Saving Seafood

Arctic Report Card looks at changing food, predator-prey relationships in Gulf of Alaska

December 31, 2023 — A new federal report on Alaska ecosystems warns that the current El Nino status and associated warming surface waters predicted for the winter and spring of 2024 may result in reduced availability of Gulf of Alaska needed by many groundfish and reduced quality of that zooplankton itself.

According to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, the overriding message from this year’s report card is that now in the time for action.

“NOAA and our federal partners have ramped up our support and collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help build climate resilience,” Spinrad said. “At the same time, we as a nation and global community must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes.”

The 2023 Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Status Report is part of NOAA’s 2023 Arctic Report Card, a cooperative effort of federal and state agencies and numerous other collaborators.

Read the full article at the Cordova Times

Conservation groups angle for sea turtle protections in federal suit

December 31, 2023 — The Center for Biological Diversity and the Turtle Island Restoration Network sued the National Marine Fisheries Service on Thursday, accusing the federal agency of failing to protect endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtles and their habitats from sablefish trapping gear that can injure or kill the turtles.

The groups seek to block a Dec. 1 rule that allows pot fishing for bottom-feeding sablefish in protected coastal areas near Oregon and California that have been closed since the early 2000s.

Leatherbacks get tangled in pot traps, causing them to drown to death or become seriously injured, the plaintiffs say, contributing to dwindling populations: If current trends keep up, leatherbacks may be effectively extinct in the West Pacific within 20 years.

“It’s horrific that hungry leatherback sea turtles have to navigate a vast maze of fishing pot strings after migrating thousands of miles to California,” Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a press release.

Read the full article at the Courthouse News Service

ALASKA: Ecosystem reports show continuing effects of warming in Alaska’s marine waters

December 28, 2023 — The waters off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands registered the warmest winter temperatures in over a century, part of a decade-long period of warming, according to a report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The record-high temperatures in the western and central Aleutians moderated later in the year but warmer-than-normal conditions persisted for the rest of the year throughout the waters around the 1,100 mile chain extending from southwestern Alaska, according to the 2023 NOAA Fisheries Ecosystem Status report for the region.

The Aleutians report is one of three annual ecosystem status reports issued by NOAA Fisheries for marine areas of Alaska. The reports, compiled by large teams of scientists, were released earlier this month and presented to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the panel that sets regulated commercial fishing in federal waters off Alaska.

Read the full article at KTOO

Scott, Rubio Call for Logistics Improvement at NOAA

December 28, 2023 — Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marco Rubio sent a letter to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Janet Coit to call for the application of the Fishery Resource Disasters Improvement Act (FREDI).

According to Sen. Scott’s press release, the bill has the potential to “improve the fishery disaster assistance process at the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service and restore confidence and faith in the fishery disaster assistance process by increasing transparency and user experience when applying for relief.”

Alongside Sen. Scott, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) wrote that before FREDI was put in place, the logistics of the NOAA online system was subpar.

Read the full article at the Floridian Press

Integrating Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Information into Fisheries Management

December 27, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is committed to ecosystem-based management as our most powerful tool to maintain productive, resilient fisheries in a changing climate. This approach considers the entire ecosystem, including humans, to balance tradeoffs between ecological, social, and economic needs.

A new tool, the Ecosystem and Socioeconomic Profile (ESP), takes a significant step toward the application of ecosystem-based fisheries management. It facilitates the integration of ecosystem and socioeconomic information into fisheries management decisions. This rapid communication tool distills information from a variety of sources into a succinct, focused report to help resource managers in their decision-making. Developed in Alaska, it is being adapted and adopted across the nation.

“The ESP gives managers a streamlined version of what affects each fish stock. It provides a means to get a broad range of information—from articles, workshops, citizen science, traditional indigenous knowledge—into one place,” said NOAA Fisheries biologist Kalei Shotwell, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, who initiated the development of the ESP. “It moves us toward ecosystem-based fisheries management. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Warming in the Bering Sea Impacts Phytoplankton Bloom Type

December 26, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

New research suggests that warming of the Bering Sea Shelf affects algae blooms and the food web that relies on it. This is particularly true of the recent unprecedented and widespread warming during 2018–2019. Understanding the impacts of the timing of the bloom and its association with sea ice is essential to predicting ecosystem responses to climate change.

The Bering Sea shelf is a highly productive ecosystem that extends 500 kilometers offshore from the Alaska coast. It typically experiences large phytoplankton blooms in spring. In cold, high-ice years in the southern Bering Sea, and all but the warmest years in the northern Bering Sea, the timing of sea-ice retreat is a major driver of spring bloom formation.

At the start of spring, as light levels increase, ice-algae grows on the underside of the ice. As spring progresses and the ice melts, the surface water gets fresher, which creates stratification in the water. This allows the phytoplankton to remain in the well-lit surface layer to grow.

These ice-associated phytoplankton blooms feed zooplankton (e.g. copepods, krill) and other tiny creatures that are important fat-rich foods for young fish, birds and marine mammals. The phytoplankton that do not get eaten fall to the seafloor to support a diverse community of bottom-dwelling invertebrate species, like crab and clams. These species, in turn, are food for walruses and some whales.

Study Proposes New Explanation for California Anchovy Booms and Busts

December 21, 2023 — New research from Scripps and NOAA scientists has discovered ecological correlations that could help explain the booms and busts of California’s anchovy population. If the correlations hold up to further research, they could one day help inform management of California’s anchovy fishery and improve conservation.

The Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) is a crucial food source for much of California’s most conspicuous marine life—including droves of sea lions, pods of dolphins, lucrative tuna fisheries, and throngs of whales. But one of the hallmarks of the anchovy population off California is the cycle of booms and busts that can last for more than a decade. These ups and downs reverberate through the entire marine ecosystem, with busts at times contributing to starving sea lion pups or leading brown pelicans to abandon their chicks.

Exactly what drives these booms and busts has remained elusive despite decades of scientific study, notably by the CalCOFI research program which is cooperatively run by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The program surveys marine ecosystems up and down the California coast and is one of the largest and longest ocean monitoring programs in the world.

The study, published in Nature Communications and funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation, points to the marine ecosystem surrounding newly hatched anchovies known as larvae. The researchers analyzed 45 years-worth of anchovy larvae collected during CalCOFI surveys and found that the length of the food chain supporting the larvae strongly correlates with anchovy population booms and busts. Specifically, shorter food chains preceded booms and longer ones preceded busts. Shorter larval food chains have fewer steps of one animal eating another between the photosynthetic phytoplankton harvesting the sun’s energy at the base of the food chain and the larvae, which eat mostly zooplankton.

Read the full article at ECO Magazine

Recovering Threatened and Endangered Species Report to Congress 2021–2022

December 21, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has released the Recovering Threatened and Endangered Species Report to Congress. It summarizes our’ efforts to recover all transnational and domestic species under our jurisdiction from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2022. This report summarizes the status of each species that has or will have a recovery plan, the status of the recovery plan, and the completion date for the last 5-year review.

We are adding the endangered Rice’s whale to the Species in the Spotlight initiative. We listed the Rice’s whale, previously known as the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in 2019. This will bring greater attention to the species and marshal resources to save this highly at risk species.

Species in the Spotlight Conservation Efforts

The report also highlights recovery progress for species identified in the Species in the Spotlight initiative, a strategic approach to endangered species conservation. It focuses agency resources on species for which immediate, targeted efforts can be taken to stabilize their populations and prevent extinction.

Our 2023 Partners in the Spotlight have made a profound difference for the Species in the Spotlight and deserve special recognition for their exceptional conservation efforts.

Status of Recovery Plans

During the 2 years covered in this report, we managed 99 domestic (including some transnational) and 66 foreign species, including:

  • Salmon
  • Sturgeon
  • Sawfish
  • Sharks
  • Rays
  • Mollusks
  • Sea turtles
  • Corals
  • Marine mammals

In this report, we address 99 transnational and domestic species for which a recovery plan has or will be developed. Of these species, 58 had final recovery plans and 35 had plans in development. We have not started recovery plans for six species.

The status of these 99 species was:

  • 23 were stabilized or increasing
  • 13 were declining
  • 22 were mixed, with their status varying by population location.
  • 41 were unknown, because we lacked sufficient trend data to make a determination

We delisted two species based on new information indicating they do not meet the definition of a species under the Act and do not qualify for listing:

Read the biennial report (PDF, 78 pages)

Recovery of Species

Recovery is the process of restoring species listed under the Endangered Species Act to the point that they no longer require ESA protections. A recovery plan serves as a road map for species recovery—it lays out where to go and how to get there. Without a plan to organize, coordinate, and prioritize recovery actions, these efforts may be inefficient, ineffective, or misdirected. Recovery plans are guidance documents—they are not regulatory. The Act clearly envisions them as the central organizing tool guiding each species’ progress toward recovery.

Learn more about the recovery of species under the ESA

Find recovery plans

Partnerships for Recovery

Recovering threatened and endangered species is a complex and challenging process, but one that offers long-term benefits to the health of our environment and communities.

Recovery actions may require one or more of the following:

  • Restoring or preserving habitat
  • Minimizing or offsetting the effects of actions that harm species
  • Enhancing population numbers

They also provide communities with healthier ecosystems, cleaner water, and greater opportunities for recreation.

Many partners fund and implement the recovery actions discussed in this report. Partnerships with a variety of stakeholders are critical to achieving species recovery goals. Our partners in these efforts include:

  • Private citizens
  • Federal, state, and local agencies and tribes
  • Interested organizations

NOAA Programs Funding Recovery Actions

Projects funded through these programs often address priority actions identified in recovery plans. They make important contributions to the recovery of listed species.

Species Recovery Grants to States Program

This program provides grant funding to partnering state agencies to support management, outreach, research, and monitoring projects that have direct conservation benefits for listed species.

Species Recovery Grants to Tribes Program

This program supports tribally-led recovery efforts that directly benefit listed species.

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

The fund recovers, restores, and conserves Pacific salmon and steelhead populations and their habitats.

Previous Reports to Congress

Managing and Conserving the World’s Largest Tuna Fisheries

December 20, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries and partners convened December 4–8, 2023, for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission annual meeting in the Cook Islands. The aim was to strengthen the conservation and management of international fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Following this gathering, they returned home with new management measures that establish international rules for Pacific bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna fishing. The agenda topics encompassed discussions on tuna stock status and harvest strategies, as well as the incorporation of climate change considerations into fisheries management.

Meeting Highlights

The United States led the adoption of a measure to create a climate change work plan addressing impacts on fisheries in the Commission Convention Area. The United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands will co-lead this work plan, and the Commission’s Secretariat may also assess current management measures to identify any that may be susceptible to climate change impacts. This will help the Commission be prepared to react quickly and comprehensively to climate change impacts.

The United States also supported several major revisions to the Commission management measure governing the harvest of Pacific bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tunas.

Key changes include:

  • Support for the Hawaiʻi-based longline fleet by establishing the U.S. bigeye tuna catch limit at 6,554 metric tons—nearly double the historic limit of 3,554 metric tons
  • Support for the U.S. purse seine fleet through reductions in the Fish Aggregating Device closures from 5 months to 2.5 months
  • Adoption of three other management measures, including a new Compliance Monitoring Scheme that will enhance compliance with conservation and management measures, and revisions to the management of Pacific Bluefin Tuna and North Pacific Swordfish

“The new measures are critical to supporting sustainable U.S. fisheries in the Western Pacific,” said Sarah Malloy, Acting Regional Administrator, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. “The United States benefits from sustainable management of tuna stocks, which is essential to the success for our longline and purse seine fleets.”

The United States wanted to secure unlimited fishing on the high seas for the U.S. purse seine fleet based in American Samoa. Although it garnered support from numerous members, there wasn’t consensus. NOAA Fisheries and other members of the U.S. delegation intend to use the momentum gained at the meeting to continue advocating for the prioritization of support for American Samoa’s fishery-based economy.

Collaborating on Change

Adopting these changes was made possible due to the hard work of Commission delegates leading up to the annual meeting.

“The U.S. delegation worked tirelessly throughout 2023 to secure the support of other Commission members for U.S. priorities,” said Kelly Kryc, NOAA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Fisheries and the head of the delegation to the Commission. “We held multiple bilateral talks, worked closely with Territories and stakeholders, and prepared a variety of working papers detailing the United States’ commitment to sustainable fishing and to the fishery development aspirations of the U.S. Pacific Territories.”

The U.S. delegation included NOAA, U.S. Pacific Territories, U.S. Coast Guard, State Department, and industry representatives.

NOAA engaged in eight intersessional working groups this year to prepare for the annual meeting. Over the last 2 years, we also provided funding to support three longline fishery management workshops with various Commission members, in an effort to develop a shared vision of the fishery.

With the new measures in hand, NOAA will continue international conservation and management efforts while supporting the economic development aspirations of the U.S. Pacific Territories through:

  • Advocacy for the American Samoa-based U.S. purse seine fleet
  • Establishment of a harvest strategy for South Pacific albacore tuna
  • Development of minimum standards for electronic monitoring
  • Agreement to substantively strengthen oversight of at-sea transshipment
  • Further enhancement of compliance management measures

NOAA’s 2023 Arctic Report Card highlights human-caused warming

December 20, 2023 — NOAA’s 2023 Arctic Report Card includes new information confirming that human-caused warming of the air, ocean and land is having a broad range impact across the Arctic region, which is warming faster than other parts of the world.

The overriding message from the 2023 report is that now is the time for action, said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. NOAA and its federal partners have ramped up their collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help improve climate resilience. At the same time, Spinrad said, the United States and the global community need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions driving these changes.

NOAA’s annual Arctic Report Card, now in its 18th year, includes the work of 82 authors from 13 countries.

It includes a section called “Vital Signs” which updates physical and biological changes, chapters on emerging issues, and a special report on the 2023 summer of extreme wildfires.

One new chapter in the report focuses on salmon species that are vital to the heath, cultures and food security of many Indigenous communities as well as to commercial fishing economies. The chapter notes that in 2021 and 2022 sockeye salmon reached record-high abundances in Bristol Bay, while Chinook and chum salmon that are fished along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers fell to record-low abundance. Declining fisheries have continued into the current year, resulting in harvest closures.

Read the full article at the Cordova Times