Tag: NOAA

New NOAA Models Predict Red King Crab Bycatch Locations
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New NOAA Models Predict Red King Crab Bycatch Locations

New models developed by NOAA Fisheries scientists are predicting red king crab bycatch occurrence and abundance in Bristol Bay flatfish trawl fisheries. The models have found a general northward shift in occurrence and abundance of different ages of male and female red king crab in Bristol Bay, NOAA Fisheries said Sept. 5. These models, which demonstrate it is possible to predict where and when bycatch occurs, are an important first step toward building predictive tools for fishing fleets and fisheries managers to reduce bycatch, said Emily Ryznar, lead author and fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, or AFSC. The study contributes timely insight regarding distribution and drivers of Bristol Bay red king crab bycatch,” Kodiak Laboratory Director and AFSC ...
NOAA Grant to Fund Tribal Salmon Recovery Effort
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NOAA Grant to Fund Tribal Salmon Recovery Effort

A recently announced $794,000 federal grant to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is expected to help support the organization’s salmon recovery work and strengthen communities impacted by climate issues in the Columbia River Estuary. “By continuing to support tribal-driven solutions that restore salmon populations and safeguard the unique landscape of the Columbia River Basin from climate chaos, the entire region will benefit from CRITFC's work to build a healthier ecological future,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who announced the grant on Aug. 23 with Sen. Ron Wyden, also D-Ore. CRITFC s expected to use the funds to model the impacts of habitat conservation and restoration, identify climate change threats, and produce actionable science to guide future ...
Oceana Sues NOAA Fisheries Over Bottom Trawling
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Oceana Sues NOAA Fisheries Over Bottom Trawling

International ocean advocacy group Oceana has filed a lawsuit against NOAA Fisheries, claiming that it has failed to meet federal requirements for protecting the ocean floor environment. Oceana, represented by environmental litigation nonprofit Earthjustice, filed its lawsuit Aug. 16 in the U.S. District Court in Anchorage, challenging the fishery service’s approval of amendments to five fishery management plans for fisheries in the North Pacific. The amendments revise plan descriptions of essential fish habitat, which include all types of aquatic habitat where fish breed, spawn, feed or grow to maturity. The lawsuit asks the court to remand the amendments and the environmental assessment supporting those amendments for completion of new amendments that comply with existing federal ...
$600,000 in Grants Available for Projects Addressing Fish Stocks, Environmental Conditions
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$600,000 in Grants Available for Projects Addressing Fish Stocks, Environmental Conditions

Federal officials are seeking proposals through Nov. 4 for grants for citizen science projects to address data gaps in assessing the health of marine fish stocks or how fisheries and fishing communities may be impacted by changing environmental conditions. The Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the $600,000 funding opportunity on Aug. 5. The money comes via the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in U.S. history. It follows a NOAA Fisheries announcement in June 2023 highlighting that agency’s intent to use $145 million of Inflation Reduction Act funds focused on transforming NOAA Fisheries’ data enterprise. “Given the impacts of climate change on fisheries, it’s crucial to h...
NOAA, Commerce Dept. Recommend $105M+ for Salmon Recovery
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NOAA, Commerce Dept. Recommend $105M+ for Salmon Recovery

The Department of Commerce and NOAA officials have recommended over $105 million in funds for 14 new and continuing salmon recovery projects and programs for the West Coast and Alaska, the federal agencies announced Aug. 1. The money is to be funded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF), the agencies said, with funds including Fiscal Year 2024 annual appropriations, plus $34.4 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million under the Inflation Reduction Act. The money is expected to help support programs and projects in Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, including habitat restoration stock enhancement sustainable fisheries and research and monitoring. California received allocations to two entities, while Alaska, Idaho, Oregon...
Coast Guard, NOAA Free Humpback Whale on Independence Day
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Coast Guard, NOAA Free Humpback Whale on Independence Day

It was real freedom on the 4th of July for a humpback whale struggling after being entangled in fishing lines in the Port of Valdez, in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, thanks to efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA Fisheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said July 19, that NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline had received numerous reports late on the afternoon of July 3 of a young humpback whale entangled in the middle of the Port of Valdez. The animal was believed to have multiple wraps of line around the base of its tail and was trailing a bright yellow buoy. The Coast Guard Station Valdez launched a boat crew to get eyes on the situation to pass along to NOAA experts to determine the severity of the entanglement. On July 4, two...
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Road Map
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NOAA Fisheries Seeks Public Comment on Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Road Map

NOAA Fisheries is accepting public comment through Aug. 31 via email to nmfs.ebfm.roadmap@noaa.gov regarding its updated Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Road Map (EBFM), which is subject to periodic review. Ecosystem-based fisheries management is defined by NOAA as an integrated, science-based approach to fisheries management in a geographically specific area that contributes to the resilience and sustainability of the ecosystem and optimizes benefits among a diverse set of societal goals. NOAA's first EBFM roadmap was established in 2016 to provide guidance on the agency's policy shift toward implementing ecosystem-level planning for fisheries. This style of management involves setting quotas and also considering how individual species’ fit into the wider ecosystem, rather than ...
Comment Deadline Regarding Alaska Chinook Salmon Petition Extended
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Comment Deadline Regarding Alaska Chinook Salmon Petition Extended

NOAA Fisheries has extended through Sept. 6 the deadline for public comment on its 90-day finding regarding a petition to list Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The 45-day deadline extension was announced on June 27. The agency earlier had set a 60-day public comment period to end on July 23. In advance of its initial findings, NOAA solicited scientific and commercial information about the status of the Gulf of Alaska Chinook population. The agency noted that it’s unable to extend the statutory deadline for completing the status review and publishing a 12-month finding under the ESA. Given that requirement, anyone interested in submitting their comments and data is advised to do so as soon as possible to allow mor...
Stock Assessment: Pacific Bluefin Tuna Rebounds
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Stock Assessment: Pacific Bluefin Tuna Rebounds

NOAA Fisheries scientists are heralding the recovery of Pacific bluefin tuna as a major milestone, saying the species exceeded international rebuilding targets a decade ahead of schedule. In announcing the achievement on June 25, NOAA Fisheries credited international organizations across the Pacific with cooperating to reverse decades of overfishing for the prized species. The International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean, including NOAA Fisheries researchers, provided scientific expertise to inform the needed conservation measures. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (IATTC) adopted the measures. The new stock assessment was finalized recently by the ISC at an annual me...
Sonar Monitoring on Seafloor Shows Pollock Traveling Between U.S., Russia EEZs
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Sonar Monitoring on Seafloor Shows Pollock Traveling Between U.S., Russia EEZs

A new federal fisheries study released June 20 shows that substantial numbers of pollock travel seasonally between the two U.S. and Russian exclusive economic zones (EEZ). The study, conducted from July 2019 to August 2020, used specially designed moorings, equipped with sonar on the seafloor, to acoustically monitor pollock abundance and movement between the two EEZs. They documented pollock moving southeast over the maritime boundary in winter as the sea ice formed, but largely absent in late spring when ocean temperatures were near freezing and sea ice was still present, biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. When moorings were deployed in summer 2019, the area was unusually warm but conditions were cooler in summer 2020, according to NOAA...