Tag: NOAAFisheries

Roadway Runoff Lethal to Coho, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead: Report
31Aug By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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Roadway Runoff Lethal to Coho, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead: Report

Researchers with NOAA Fisheries have released a report showing that stormwater runoff containing a toxic compound from automobile tires washed into streams is lethal to protected coho salmon, Pacific steelhead and Chinook salmon, while sockeyes appear to be largely unaffected. The report, which was released Aug. 24, could help inform mitigation efforts for construction and overhaul of highways on the West Coast, to protect salmon and steelhead in the future, researchers said. Steelhead are rainbow trout that migrate to the ocean like salmon. Some Western states are already designing highways with inexpensive filtration measures proven to protect salmon. According to Barbara French, a research scientist at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, biofil...
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AFSC Research Plan Focuses on Shellfish, Seaweed Aquaculture Development
17Aug By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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AFSC Research Plan Focuses on Shellfish, Seaweed Aquaculture Development

A strategic research plan released by the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) will be used to help the NOAA Fisheries agency guide research to expand shellfish and seaweed production over the next five years, in hopes of expanding the state’s blue economy. The goal is to provide information for state and federal regulatory agencies and coastal communities in Alaska to ensure a sustainable seafood supply and economic opportunities for Americans. This research will provide an important foundation for sustainable development, AFSC Director Bob Foy said. “Marine aquaculture contributes to restoration efforts in Alaska and is increasing economic opportunities for coastal communities through the farming of shellfish and seaweed,” Foy explained. The research plan notes that the...
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New Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Proposed for IPHC Area 2A
27Jul By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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New Halibut Catch Sharing Plan Proposed for IPHC Area 2A

NOAA Fisheries has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to create a permitting system for the Pacific halibut commercial and recreational charter halibut fisheries in International Pacific Halibut Commission Regulatory Area 2A offshore of Washington Oregon and California. The action would also establish a regulatory framework for the Area 2A Pacific halibut directed commercial fishery that allows the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine each year dates and times the fishery is open and set harvest limits for those periods of time. The IPHC currently handles permitting and management activities for area 2A. Under the proposed action, NMFS would assume responsibility for issuing vessels permits to fish for Pacific halibut in commercial and recreational charte...
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NOAA Fisheries Initiative Would Improve Seafood Sector Working Conditions
27Jul By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Initiative Would Improve Seafood Sector Working Conditions

A new public-private initiative from NOAA Fisheries aims to promote legal and safe working conditions in order to end forced labor in the commercial fishing and seafood industry. The Collaborative Accelerator for Lawful Maritime Conditions in Seafood, aka CALM-CS, aims to put a halt to illegal and inhumane working conditions, such as forced labor. NOAA Fisheries officials said these conditions contribute to destabilization of maritime security and supply chains, and the degradation of fisheries and broader marine ecosystems, and also undermine U.S. economic competitiveness, national security and fishery sustainability. Senior officials from the Departments of Commerce, State and Labor, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S Agency for International Development recently met with represe...
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NOAA Boosts July Chinook Salmon Quota from Humbug Mountain to California Border
13Jul By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Boosts July Chinook Salmon Quota from Humbug Mountain to California Border

NOAA Fisheries has boosted the allowable catch for July for the commercial troll Chinook salmon season from Humbug Mountain to the Oregon/California border, which opened on July 1, from 400 to 687 fish. The decision was made in early July in consultation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), the Salmon Technical Team of the PFMC, and fishery representatives. NOAA officials said the quota was increased by 287 kings on an impact neutral basis after rolling the 410 Chinooks remaining from the June quota of 800 Chinook to July. No other changes to the season structure were announced, allowing the fishery to continue with a landing week ...
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NOAA Seeks Nominations for Regional Fisheries Management Organizations
8Jun By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Seeks Nominations for Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations by July 8 for non-government U.S. commissioners for eight regional fisheries management organizations, including the International Pacific Halibut Commission and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission. Both are treaty-based entities that play a critical role in the global system of fisheries governance. The commissioners participate in meetings and delegations to help develop and support the United States’ positions on conservation and management of shared living marine resources. NOAA officials have said they’re committed to increasing the diversity of stakeholder voices that represent the U.S. in its international fisheries engagements and promoting representation of underserved communities with a pool of potential candidates. Up to two i...
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New ‘Status of Stocks’ Report Shows 90-Plus Percent Not Subject to Overfishing
18May By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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New ‘Status of Stocks’ Report Shows 90-Plus Percent Not Subject to Overfishing

A newly released 2021 “Status of Stocks” report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concludes that more than 90% of stocks in the U.S. are not subject to overfishing, which means when the annual rate of catch is too high. The report, which was released in mid-May, shows the number of stocks on the overfished list holding steady at 26 (out of a total of 296) and the number of overfished stocks, where the population size is too small, increasing slightly to 51, up from 49. The report also states that in 2020, seafood landings in the U.S. were down 10% -- likely due to the impact of the COVD-19 pandemic – and that overall annual seafood consumption fell slightly from the previous year to 19 pounds per individual. For the first time, Fisheries of the United St...
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NOAA Fisheries’ Global Forecasts Predict Probability of Marine Heatwaves 
27Apr By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries’ Global Forecasts Predict Probability of Marine Heatwaves 

Researchers at NOAA Fisheries say they’ve developed global forecasts that can provide up to a year’s advance notice of marine heatwaves, the sudden and pronounced rises in ocean temperatures that can dramatically impact ocean ecosystems.  These forecasts, as described in an article in the journal Nature could help seafood harvesters, fishery managers and coastal communities anticipate the effects of these heatwaves. The infamous 2013 heatwaves in the northeast Pacific Ocean, known as “the Blob,” resulted in shifting fish stocks, harmful algal blooms, entanglements of endangered humpback whales and thousands of starving sea lion pups washing up on beaches.  “We have seen marine heatwaves cause sudden and pronounced changes in ocean ecosystems around the world, and forecasts can he...
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New Mapping and Analysis Portal Helping NOAA Track Marine Species 
20Apr By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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New Mapping and Analysis Portal Helping NOAA Track Marine Species 

A new Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal (aka DisMAP) is giving NOAA Fisheries a clearer picture of the way many marine species are shifting expanding and contracting in response to changing ocean currents.  NOAA officials announced the new tool in mid-April, saying the website would improve data sharing and collaboration facilitate decision-making about fishery management and science and boost overall knowledge of species distribution for stock assessments.  The portal displays data from NOAA Fisheries bottom trawl surveys for five regions, including the Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast and Alaska. It includes a map viewer and graphing capabilities for over 800 marine fish and invertebrate species caught during the surveys.  Understanding how species are...
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NOAA Fisheries Designates Critical Habitat For Ringed and Bearded Seals
6Apr By Fishermen's NewsNo Comments
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NOAA Fisheries Designates Critical Habitat For Ringed and Bearded Seals

NOAA Fisheries has designated critical habitat in U.S. waters off Alaska’s coastline for Arctic ringed seals and the Beringia distinct population segment of bearded seals, both of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Act requires that NOAA Fisheries designate critical habitat for listed species in areas within the jurisdiction of the United States. Critical habitat identifies geographic areas that contain features essential to conservation of such listed species. For these species critical habitat includes marine waters of the Northern Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Critical habitat boundaries differ between the two species, reflecting differences in where the essential habitat features for each species are found. The final rule to designate critical...
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