift, the latest under President Trump’s watch:

In the presentation, which included descriptions of the past and present missions for the agency, the past mission listed three items, starting with “to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans and coasts.” In contrast, for the present mission, the word “climate” was gone, and the first line was replaced with “to observe, understand and predict atmospheric and ocean conditions.”

The presentation also included a new emphasis: “To protect lives and property, empower the economy, and support homeland and national security.”

Read the full story at Mother Jones

Ocean science agency chief floats removing ‘climate’ from mission statement and focusing on trade deficit

June 26, 2018 — A recent presentation by the acting head of the United States’ top weather and oceans agency suggested removing the study of “climate” from its official mission statement, focusing the agency’s work instead on economic goals and “homeland and national security.”

Critics say this would upend the mission of the $5.9 billion National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But the administration disputes that interpretation, saying the presentation did not intend to create a change of direction at a vast agency that tracks hurricanes and atmospheric carbon dioxide, operates weather satellites, manages marine reserves and protects endangered ocean species, among other functions.

NOAA’s mission, the agency says, is “to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.”

But in a presentation at a Commerce Department “Vision Setting Summit” this month, Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet, the agency’s acting administrator, suggested a change to that mission statement, as well as a new emphasis on tripling the size of the U.S. aquaculture industry within a decade and moving to “reduce the seafood trade deficit.”

The new NOAA mission, the presentation said, would be “to observe, understand and predict atmospheric and ocean conditions, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to protect lives and property, empower the economy, and support homeland and national security.”

“This presentation is a simplified draft for discussion,” said Gallaudet, an oceanographer who has spoken in the past about climate change’s effects on the Arctic, in a statement provided by the agency. “It was not intended to create change in NOAA mission or policy from what it was before. Any interpretation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.”

But the proposed removal of language about studying the “climate” and about the managing of coastal and marine resources has aroused considerable ire and concern.

Read the full story at the Washington Post

SEN. DAN SULLIVAN: Progress is coming for Southeast Alaska

June 25, 2018 — Whenever I return to Southeast Alaska, I’m always filled with a renewed sense of optimism and awe for our state. Our beautiful landscapes draw tourists from across the world. Our waterways help make our state the “super power” of seafood and the home of the largest Coast Guard presence in the Pacific. Indeed, it’s largely because of the importance of our fisheries and the Coast Guard that I pushed to be the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard. In this committee, we are making progress on important issues that greatly impact Southeast.

First, throughout Alaska, and particularly in Southeast, our oceans are our lifeblood. It’s imperative that they remain sustainable. That’s why I authored the Save Our Seas (SOS) Act with Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, which unanimously passed the Senate.

Over the course of decades, marine debris, particularly plastics, deposited in the ocean half a world away finds its way to our coastal communities and ecosystems. This is especially detrimental to our state, with its 47,300 miles of shoreline and bountiful fisheries.

Our bill provides the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with funds for ocean debris cleanup, and allows the NOAA Administrator to declare severe marine events which authorizes additional funds for states, like Alaska, for cleanup and response efforts. Importantly, the SOS bill also focuses on the international component of the marine-debris crisis by directing the State Department to work with countries that are the source of such pollution. Our bill has helped spur international awareness of this problem. We’re hopeful it will pass the House soon and become law.

Read the full opinion piece at the Juneau Empire

Maine to get nearly $600,000 under ocean research program that escaped Trump budget cuts

June 25, 2018 — Dana Morse, an aquaculture researcher at Maine Sea Grant, checks on ear-hung scallops tied to an anchor chain on a mussel raft on the Damariscotta River in September. The Maine Sea Grant College Program has received a grant of nearly $600,000.

The Maine Sea Grant College Program will receive $574,691 from the federal government under a funding stream that President Trump proposed eliminating this year.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King of Maine made the announcement Friday about the award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that “will be used to advance sustainable use and environmental conservation efforts along Maine’s coast led by the University of Maine.”

“Thousands of Mainers in our state’s coastal communities rely on fishing, lobstering, and other ocean-related industries for their livelihoods,” the senators said in a statement. “The National Sea Grant program has helped these businesses thrive by funding critical research that helps us better understand, utilize, and protect one of our state’s natural resources, and we are heartened by its continued partnership with the University of Maine.”

In February, NOAA’s Sea Grant Program was among several federal programs targeted by Trump for cuts in his proposed budget. Broad bipartisan support saved the program, which received $65 million in this year’s final federal budget – $2 million more than its previous appropriation.

Read the full story from the Portland Press Herald at CentralMaine.com

US imported more seafood in 2017 than any prior year

June 25, 2018 — The United States imported more seafood last year than at any point in its history, and the nation’s trade deficit in the sector is growing, federal data show.

The U.S. imported more than 6 billion pounds of seafood valued at more than $21.5 billion in 2017, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees American fisheries. The country exported more than 3.6 billion pounds valued at about $6 billion.

The widening gap comes at a time when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who heads the federal agency that includes NOAA, has identified reducing the deficit as a priority for the government.

The U.S. is home to major commercial fisheries for species such as Pacific salmon, New England lobster and Alaska pollock, but it imports more than 90 percent of the seafood the public consumes.

Ross and others in U.S. fisheries are looking at new strategies to cut the deficit, including increasing the amount of aquaculture-based farming, said Jennie Lyons, a NOAA spokeswoman.

The U.S. trades in seafood with countries all over the world, and the countries it buys the most from include Canada, China and Chile. Major buyers of U.S. seafood include China, Japan and South Korea.

While U.S. fishermen would love to grow commercial fisheries, it’s important to note that domestic and imported seafood are both important parts of the supply chain and support thousands of American jobs, said Gavin Gibbons, spokesman for the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

DON CUDDY: Late New Bedford scalloper never got justice he deserved

June 25, 2018 — It probably passed unnoticed by most people but an obituary for Larry Yacubian appeared in this newspaper on June 13. He died in Punta Gorda, Florida on May 18. But most fishermen still shake their heads when his name comes up. I don’t know if he died a bitter man. I hope not, although he had every reason to feel that way after the treatment meted out to him by federal law enforcement. Larry was a New Bedford scalloper and boat owner. In December 1998 his boat, the Independence, was boarded by the Coast Guard while fishing offshore and he was accused of fishing in a closed area. What followed can only be described, euphemistically, as a miscarriage of justice. The fines imposed on him by an administrative law judge working on behalf of NOAA were so excessive that he was forced to sell his boat, his permits and the Westport farm that had been in his wife’s family for 350 years — all of this to satisfy the greed of some ‘bad actors’ who considered themselves above the rule of law because they were carrying a badge. This particularly malicious prosecution ran Yacubian, a founder of the Fisheries Survival Fund, out of the fishing business and brought financial ruin on his family.

After a torturous legal process some justice was served when Yacubian was refunded $400,000 and received an apology in 2012 from NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke although that sum did not even cover his legal fees. But the details of this shakedown make exceptionally grisly reading. Yacubian’s case was just one of dozens, but by far the most egregious, uncovered by a special master appointed by the Department of Commerce to investigate excessive fines imposed on our commercial fishermen for relatively minor infractions. Thirteen of these originated from the Northeast Regional Office in Gloucester. Upholding justice was the proffered reason for assessing these fines but plain old money was the motivator. These huge fines went to swell the Asset Forfeiture Fund which allowed NOAA agents in the Office of Law Enforcement to purchase luxury vehicles and boats. It is all well-documented if anyone cares to look it up.

Read the full opinion piece at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Final Rule to Increase Spiny Lobster Catch Levels in Federal Waters and Prohibit Recreational Harvest in the South Atlantic Using Traps

June 25, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries announces a final rule for Regulatory Amendment 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Lobster in the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic (Regulatory Amendment 4). Regulatory Amendment 4 increases the catch limit for spiny lobster based on updated landings information and revised scientific recommendations; and prohibits the use of traps for recreational harvest of spiny lobster in federal waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

Regulations will be effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 23, 2018.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

The final rule increases the catch limit for spiny lobster from 7.3 million pounds to 9.6 million pounds. Currently, recreational harvest of spiny lobster using traps is prohibited in federal waters off Florida, but is allowed in federal waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The final rule makes the prohibition consistent throughout the federal waters off all four states in the South Atlantic region.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: 83 FR 29044, published June 22, 2018

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Why increase the catch limits for spiny lobster?

Current catch limits for spiny lobster are based on landings from fishing years 2000/2001 through 2009/2010. This time period included years where landings were historically low.
The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils’ Scientific and Statistical Committees recommended specifying catch limits for spiny lobster using a longer time series of spiny lobster landings (fishing years 1991/1992 through 2015/2016).
The longer time period is better suited to capture the dynamics of the fishery that are influenced by factors beyond spiny lobster biology and harvest, such as environmental conditions.
The increase in catch limits is based on the best scientific information available.

Why prohibit recreational harvest of spiny lobster using traps in federal waters off North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia?

Use of traps to catch spiny lobster by recreational fishermen off Florida is prohibited.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is concerned that recreational use of trap gear may become more popular and result in potential negative impacts on essential fish habitat and result in an increase in the use of vertical lines that may interact with protected species (entanglement issues).
Trap gear also has the potential to “ghost” fish (trap continues to fish after it is lost).
To date, the public has expressed little interest in using traps for the recreational harvest of spiny lobster off North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. This may be due to a daily bag or possession limit for spiny lobster from federal waters other than Florida, of two per person for commercial and recreational fishing, year-round.
Because spiny lobsters are larger in size in federal waters off Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina than off Florida, current trap configuration may not be efficient in capturing spiny lobster. Recreational traps used off Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina may require larger entrances which could result in greater bycatch of fish, crabs, and other invertebrates.
The final rule will make the trap prohibition for recreational fishermen consistent throughout the federal waters off all four states in the South Atlantic region.
Consistent regulations regarding this prohibition will aid law enforcement and avoid confusion among the fishers.

Where can I find more information on Regulatory Amendment 4?

Contact NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office.

By Mail: Nikhil Mehta, NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office Sustainable Fisheries Division 263 13th Avenue South St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505
By FAX: (727) 824-5308
By Phone: (727) 824-5305

Regulatory Amendment 4 may be found online at the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Web site at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/spiny_lobster/A4_lobster_acl/a4_lobster_acl_index.html

Additional information on management of spiny lobster in the South Atlantic may be found at: http://safmc.net/fishery-management-plans-amendments/spiny-lobster-2/

ASMFC 2018 Summer Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

June 25, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2018 Summer Meeting, August 7-9, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-summer-meeting. Materials will be available on July 25, 2018 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2018-summer-meeting.

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 S. Eads Street, Arlington, VA 22202. Meeting attendees can make reservations online via Star Group Website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/ or call The Westin Crystal City at 703.486.1111 and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $175.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made by Monday, July 9, 2018. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel as reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or at crobertson@asmfc.org.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Summer Meeting

August 7 – 9, 2018

The Westin Crystal City

Arlington, Virginia

Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Tuesday, August 7

8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

Consider Changes to the Appeals Process
Update on Right Whale Lawsuit
Update on Federal Appropriations
Discuss the Commission’s Role in Aquaculture Activities
Discuss Development and Use of Ecosystem Reports
Review White Paper on Future Scope of Recreational Data Collection Programs

10:15 a.m. – Noon Atlantic Herring Section

Review and Consider Approval of 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment for Management Use
Discuss Recent New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) Action on 2018 Quotas
Reconsider ASMFC 2018 Sub-Annual Catch Limits
Provide Recommendation to NEFMC for 2019-2021 Fishery Specifications

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch (On Your Own)

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section (continued)

2:15 – 3:15 p.m. NOAA Fisheries Presentation on Revised Recreational Catch Histories Resulting from Changes to the Marine Recreational Information Program Survey

3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

Consider Postponed Motion from May Board Meeting:

Move the Atlantic Menhaden Board recommend to the ISFMP Policy Board that the Commonwealth of Virginia be found out of compliance for not fully and effectively implementing and enforcing Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Menhaden Fishery Management Plan if the State does not implement the following measure from section 4.3.7 (Chesapeake Bay Reduction Fishery Cap) of Amendment 3: The annual total allowable harvest from the Chesapeake Bay by the reduction fishery is limited to no more than 51,000 mt.
Motion by Mr. Batsavage; second by Mr. Estes.

Elect Vice-Chair

Wednesday, August 8

8:00 – 10:30 a.m. American Eel Management Board

Consider Addendum V for Final Approval
Review Maine Aquaculture Proposal

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board

NOAA Fisheries Update on 5-year Status Review of the Endangered Species Act Listing and Recovery Plan
Review Technical Committee Report Regarding Highest Priority Data Sources for Stock Assessment
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

12:15 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch (Provided for Commissioners, Proxies and Board Members)

1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Coastal Sharks Management Board

Review of Draft Addendum V for Adjusting Coastal Shark Regulations Annually
Update on NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Draft Amendment 11
Discuss Best Practices for Safe Handling and Release of Coastal Sharks from Shore Sites

2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

Working Group Progress Report on Strategic Plan for Black Sea Bass Management
Discuss Options for 2019 Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Recreational Management
Consider Approval of 2017 Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance Reports for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass

4:45 – 5:30 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports
Update on the Benchmark Stock Assessment Progress
Elect Vice-Chair

Thursday, August 9

8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board

Executive Committee Update
Review Annual Performance of the Stocks
Update on Risk and Uncertainty Policy
Discuss the Commission’s Role in Aquaculture Activities
Update on the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program
Update on the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
Review Progress on Horseshoe Crab and Shad Benchmark Stock Assessments
Review Noncompliance Findings, If Necessary

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Business Session

Review Noncompliance Findings, If Necessary

11:15 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

(Lunch will be provided at an appropriate break time during this meeting)

Review Progress on 2018 Traffic Light Analyses for Atlantic Croaker and Spot
Consider Postponed Motion to Initiate an Addendum to the Spot and Atlantic Croaker Fishery Management Plans that Incorporate the New Traffic Light Analyses and Management Responses to Those Analyses
Consider Approval of Public Information Document for Amendment 1 to the Cobia Fishery Management Plan for Public Comment
Consider Approval of 2018 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports for Atlantic Croaker and Red Drum
Elect Vice-Chair

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will use a speaker sign-up list in deciding how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOTestablished a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing materials.
Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be July 31, 2018) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.
Following the Tuesday, July 31, 2018 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

IUU vessel tracker calls on more countries to share Indonesia’s lead, share data

June 22, 2018 — Indonesia is a model that other countries should follow, according to a leading campaigner advocating for the sharing of fishing data to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

By making its vessel monitoring system (VMS) data publicly available, the country has increased transparency, said Tony Long, CEO of Global Fishing Watch, who was speaking at the 2018 SeaWeb Seafood Summit. The Indonesian fisheries ministry, which has been battling illegal fishing in its waters, moved to share its VMS data in 2017.

Not enough countries exchange data, said Long, who wants countries to “bring data out into the open” so that vessels’ movements can be tracked and illegal fishing operators exposed. “Global Fishing Watch will take and share any tracking system,” he said.

More transparency is key to forcing vessel operators into more responsible behavior, argued Long.

“Why not reward the compliant operators when you can track them?” he said. “The worst actors will stand out by their lack of information and therefore appropriate punishments can be put in place.”

Global Fishing Watch leverages tracking systems like Oceana, Skytruth and Google as well as national systems to map global movement of vessels.

Long’s organization has also recently partnered with the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to track vessels using satellites the monitor lights at night. A screen grab from one such monitoring off the coast of Oman showed that AIS data is underreporting the number of vessels in the waters: The data based on the number of lights in the night sky suggested a far larger fleet at work.

Read the full story at Seafood Source