Saving Seafood

Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Birthplace of NOAA Fisheries

February 10, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

When the U.S. Fish Commission was established in 1871, there was not much question as to who should lead the special investigation into a serious food fish decline off southern New England.

Spencer Baird ticked a number of boxes—prominent scientist, already in the government, willing to work in the job without additional pay—and he knew just about everyone in the field. He also  had a demonstrated track record for attracting Congressional interest and funding for his work. Much has been written about Baird’s subsequent accomplishments in the job. But what led to the decision to site the first permanent federal fisheries laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts?

For the initial work of the U.S. Fish Commission, Baird settled on Woods Hole as a base. Up to this point, the village was mostly a tourist location. People fished and farmed; whaling was nearly a thing of the past. The largest employer was a fertilizer factory that relied on guano shipped from Pacific islands.

Read the full release here

New Slow Zone East of Boston to Protect Right Whales

January 27, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction) to protect right whales.

On January 25, 2021, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Stellwagen Bank Slocum buoy acoustically detected the presence of right whales 35nm East of Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Slow Zone is in effect through February 9, 2021. 

Mariners, please go around this slow zone or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

42 47 N
42 07 N
069 51 W
070 46 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

Vessel Slow Zone Extended Off Atlantic City, New Jersey to Protect Right Whales

January 20, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

There are now 6 Slow Zones in effect.

NOAA Fisheries announces an extension to the Atlantic City, New Jersey Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) to protect right whales.

On January 19, 2021, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Atlantic City buoy acoustically detected the presence of right whales 20nm SE of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Slow Zone was originally announced on January 9. Since protections in this area are set to expire in less than a week, the Slow Zone has been extended through February 3, 2021.

Mariners, please go around these slow zone areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside these areas where right whales have been detected.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, January 19-February 3, 2021

39 25 N
38 44 N
073 44 W
074 36 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

New Vessel Slow Zone Southeast of Atlantic City and Extended Slow Zone South of Martha’s Vineyard

January 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.  On January 9, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Atlantic City Buoy acoustically detected the presence of right whales 20nm southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. This new Slow Zone is in effect until January 24, 2021.

Also, on January 8, a New England Aquarium aerial survey team detected the presence of right whales south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. This slow zone is extended through January 23.

Mariners, please go around these areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

The South of Martha’s Vineyard Slow Zone is in effect through January 23 for waters bounded by:

41 25 N
40 44 N
069 59 W
070 55 W

The Southeast of Atlantic City Slow Zone is in effect through January 24 for waters bounded by:
39 25 N
38 44 N
073 44 W
074 36 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

New Slow Speed Zone West of Martha’s Vineyard to Protect Right Whales

January 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect through January 15

NOAA Fisheries announces a new Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

On December 31, 2020, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Cox Ledge Slocum glider acoustically detected the presence of right whales 32nm west of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

The West of Martha’s Vineyard Slow Zone is in effect through January 15 for waters bounded by:

41 34 N
40 54 N
070 50 W
071 43 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

Extended: Slow Speed Zone Southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey to Protect Right Whales

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect through January 4

NOAA Fisheries is extending a Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

On December 20, 2020, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s acoustic array noted the presence of right whales southeast of Atlantic City.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

The SE Atlantic City Slow Zone is in effect through January 4 for waters bounded by:

39 25 N
38 44 N
073 44 W
074 36 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

Extended: Slow Speed Zone in New York Bight to Protect Right Whales

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In Effect Until January 5

NOAA Fisheries is extending a Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) in the New York Bight.

On December 21, 2020, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s acoustic array noted the presence of right whales southeast of New York, NY.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected.

The New York Bight Slow Zone is in effect until January 5 for waters bounded by:

40 41 N
40 01 N
073 03 W
073 55 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

Local Scientists Show Link Between Ocean Pollution And Illness

December 8, 2020 — A new study from Boston College and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution draws some jarring conclusions on the link between ocean pollution and human health. Lead researcher Dr. Philip Landrigan discussed the study with GBH All Things Considered Host Arun Rath. This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Arun Rath: I think people probably aren’t surprised to hear that our oceans are polluted. But how polluted are they? And was this a surprise?

Dr. Philip Landrigan: Yeah, I agree. It’s not news that the oceans are polluted. But what we learned through this two-year study that we took in collaboration with the government of Monaco is that ocean pollution is much more extensive than previously realized, and also that it has many more effects — direct effects and indirect effects — on human health than we had previously understood. I think those are the two big messages here.

Rath: We want to talk about the effects in detail. First though, do we have a clear understanding of the various sources of the pollution that is in the oceans?

Landrigan: Mostly. Not entirely, but mostly. So to run down the numbers, mercury is one of the big pollutants in the ocean. Coal combustion is the major source of that mercury. All coal contains a certain amount of mercury, and when you burn thousands of tons of coal, the mercury vaporizes, it goes up into the atmosphere, and it comes down into the oceans. In the ocean, it accumulates in fish, especially in predator species like tuna, like striped bass, like bluefish, like swordfish, and that’s how humans can be exposed. If a pregnant mom eats fish that’s contaminated with mercury that originated in a coal-fired power plant, that mercury goes into her body, goes through to her baby, and it can cause brain damage in the baby, loss of I.Q., increased risk of attention deficit disorder, increased risk of autism spectrum disorder.

Read the full story at WGBH

Long-Running Plankton Survey to Resume in the Gulf of Maine

November 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

A new agreement between NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, England and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will allow a plankton survey to resume. The survey was originally conducted across the Gulf of Maine from 1961 to 2017.

NOAA Fisheries is providing funding for the survey through the NOAA Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region, hosted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The Marine Biological Association manages merchant vessel-based plankton surveys around the world. The association will run and maintain the resumed Gulf of Maine survey through 2024 under this agreement.

“Continuing a long-term time series like the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey is essential to understanding the impact of climate change to marine ecosystems,” said Chris Melrose, a research oceanographer at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island and NOAA representative on the agreement.

“Many marine species are shifting their distributions as ocean waters warm,” explained Melrose. “Because plankton are an important food source for many species, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale, knowing about changes in the plankton helps us to understand other changes we see in the ecosystem.”

Read the full release here

Long-running plankton survey to resume this winter

October 28, 2020 — Scientists this winter will revive a long-running survey of plankton in the Gulf of Maine. Plankton, drifting microscopic sea organisms, are food for endangered North American right whales and other marine species. 

The Gulf of Maine plankton survey was originally performed from 1961–2017. It is returning under a new agreement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, England, and the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  

“Many marine species are shifting their distributions as ocean waters warm,” said Chris Melrose, a research oceanographer at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s laboratory in Narragansett, R.I. “Because plankton are an important food source for many species, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale, knowing about changes in the plankton helps us to understand other changes we see in the ecosystem.” 

Melrose, who is NOAA representative on the agreement, said continuing the survey “is essential to understanding the impact of climate change to marine ecosystems.”  

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander