Saving Seafood

Science: The Secret Ingredient Behind Sustainable Seafood

October 25, 2024 — U.S. fisheries are among the largest and most sustainable in the world, thanks to strong science and a dynamic management process. Just as culinary experts transform sustainable ingredients into delicious dishes, fisheries management councils use NOAA science to develop sound fisheries management policies.

Locally sourced seafood restaurants are keenly aware of the important role fisheries science plays in their ability to fill our plates without depleting our ocean. That’s why a New England-based seafood restaurant group, Row 34, brought their staff on an educational visit to NOAA’s Woods Hole Lab in Massachusetts in September.

“Row 34 is, and always will be, about getting our teams and our guests as close to the source of where our food comes from as possible,” shared co-owner Shore Gregory. “Getting a behind-the-scenes look at the NOAA operations in Woods Hole helped deepen our understanding of the complexities of our oceans and how we can continue to be great stewards.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

New report shows increase in North Atlantic right whale population

October 25, 2024 — A new report shows that the endangered North Atlantic right whale species may be making a comeback. However, scientist say there is still much more to be done.

The right whale population is making a slight rebound. According to the latest report from NOAA, the current population is estimated at 372, which is an increase from last year’s data of 360 whales.

“It’s not necessarily a sign of complete celebration and everything is well and this population is fully recovered, there’s still threats that this species is unfortunately facing,” said Oceans Campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, Ben Grundy.

Read the full article at Fox 22 

Marine Debris From Hurricanes Helene And Milton Could Take Years To Remove

October 24, 2024 — The recovery and cleanup process following hurricanes Helene and Milton will take months or even years to fully complete.

But the cleanup extends well beyond people’s homes and businesses. Marine debris has also found its way onshore, as well as into Florida’s canals and rivers, adding another layer to the cleanup.

“After hurricanes, they create a large pulse of debris in a short amount of time,” explains Ashley Hill, the Florida Regional Coordinator for NOAA’s marine debris program.

Hurricanes are so powerful that they are able to move large amounts of water. The water displacement, combined with the wind and storm surge, pushes trash, plastic and debris that has been floating around the Gulf of Mexico on the Florida coast and inland. All the trash now has to be picked up and removed.

What is marine debris?

Marine debris is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material that intentionally or unintentionally ends up in our oceans or Great Lakes, according to NOAA.

“Anything human-made and solid can become marine debris once lost or littered in these aquatic environments,” says NOAA. “Our trash has been found in every corner of our ocean.”

Just one year after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in 2017, more than 250,000 cubic yards of marine debris had been reported removed at an estimated cost of $43 million, according to NOAA.

Hurricanes carry marine debris well inland

Hill explains that the marine debris removal following hurricanes Helene and Milton will take a very long time and is also very expensive.

“We’re finding things months, sometimes years after a particular hurricane,” said Hill. “A great example of that is we’re getting close to funding projects that will be removing some debris that we still have remaining from Hurricane Ian, which made landfall about two years ago.”

Read the full article at The Weather Channel

Weird Science: NOAA lab in Beaufort celebrating 125th year of research in eastern North Carolina

October 24, 2024 — The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science lab in Beaufort is celebrating its 125th year in November.

Waves lap at the shoreline of the shallow, calm waters of the Pamlico Sound in Beaufort, where the NOAA lab has stood for more than 120 years. It began as a U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries field station in 1899 — originally on Front Street — and moved to its current location on Pivers Island in 1902.

It is the second oldest federal marine laboratory in the U.S., after Woods Hole.

Dr. Larisa Avens is a sea turtle research biologist at the lab. Part of her work involves necropsies – autopsies on animals, often sea turtles that have died along the eastern North Carolina coast.

There are no outward signs of how old a sea turtle may be, so Dr. Avens uses a saw to cut into the humerus – a bone in the front flipper.

“The bones have growth rings in them that are similar to tree rings that we can count to estimate how old they are, and then, of course, each of those rings is related to a calendar year,” Avens explained.

Read the full article at Public Radio Coast

New Calculator Helps Oyster Growers Measure the Water Quality Benefits of Farms

October 24, 2024 — When it comes to removing excess nutrients from waterways, shellfish are a powerhouse. The NOAA Milford Lab in Connecticut studies the environmental benefits—also called ecosystem services—that shellfish provide. Nutrient removal is a particularly valuable ecosystem service.

Nutrients like nitrogen are essential to life, but often excess nutrients end up in coastal waters from human sources including lawn fertilizer and agricultural runoff. When this goes unchecked, algae can grow out of control. This can cause environmental problems including low dissolved oxygen, fish kills, and dead zones. Oysters and other bivalves—shellfish with two shells— help keep nutrients in check by filter feeding on algae. While they feed, these mighty shellfish improve water quality. This effect has been well documented by scientists, although it is not typically considered within the aquaculture permit review process.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

ALASKA: Alaska lost almost 7,000 fishing-related jobs over 2022-2023

October 23, 2024 — The fishing industry in Alaska has been hit hard in recent years, but a recent economic report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries agency (NOAA Fisheries), shows that Alaska has lost almost 7,000 jobs in the fishing industry.

The report comes after concerned seafood industry members saw a downturn in profit in 2023 and requested NOAA Fisheries to conduct an independent analysis.

NOAA Fisheries said they compiled data from fishing boats, processors, and international trade databases for both state and federal fisheries in Alaska.

The report estimates the Alaska seafood industry suffered a $1.8 billion loss between 2022 and 2023, and the industry saw a 50% decline in profitability between 2021 and 2023.

Read the full article at Alaska News Service

NOAA Fisheries drafting plan to end red snapper overfishing in the South Atlantic

October 23, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has taken the first steps towards implementing a plan to stop red snapper overfishing in the South Atlantic after years of alleged inaction by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. 

“NOAA Fisheries firmly believes that we must find ways to end overfishing and improve how the red snapper population in the South Atlantic is managed,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. “Currently, there are short commercial and recreational seasons, and low retention limits for red snapper.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Right whale population grows 4% but extinction remains a threat

October 22, 2024 — One of the rarest species of whale in the world has increased slightly in population, encouraging conservationists to call on the federal government and the shipping and fishing industries to do more to bring the giant animals back from the brink of extinction.

The North Atlantic right whale, which can weigh up to 150,000 pounds (68,039 kilograms) and lives off the East Coast, plummeted in population in the 2010s. The critically endangered whales, which are stressed by global warming and vulnerable to ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear, fell to fewer than 360 individuals by the early 2020s.

A group of researchers that studies the whales said Tuesday that the population increased to an estimated 372 in 2023. That’s an increase of about 4% from 2020, and “heartening news” after the whale’s population fell by about 25% from 2010 to 2020, researchers said in a statement.

Read the full article at ABC News

Judge gives NOAA more time to study offshore drilling risks

October 22, 2024 — A federal judge has agreed to give NOAA Fisheries until next spring to complete its revised analysis of how offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could harm the critically endangered Rice’s whale.

The decision is a key reprieve for the fossil fuel industry and the Biden administration. NOAA Fisheries was originally slated to lose its existing analysis Dec. 20, which threatened to temporarily shut down new and existing offshore development in the region. A finalized analysis must be in place for companies to proceed with offshore oil and gas drilling.

NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) will now have until May 21, 2025, before the existing analysis — called a biological opinion or BiOp — will be tossed out by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Read the full article at E&E News

NOAA Fisheries lays out research goals for US West Coast offshore wind plans

October 21, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has released its strategic plan for researching how offshore wind development on the U.S. West Coast could impact fisheries and protected marine life.

“Offshore wind is an important tool and technology to help reduce greenhouse emissions,” NOAA Fisheries West Coast Regional Administrator Jennifer Quan said. “We need to be prepared with sound science to help inform decisions affecting the marine species and the commercial and recreational fisheries that we manage, as well as other important uses of the marine ecosystem.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource