Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: Spawning site to help rebuild snapper-grouper fishery

September 23, 2015 — A spawning site off of the North Carolina coast is one of five locations selected to help in efforts to rebuild declining stocks in the snapper-grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council met Sept. 14-18 at Hilton Head, S.C., and identified the sites to be considered for final designation as Spawning Special Management Zones (SMZs).

The council recently held a series of public hearings on a proposal to establish up to nine SMZs off the coast from North Carolina to eastern Florida to protect valuable spawning sites.

While bottom fishing for the snapper-grouper species would be prohibited in the zones, activities such as trolling for tuna, dolphin and billfish would still be allowed.

There were four proposed sites off the North Carolina coast ranging in size from 1-2 square miles to a proposed site of 4-12 square miles.

The council selected the South Cape Lookout site, which is five square miles, as the preferred site.

Read the full story at Jacksonville Daily News

 

 

Press Release: NOAA Fisheries Announces $3 Million to Restore Habitat in Great Lakes

September 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:

NOAA Fisheries Announces $3 Million in Funding to Restore Habitat in Great Lakes

NOAA has selected three projects, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), totaling $3 million, to restore habitat in severely degraded areas of the Great Lakes

Funded projects are in Michigan and Ohio. They will benefit a variety of important local fish stock, including important spawning and nursery grounds for muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, largemouth bass, yellow perch, channel catfish, and bullhead. This funding builds on years of investment in the Great Lakes to restore waterways threatened by poor water quality, contaminated fish, and other environmental concerns. 

NOAA’s Restoration Center targets habitat conservation where it’s needed it most. We provide funding and technical guidance to restore coastal habitat nationwide. In the Great Lakes, we focus on restoring the most degraded environments–designated “Areas of Concern”–as well as reversing the environmental damages resulting from oil spills, and chemical releases.

“Great Lakes communities deserve a clean and healthy environment and these projects will help restore Great Lakes Areas of Concern,” said Pat Montanio, Director of NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation. “This work shows how the GLRI is making a difference for communities across the region.”

NOAA’s investment in the effort to restore aquatic habitat is part of a long-term effort to rebuild fisheries, many of which have declined from habitat loss, over-fishing and climate change. Recent successes show that restoring habitat is a way not only to stop the decline of fish populations, but also to regrow them to historic high numbers. 

Funded Projects: 

Maumee River Wetland Restoration at Penn 7 Project

Toledo, OH ($175,000 awarded to the City of Toledo)

Funding will support initial site characterization and feasibility study on the lower Maumee River to determine the restoration potential of 15.2 acres of emergent coastal/floodplain wetland habitat at the Penn 7 property site.

Rouge River – Henry Ford Estate Dam Fish Passage and 

Habitat Restoration Design Project

Dearborn, MI ($350,000 awarded to the Alliance of Rouge Communities)

Experts will determine the appropriate design to hydrologically reconnect 50 miles of the Rouge River and 108 additional miles of its tributaries to the Great Lakes system. Once implemented, this project will improve fish and wildlife habitat to promote healthy populations of desirable native fish, wildlife and bottom-dwelling organisms within the Rouge River Watershed.

Detroit River – Stony Island Habitat Restoration Project

Detroit, MI ($415,605 awarded to Friends of the Detroit River)

This is a multi-year project supporting the restoration of approximately 3,000 linear feet of habitat shoals, creation and protection of 50 acres of backwater habitat within Stony Island. This implementation project is a major step in completing a habitat re-construction among the islands in the lower part of the Detroit River.