Saving Seafood

US lawmakers propose budget cut to NOAA Fisheries for 2024

July 18, 2023 — NOAA Fisheries is likely to receive a budget cut in the 2024 fiscal year, with the U.S. Senate considering legislation providing a slight reduction in NOAA funding and the U.S. House considering even bigger cuts.

On 13 July, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill, which includes funding for NOAA and NOAA Fisheries. The committee approved the bill in a 28-1 vote, clearing the way for consideration by the full Senate. The House Appropriations Committee approved its version in a vote on 13 July on a voice vote with only a few audible dissents.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service propose new critical habitat for green sea turtles

July 18, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to designate new areas of critical habitat to protect threatened and endangered green sea turtles. The agencies share jurisdiction for sea turtles, with the Fish and Wildlife Service overseeing their protection and recovery on nesting beaches and NOAA Fisheries providing oversight in the marine environment.

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposes designating 8,870 acres (approximately 35,896 square kilometers) of critical habitat on land where green sea turtles bask, nest, incubate, hatch and travel to the sea. NOAA Fisheries proposes to designate marine critical habitat from mean high water to 20 meters depth to protect access to nesting beaches, migratory corridors and important feeding and resting areas; it also includes Sargassum habitat in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. 

“Green sea turtles continue to face threats in the marine environment, including human interactions like bycatch and marine debris, as well as habitat loss and the ongoing impacts of climate change,” said NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit. “These new critical habitat proposals will aid in our joint mission to protect and recover endangered and threatened green sea turtles.” 

“Designating critical habitat for green sea turtles will help us effectively carry out our mission of protecting and recovering the species,” said Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz. “Endangered Species Act protections are benefiting the species by raising awareness about its threats, inspiring diverse partnerships on its behalf, and now helping conserve habitat critical to its conservation and recovery.”

The proposed critical habitat areas include the states of California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina and Texas; the territories of American Samoa, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands; and the commonwealths of the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. Details on the proposed critical habitat can be found in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Frequently Asked Questions. 

Designating critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) does not affect private landowners unless they implement an action involving federal funds, permits or other activities. It also does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness reserve or preserve, or other conservation areas, nor does it allow the government or public to access private lands. It does not create a closed area, marine protected area, refuge, wilderness reserve, preservation or other conservation area.

A final rule listing 11 distinct population segments (DPSs) of green sea turtles was issued in 2016 (three endangered DPSs and eight threatened DPSs). The 2016 rule did not include the proposed critical habitat as it was deemed not determinable at that time. Once critical habitat is designated, federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service or NOAA Fisheries to ensure actions they fund, authorize or undertake will not destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat. Much of the proposed critical habitat for the green sea turtle overlaps with existing critical habitat for other species. Please visit the Fish and Wildlife Service’s online mapping tool and NOAA Fisheries’ online mapping tool for more information on those overlapping areas and species.

Historically, green sea turtles were killed for their meat and eggs, leading to global population declines. Today, the species faces an array of risks, including threats to its habitat. Coastal development impacts the beaches they require to nest and increases artificial lighting, causing hatchlings to migrate to the lights and away from the ocean. Runoff and other pollution kill seagrass and algae, reducing the availability of these major food sources for green sea turtles. Fisheries bycatch, vessel strikes, marine debris and pollutants also continue to threaten green sea turtles.

Climate change also imperils green sea turtles as rising seas and storms erode beaches and flood nests, causing them to wash away. Higher sand temperatures can increase the number of female hatchlings, shifting the ratio of males and females. Changes in ocean temperature alter the amount and distribution of food, upsetting their migration, foraging range and nesting seasons.

NOAA Fisheries and the Fish and Wildlife Service listed the green sea turtle under the ESA in 1978. Today’s announcement comes as the ESA turns 50 this year. Throughout the year, the ESA is being celebrated for its importance in preventing imperiled species’ extinction, promoting the recovery of wildlife and conserving the habitats upon which they depend. 

The Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries will conduct virtual and in-person informational meetings and public hearings on the proposed critical habitat. Registration is only required for virtual meetings and hearings.

Please visit one of the following websites to register:

Comments on the proposed rules must be submitted by Oct. 17, 2023. Submit comments at www.regulations.gov under docket number FWS-R4-ES-2022-0164 for the proposed terrestrial critical habitat; and under docket number NOAA-NMFS-2023-0087 for the proposed marine critical habitat.  

Visit the NOAA Fisheries and Fish and Wildlife Service websites for more information about green sea turtles. 

Vanishing whale’s decline worse than previously thought, feds say

July 18, 2023 — A review of the status of a vanishing species of whale found that the animal’s population is in worse shape than previously thought, federal ocean regulators said Monday.

The North Atlantic right whale numbers less than 350, and it has been declining in population for several years. The federal government declared the whale’s decline an “unusual mortality event,” which means an unexpected and significant die-off, in 2017.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released new data that 114 of the whales have been documented as dead, seriously injured or sub-lethally injured or sick since the start of the mortality event. That is an increase of 16 whales since the previous estimate released earlier this year.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

MAINE: Multi-million dollar bill to support lobster industry advances

July 17, 2023 — Senator Susan Collins has announced she has advanced more than $35 million in an appropriations bill for the next fiscal year to support Maine’s lobster industry.

The bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and still needs the approval of Congress.

$30 million would go to the Atlantic Marine States Fisheries Commission for Right Whale related research and monitoring.

Read the full article at WABI

Genetic Study Finds Reef Manta Rays Stay Close to Home

July 16, 2023 —The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

New research shows that manta rays in Hawaiʻi live in isolated, island-specific, and genetically distinct populations. A team of researchers from NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, the Hawai‘i Association for Marine Education and Research, and the University of Miami conducted the first genetic study of reef manta rays in Hawaiʻi. The results were published in BMC Ecology and Evolution. The researchers used genome scans to investigate population differences between reef manta rays of Hawaiʻi Island and Maui Nui (the four-island complex of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe). Their work reveals that Hawaiʻi Island and Maui Nui populations are made up of only a few hundred individuals each and should be considered distinct and separate. Small and isolated animal populations are vulnerable to disease and extinction. Each island may need separate management strategies to ensure the rays’ long-term stability.

Mantas Stay Close to Home

Reef manta rays are strong swimmers and could easily travel the tens of miles to different islands. However, this study found that these reef manta rays stay close to home and rarely cross the deep channels between islands. Researchers compared differences in the genes inherited by both parents and those inherited only from mothers to better understand migration differences between males and females. They found that females only reproduce at the island where they were born. Migration rates are equivalent to one female moving between island groups every 1,300 years and one male only about every 64 years.

“We offer the first direct evidence that female reef manta rays reproduce close to their birthplace, which leads to strong genetic isolation of populations,“ said Dr. Jonathan Whitney, an ecologist at NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the study. “Ultimately, this means that each island population is demographically on its own. So if the manta population in West Hawaiʻi declines, they are unlikely to be repopulated by the neighboring islands.”

West Coast Wraps Up Exciting 4-Year Deep-Sea Coral Initiative

July 16, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA and partners have recently completed the second West Coast Deep-Sea Coral Research Initiative and released the final report (PDF, 83 pages). The extraordinary level of collaboration on this initiative resulted in major accomplishments that are helping to inform management and stewardship of deep-sea ecosystems. Vibrant deep-sea coral and sponge communities make their home across a diversity of seafloor features throughout the West Coast, such as seamounts, basins, and submarine canyons. Deep-sea corals and sponges are important to their surrounding ecological communities. Many have been designated as essential fish habitat because they are vital to the health of recreational and commercial fisheries.

Initiative Highlights

Habitat Observations

Scientists recorded new observations of habitats with high densities of deep-sea corals and sponges. This information has greatly improved our understanding of relatively high bycatch “hot spots” of these organisms and impacts to them in areas newly reopened or closed to seafloor-contact fishing. During the initiative, researchers completed baseline surveys or re-surveyed these areas to monitor the impact of the reopenings or closures over time.

Petrale Sole

Scientists further documented a petrale sole spawning area in the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Petrale sole is an important commercially harvested fish species on the West Coast. Researchers observed the flatfish on the seafloor, sometimes forming “piles”—a behavior they believe to be related to spawning.

Glass Sponges and Skeletons

An expedition team discovered vast mounds of glass sponges and their skeletons in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Large sponge mounds like these are an important and exceedingly rare find. They can provide habitat for a variety of life forms and teach us more about how the deep ocean responds to changing environmental conditions.

New Tools and Products

The initiative resulted in the development of a variety of new tools and products. These include a West Coast identification guide for deep-sea corals and fish, improved genetic approaches to better understand the taxonomy and biology of deep-sea coral and sponge communities, and an online tool to help prioritize areas of the seafloor to map.

Public Engagement

We had many creative and engaging opportunities for the public to learn about and connect with deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems. Examples include livestreamed remotely operated vehicle dives, 3D coral prints for classroom instruction, and new content for the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries Deep Coral Communities Curriculum. Education and outreach efforts like these foster public understanding and stewardship of our oceans.

Science is a strategy

July 13, 2023 — A first-in-the-U.S. pilot research project to develop sustainable practices for farming sablefish has now progressed to the point that a full-color sales sheet can boast to wholesalers about the “pearly white flesh, large velvety flakes, and sweet, rich flavor” of this native deep-sea fish, long a traditional food of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest.

The sablefish comes from the experimental net pens at the Manchester Research Station on Puget Sound in Washington, the result of a research collaboration and partnership among NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and the University of Washington.  

While scientists have overcome many daunting challenges during the pilot project, social and political pushback against aquaculture cloud the future of exactly how and where commercial rollout will occur in the U.S. The precedent already exists in Canada at Golden Eagle Sablefish in British Columbia, which is producing sablefish in partnership with the Kyuquot-Checleseht First Nations.

Read the full article at Aquaculture North America

US FDA, NOAA release DNA barcode library to identify fish

July 13, 2023 — A team of researchers from NOAA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other partners have released the first batch of fish DNA barcodes, curated DNA sequences that can be used to identify and authenticate seafood.

Identifying seafood after processing has removed any identifiable features is difficult – fillets of one species can look identical to another. DNA testing offers one solution and can provide concrete identification, but full genetic sequencing can be time-consuming. With DNA barcodes, scientists can sequence a short, standardized section of the DNA and compare it to a library of similar sequences to determine its species quickly and efficiently.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Sharks, Rays, and Climate Change: Impacts on Habitat, Prey Distribution, and Health

July 13, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

Climate change has significant impacts on marine ecosystems, including warmer ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and increased severity and frequency of storms. These shifting conditions can have critical effects on the health and distribution of marine species. As these climatic events intensify, predatory species like sharks and rays are shifting their geographic distributions based on prey and habitat availability. Their complex and variable life histories mean that climate change will impact individual species differently, making it important to understand species-specific vulnerabilities and needs.

In 2023, NOAA Fisheries celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, which has put many species on the path to recovery. Since it was enacted, no listed marine or anadromous species have gone extinct. However, climate change will continue to make the recovery of endangered species more challenging. Through climate-focused science and management, we aim to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on endangered species to foster their recovery into the future.

NOAA scientists say offshore wind fishery surveys won’t fill data gaps

July 11, 2023 — Monitoring plans by federal agencies and offshore wind power developers will not be enough to make up for the disruption that building dozens to hundreds of wind turbines will bring to annual fisheries surveys on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf, according to a recent report by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists.

“We found that project-level monitoring studies as currently designed for the NES (Northeast continental shelf) ecosystem will not yield information that can mitigate impacts to NOAA Fisheries scientific survey time series from offshore wind development,” wrote authors Elizabeth T. Methratta, Andrew Lipsky and Jason M. Boucher of NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

With three wind turbine projects now approved by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management – and more in various planning stages from southern New England to the Carolinas – BOEM and NOAA recognized early that constructing wind turbine arrays would force changes on how NOAA conducts its annual at-sea surveys to monitor U.S. fish stocks and other marine resources.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman