Saving Seafood

Federal court strikes down biological opinion by National Marine Fisheries Service

August 21, 2024 — A 2020 biological opinion on the impact of oil and gas extraction on protected marine life in the Gulf of Mexico has been struck down by a federal court.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, an office of NOAA, produced the opinion. The court ruled the opinion is in violation of the Environmental Species Act and Administrative Procedure Act.

In 2021, five environmental organizations challenged the opinion. Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of those five organizations. Now those organizations are claiming a victory.

Joanie Steinhaus is the Ocean Program Director for the Turtle Island Restoration Network, which is one of the organizations involved in the suit. She says this has been in the works for years.

Read the full article at NBC 15

ALASKA: Southeast Alaska fishermen qualify for federal salmon disaster relief. The deadline to apply is fast approaching.

August 20, 2024 — The first deadline for Southeast Alaska fishermen to apply for relief funding from the abysmal 2020 salmon season is this Saturday, August 24.

A federal fishery disaster was declared for fisheries in the state with extraordinarily low returns.. The U.S. Department of Commerce at the time attributed those low runs to a series of marine heatwaves in the 2010’s and in 2022, the federal agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave the state of Alaska about $56 million for those losses.

Read the full article at KRBD

Feds announce funding push for ropeless fishing gear that spares rare whales

August 16, 2024 — New efforts to convert some types of commercial fishing to ropeless gear that is safer for rare whales will be supported by millions of dollars in funding, federal authorities said.

Federal fishing managers are promoting the use of ropeless gear in the lobster and crab fishing industries because of the plight of North Atlantic right whales. The whales number less than 360, and they face existential threats from entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with large ships.

The federal government is committing nearly $10 million to saving right whales, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Tuesday. Nearly $7 million of that will support the development of ropeless gear by providing funds to fishing industry members to assess and provide feedback on the technology, the agency said.

Lobster fishing is typically performed with traps on the ocean bottom that are connected to the surface via a vertical line. In ropeless fishing methods, fishermen use systems such an inflatable lift bag that brings the trap to the surface.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

Biden announces USD 34 million to modernize NOAA Fisheries

August 16, 2024 — U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled plans to spend USD 34 million (EUR 31 million) on modernizing NOAA Fisheries’ workforce, infrastructure, and data efforts.

“NOAA Fisheries’ short-term data-modernization efforts will drive significant long-term changes by enhancing our capacity to deliver mission-critical information, meeting survey and fishery data requirements and transition into a modern data era,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said. “This investment aligns with NOAA Fisheries’ existing data work, supplements appropriated funding, and supports other regional priority efforts.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Using Environmental DNA to Understand Biodiversity in a Marine National Monument

August 16, 2024 — When I tell my friends that I’m going to collect environmental DNA samples in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, their first question is always: Where is that?

Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National is a highly protected area located about 130 miles east-southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is similar in size to Connecticut. President Obama designated this area as the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean in 2016.

NOAA shares management responsibilities with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for activities and species within the monument. It is a relatively undisturbed environment, which could be called a true ocean wilderness. The chief scientist of this research expedition, Peter Auster, is a research professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and a senior research scientist at Mystic Aquarium. When Peter asked me if I’d be interested in sailing together to collect environmental DNA samples from the monument, I answered with an enthusiastic yes.

An interdisciplinary research group mustered aboard R/V Connecticut. Peter Auster and others scuba dove to deploy baited remote underwater video cameras to study apex predators. Meta Miner and Mael Glon from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted seabird surveys. Mary Beth Decker of Yale University used a specialized net to collect and identify gelatinous animals.

And of course, I collected seawater samples for eDNA metabarcoding analysis to study biodiversity in the monument, including fish and marine mammals.

Besides the fascinating habitat we studied, this expedition offered unique research opportunities for me.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

University study finds US could become independent of seafood imports

August 16, 2024 — A study recently published in the academic journal Ocean Sustainability has found that the U.S. is capable of achieving seafood independence and could shift away from its current reliance on imports.

The study, “Seafood independence is within reach: A multi-scale assessment of seafood self-reliance in the United States,” examined the country’s seafood supply chain and consumption habits over a span of 50 years. It found that despite the U.S. being the second-largest importer of seafood by volume in the world, the country is capable of becoming fully independent of imports.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden announces USD 9 million for North Atlantic right whale recovery

August 15, 2024 — U.S. President Joe Biden has announced USD 9 million (EUR 8.2 million) in funding for partnerships aimed at conserving North Atlantic right whales.

“North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction with approximately 360 individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said. “It’s imperative we advance our collective actions to help recover this species, and these partnerships will help the science and conservation community do just that.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Biden-Harris Administration announces $34 million to modernize NOAA Fisheries’ data, infrastructure and workforce

August 15, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced more than $34 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding towards grants, cooperative institutes, contracts and federal employment to modernize NOAA Fisheries’ data, infrastructure and workforce. This effort aims to meet the pace of climate-related mission demands and is a key component of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. 

“Rapidly changing oceanic conditions, such as shifts in marine species’ distribution and abundance greatly impacts businesses and coastal communities that rely on these resources,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This investment, made possible thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, will help modernize data delivery in support of the nation’s $370 billion fishing industry. “

Across the U.S., NOAA is tackling the challenge of understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on coastal and marine resources, while striving to safeguard habitats, restore endangered species and build healthier and more resilient ecosystems. 

This investment will optimize workflows and integrate technological advancements such as cloud computing and Open Science solutions to ensure data accessibility. It will also fund training efforts to reskill the workforce — preparing them to adopt new technologies that provide open, accessible and responsive information systems that meet rapidly evolving mission demands associated with climate change. Modernizing NOAA Fisheries’ data systems will streamline access to digital information, giving fishing industry practitioners the real-time tools they need to make decisions and advance sustainability in the face of climate change.

“NOAA Fisheries’ short-term data modernization efforts will drive significant long-term changes by enhancing our capacity to deliver mission-critical information, meeting survey and fishery data requirements and transition into a modern data era,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This investment aligns with NOAA Fisheries’ existing data work, supplements appropriated funding and supports other regional priority efforts.”

Projects will leverage longstanding cooperative institute partnerships with universities across the country to provide scientific and analytical expertise. Using advanced technology and integrating social science will create more accessible and dependable data collection platforms and tools for the future.  

NOAA Fisheries is beginning the distribution of these funds by awarding the organization Openscapes approximately $1 million to support the adoption of open science practices, which will help modernize the way NOAA Fisheries collaborates on data-intensive science and improve the efficiency and quality of their scientific products.

This funding is part of the historic $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments to NOAA, first announced in June 2023, which is focused on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to the effects of climate change. 

Visit the Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

Scientists and Fishermen Agree About Uncertainty of Offshore Wind’s Impact

August 15, 2024 — Newport’s Energy and Environ­ment Commission hosted a panel discussion on Aug. 8, “The Effect of Climate Change and Offshore Wind on Fisheries and Ocean Ecosys­tems,” where representatives from NOAA, the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, The Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, and the Kingston -based Commer­cial Fisheries Research Foundation responded to a series of prompts posed by commission Vice Chair Emily Conklin.

A Q&A session followed, with about 60 people gathered at City Hall to participate. Many in atten­dance brought strong opinions both for and against the large- scale offshore wind development projects being built off the coast of Newport and Little Compton.

During the public Q&A, mul­tiple people voiced skepticism about the quality of research being conducted by URI and other local institutions due to the fact that offshore wind companies have funded some of the studies. Jeremy Collie, a professor of ocean­ography at URI, pushed back on the notion that research funded by the offshore wind developers is in­herently biased or untrustworthy .

Read the full article at Newport This Week

Biden-Harris Administration announces over $9 million for partnerships to recover North Atlantic right whales

August 13, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries announced over $9 million from Inflation Reduction Act funds to support strategic partnerships aimed at improving fishing gear and population monitoring that will help the recovery of North Atlantic right whales. These partnerships include collaborations with state agencies, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and science-based groups. 

North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered species on the planet, and are approaching extinction. The primary threats to the species are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. Climate change is also impacting every aspect of their survival. 

An estimated $6.9 million of this funding will support further development of on-demand (or “ropeless”) fishing gear technology by providing funds to fishing industry partners to assess and provide feedback on technologies that prevent fishing gear entanglements. NOAA Fisheries and its partners estimate that over 85% of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once in their lifetime. Reducing entanglements is necessary to prevent the extinction of — and ultimately recover — the species. 

Approximately $2.8 million will fund partner efforts to improve monitoring and modeling efforts. Long-term population monitoring will provide essential insights into individual health and reproduction, as well as distribution, abundance, and habitat-use patterns.

“The collective actions of NOAA Fisheries and its partners are key to conserving North Atlantic right whales and preventing their extinction,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda and the Inflation Reduction Act, this $9 million investment will help develop new technologies and strategies to support the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale population.”

The following organizations will receive funds under this announcement:

“North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction with approximately 360 individuals remaining, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “It’s imperative we advance our collective actions to help recover this species, and these partnerships will help the science and conservation community do just that.”

These efforts support the North Atlantic right whale Road to Recovery plan, which describes NOAA Fisheries’ efforts to address threats to the species and monitor recovery progress. The species is experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event (UME), which NOAA Fisheries declared in 2017 following the documentation of elevated right whale mortalities. Entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes are the primary cause of death, serious injury and poor health for most right whales in the UME. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of the species. This event is ongoing and has impacted 142 North Atlantic right whales. 

These funds are part of an $82 million investment in North Atlantic right whale recovery efforts that NOAA Fisheries first announced in September 2023. These new partnerships build on previously announced Inflation Reduction Act funding focusing on reducing the risk of vessel strikes using new technologies and approaches, including partnerships with MITRE, NASA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. All of these efforts are part of the historic $3.3 billion in NOAA Inflation Reduction Act investments focused on helping America’s communities, ecosystems, and economies improve their climate change resilience.

Visit NOAA’s Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.