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Noaa Fisheries News

26 Jan 2024

BOEM and NOAA Release North Atlantic Right Whale and Offshore Wind Strategy

© Tony / Adobe Stock

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have released a final joint strategy to protect and promote the recovery of endangered North Atlantic right whales while responsibly developing offshore wind energy.The strategy builds on existing mitigation measures to protect North Atlantic right whales from the potential impacts of offshore wind development and was developed to support the Biden-Harris administration's goal of deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction.

23 Jan 2023

US Limits Vessel Calls at BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal

Aerial view of BP Cherry Point dock (Photo: NOAA)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will modify the Department of the Army permit for the BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal’s North Wing dock to ensure complies with the Magnuson Amendment’s restrictions regarding the handling of crude oil at Puget Sound facilities, and Endangered Species Act and other applicable legal requirements through additional permit conditions. This comes from the Record of Decision issued Monday, following completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement


05 Dec 2022

BOEM and NOAA Announce Joint Strategy for Fisheries Surveys

© Collin / Adobe Stock

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries will work together to address potential impacts of offshore wind energy development on NOAA Fisheries’ scientific surveys, which help to manage the United States’s fisheries.For 150 years, the NOAA’s scientists have collected survey data that form the basis of the science-based management of America’s federal fisheries, support the protection and recovery of marine mammals and endangered and threatened species


28 Oct 2022

NOAA Sued Over Whale Injuries from Drift Gillnets off California

© Enrique / Adobe Stock

Environmentalists on Thursday sued the agency overseeing U.S. fisheries, claiming it had failed to protect endangered humpback whales from entanglement in drift gillnets - sprawling curtains of nylon mesh - used in commercial fishing off California.The lawsuit accuses the National Marine Fisheries Service of violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing drift gillnets without safeguards and failing to take into account the harm posed to whales already at risk of extinction.The suit


12 Aug 2022

BP Cherry Point Terminal Final Environmental Impact Statement Released

Aerial View of BP Cherry Point Dock (Photo, NOAA, 2013)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Wing of the BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal, which is located near Ferndale, Wash. The Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency today.The Final EIS examines the incremental environmental effects related to operation of the North Wing of the BP Cherry Point Marine Terminal, the risk of potential accidents and oil spills within a portion of Puget Sound


02 Aug 2022

NOAA Proposes New Vessel Speed Regulations to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

© LEO / Adobe Stock

NOAA Fisheries announced proposed changes to vessel speed regulations to further protect North Atlantic right whales from death and serious injuries resulting from collisions — part of a multifaceted approach to stabilize and recover this endangered population. The changes would expand the current mandatory seasonal speed restrictions of 10 knots or less in designated areas of the ocean and extend to most vessels measuring 35 to 65 feet in length.In addition, the agency is releasing a draft “roadmap” for public comment about on-demand


14 Jun 2022

USCG Report: Small Cutters Prove They Can Patrol a Big Ocean

The Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Gerczak and Juniper refuel in Papeete, Tahiti, while underway during Operation Aiga, February 6, 2022. The two cutters are in the region combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and other maritime threats on the high seas throughout the Pacific. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of the CGC Juniper)

The Coast Guard’s 353-ton, 154-foot fast response cutter (WPC) is capable of deploying independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The service plans to build 64 of them to replace the 110-foot Island class patrol boats. The FRC has a range of 2,500 miles, but the endurance of the 24 crewmembers is normally limited to about five days based on the quantity of provisions carried. Both the 110s and 154s have about the same speed and range


27 Dec 2021

NOAA Using Sailing Vessel for Ocean Research

The 82- foot long S/V Iris tied up at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock, moored next to WHOI’s R/V Armstrong. The Iris departed Woods Hole on December 14, and will spend the next two months deploying approximately 78 Argo floats in the South Atlantic, before finishing its epic voyage back in Brest, France. (Courtesy of Blue Observer)

NOAA and partners have joined together to launch approximately 100 new Argo floats across the Atlantic ocean to collect data that supports ocean, weather and climate research and prediction. These will bolster the international Argo Program, which maintains a global array of about 3,800 floats that measure pressure, temperature and salinity of the upper 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) of the ocean.The French sailing vessel Iris recently arrived in Woods Hole, Mass., after deploying the initial batch of 17 Argo floats across the Atlantic.

17 Aug 2019

Offshore Wind: Regulatory “Takes” – Take a Close Look

© Luna Vandoorne/Adobe Stock

On April 30 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a notice, requesting public comments, on a proposed “incidental harassment authorization” (IHA). An IHA is a legal and enforceable document presenting the terms and conditions with which a company must adhere in order to protect wildlife. In this case, the draft IHA was for Vineyard Wind, the wind energy company ready to start construction on an 800 MW offshore wind farm in the Atlantic, covering about 675 square kilometers, starting 14 miles from the coastline of Martha’s Vineyard.

28 Mar 2019

BOEM Forges Offshore Wind Alliance

NOAA Fisheries, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).According to an official release, the MoU brings local and regional fishing interests together with federal regulators to collaborate on the science and process of offshore wind energy development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.Safe, reliable, and affordable domestic energy production powers the U.S. economy, promotes jobs and is critical to our nation’s security. Offshore wind is an abundant, domestic energy resource that is located close to major coastal load centers


02 Sep 2016

NOAA Aid to Protect Marine Mammals

NOAA Fisheries awarded nearly $3 million in grants to support the conservation and recovery of protected marine species through stranding response and marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. Through the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program, NOAA awarded 32 grants to nonprofit organizations, aquariums, universities, and coastal state, local and tribal governments that are members of the National Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Recipients will use their award funds to respond to marine mammal strandings, improve capacity at their facilities, and conduct scientific investigations into the causes of stranding events and unusual mortality events.

31 Jul 2016

U.S. to Crack Down on Ocean Noise that Harms Fish

The ocean has gotten noisier for decades, with man-made racket from oil drilling, shipping and construction linked to signs of stress in marine life that include beached whales and baby crabs with scrambled navigational signals. The United States aims to change that as a federal agency prepares a plan that could force reductions in noise-making activities, including oil exploration, dredging and shipping off the nation's coast. "We've been worried about ocean noise for decades, since the 1970s," said Richard Merrick, chief science adviser to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fisheries agency and a key author of the agency's more detailed 10-year plan to be released publicly later this year.

28 Jan 2016

Critical Habitat for Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Using new information not previously available, NOAA Fisheries is expanding critical habitat for endangered North Atlantic right whales to cover its northeast feeding areas in the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank region and southeast calving grounds from North Carolina to Florida. This final rule, which was initially proposed in February 2015 and received 261 general comments over a 60-day comment period, does not include any new restrictions or management measures for commercial fishing operations. This rule is based on 35 years of aircraft and ship borne surveys of right whale distribution, and research into foraging and prey availability. Together, these data provide a far more robust understanding of the factors critical to species recovery.

21 Oct 2015

Krill Installs VFMMS on FRV Reuben Lasker

Krill Systems Inc., leader in advanced Vessel Fuel Measurement and Monitoring Systems (VFMMS), installated and conducted sea trial on-board the NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker. The NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker is the fifth in a series of Fishery Survey Vessels (FSV) and one of the most technologically advanced fisheries vessels in the world. Funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and built by Marinette Marine Corporation in Wisconsin, the ship’s primary objective is to support fish, marine mammal, and turtle surveys off the U.S. West Coast and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Reuben Lasker is classed as a Fishery Survey Vessel (FSV). All FSVs are American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Ice Classed "C0".

24 Aug 2015

NOAA Declares Whale Deaths an ‘Unusual Morality Event’

Bears feeding on a fin whale carcass in Larson Bay, Alaska, near Kodiak. Credit: NOAA

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared the recent deaths of 30 large whales in the western Gulf of Alaska an "unusual mortality event," triggering a focused, expert investigation into the cause. An unusual mortality event is a stranding event that is unexpected, involves a significant die-off of a marine mammal population and demands immediate response. Since May 2015, 11 fin whales, 14 humpback whales, one gray whale and four unidentified


20 Apr 2015

NOAA’s National Saltwater Recreational Fishing Policy Opposed

Recently, NOAA Fisheries released the implementation plan to support the latest National Saltwater Recreational Fishing Policy. The policy, announced at the Progressive Miami International Boat Show in February, was developed with input from recreational fishing and boating communities, conservation organizations, and managers across the nation. It incorporates a number of concerns voiced by the boating and fishing communities including public access, resource stewardship, regulatory education, science innovation, and better lines of communication between state and federal rule makers with the community. The implementation plan itself


22 Mar 2015

Conservation Efforts in Revised ESA Listing of Green Sea Turtle

NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to reclassify the green sea turtle under the Endangered Species Act, and list turtles originating from two breeding populations currently considered endangered as threatened due to improvements in their populations. After a review of the global status of green sea turtles, the agencies are proposing to reclassify the species into 11 Distinct Population Segments (DPS) under the ESA, which maintains federal protections while providing a more tailored approach for managers to address specific threats facing different populations. Years of coordinated conservation efforts have resulted in increasing numbers of turtles nesting in Florida and along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

21 Jan 2015

Winners of Walter B. Jones Memorial Awards Named

Eleven individuals and organizations have been named as winners of the 2014 Walter B. Jones Memorial Awards for Excellence in Coastal Ocean Resource Management, an award given by NOAA’sOffice for Coastal Management for exemplary leadership and a commitment to balancing the human use of coastal and ocean resources with the needs of the environment. These national awards, given every two years, honor individuals and organizations that have dedicated countless hours to conserve, protect, and improve the U.S. coasts. They recognize the application of innovative approaches, tools, or technology to advance the field. “This year’s award winners represent a wide range of uniquely driven people and activities in the pursuit of wise coastal resource management,” said Jeffrey L.

15 Apr 2014

Three NOAA scientists honored by White House

The White House yesterday awarded three NOAA scientists with Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. The award is the highest honor given by the federal government to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. Laboratory. The NOAA scientists are part of a group of 102 scientists from across federal agencies that received the prestigious award. “NOAA is home to some of the world’s leading scientific research and our scientists strive each day to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our planet,” said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D. “Through their research on improving sustainable fisheries management


27 Mar 2014

$5.6M Granted for US Fisheries Research

Research projects in New England and the Mid-Atlantic are expected to receive nearly $5.6 million in federal funding, according to an announcement made today by NOAA Fisheries. Under the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program, which is administered by NOAA Fisheries, funding will be made available to provide financial assistance for research and development projects that benefit the U.S. fishing industry. Of these funds, $2.3 million would support projects to benefit the groundfish industry. Funding will be made available to projects following review by NOAA’s Office of Acquisition and Grants, which is expected to be completed shortly. “Today’s announcement is great news for fishing communities in the Greater Atlantic Region


24 Jan 2014

NOAA Creates Dynamic Whale Protection Area

The NOAA Fisheries Service has established a Dynamic Management Area near Savannah, Ga. to protect an aggregation of three whales sighted on January 23. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit at a maximum speed of ten knots if rerouting is not possible. This voluntary zone will remain active through February 7, 2014. The previous Dynamic Management Area established off Palm Coast, Fla. is no longer active.

30 Oct 2013

NOAA Reports Sustained Seafood Levels

Photo: NOAA

An annual report released by NOAA stated U.S. commercial fishermen landed 9.6 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2012, valued at $5.1 billion, according to Fisheries of the United States 2012. The value and pounds of fish and shellfish caught remain higher than the average for the previous ten years of 9.2 billion pounds and $4.1 billion, although this represents a small decrease from the high level of landings and value in 2011. economic fabric," said Sam Rauch, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

20 Oct 2013

Right Whales Rule, OK?

Right whale & calf: Photo CCL

The right whale migration and calving season will soon begin along the Atlantic seaboard. The Mid-Atlantic Seasonal Management Areas and the associated speed restrictions of 10 knots will become effective for Mid-Atlantic coast ports from Long Island Sound to Savannah on November 1, 2013 and will remain in place through April 30, 2014. The Southeast U.S. Seasonal Management Area which includes the ports of Brunswick, Fernandina and Jacksonville, will become effective on November 15, 2013 and will remain in place through April 15, 2014.

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