Tag Archives: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Overwhelmed with turtles, aquarium even uses airlift
This year, nearly 1,000 endangered sea turtles have been recovered from Cape Cod Bay beaches, and the turtle pipeline is full. The New England Aquarium, the regional destination for injured and cold-stunned turtles, has already treated nearly 400 animals, almost double the record for a full year. Read the rest here 08:07
Record North Pacific temperatures threatening B.C. marine species
The North Pacific Ocean is setting record high temperatures this year and raising concerns about the potential impact on cold water marine species along the B.C. coast, including salmon. Video, Read the rest here 05:49
Study says natural factors, not humans, behind West Coast warming
“The North Pacific hasn’t been this warm ever, as far as anyone knows. It’s really strange,” said Bill Peterson, oceanographer with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Newport, Ore. “It looks like an El Nino, but it really isn’t. We don’t really know what it is.” For the moment, oceanographers and atmospheric scientists don’t see a link to human-caused climate change, but also say what they’ve seen doesn’t match other recognized patterns in ocean conditions. Read the rest here 09:53
Sen. Wicker goes fishing for information – how the DMR will handle almost $11 million in federal money
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker went on a fishing expedition Wednesday afternoon, and it wasn’t just to catch blue crabs and shrimp. It was to fish for information. While some tasty crustaceans were landed, his real purpose was to get a sense of how the DMR will handle almost $11 million in federal money to help revive the oyster and blue crab populations. Read the rest here 14:57
Boom! Oil-exploring seismic blasts could soon disrupt whale territory
NAGS HEAD, N.C. As early as next spring, the boom of seismic cannons will sound under the Atlantic Ocean as the first oil and gas exploration allowed off the East Coast in three decades gets underway. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved opening an area of the Atlantic Coast from Delaware to Florida for the seismic blasts, saying there “has been no documented scientific evidence”,, Read the rest here 20:47
Scientists, fishermen at odds on cod stock in Gulf of Maine
“Look at it all. It’s beautiful,” said Jongerden, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange. But all that cod should not be there, according to a report last month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that found the number of cod of reproductive age in the Gulf of Maine has hit an all-time low – only 3 percent to 4 percent of what’s needed for a sustainable fishery. Read the rest here 08:59
The (Newest) Trouble With Chilean Sea Bass – MSC certification labels aren’t as trustworthy as they seem
Trouble seems to follow the Chilean sea bass, a prehistoric-looking, toothy beast that lives in the chilly waters off the coast of Antarctica and nearby countries.,, nearly a quarter of fish given the stamp of approval from the Marine Stewardship Council, a leading authority on seafood sustainability, did not originate from their designated fisheries, Read more here 19:55
Commercial fishermen seek to halt recreational angling?
You think the differences between commercial fishing groups and recreational anglers has been heated in the past? Well … consider this just in from the “you aren’t going to believe this” file. In the comment section: I’d care to bet the use of long line commercial and net techniques vastly outweigh the stray rec hook & line incident. These clowns are simply trying to divert attention away from an obvious fact: commercial netting is the #1 way to overfish any fish population. I can’t believe it! Read more here 08:49
Cook Inlet and Yukon River Commercial Fishery disaster fund plan moving forward
Cook Inlet and Yukon River commercial fishermen could receive direct payments as part of the 2012 fishery disaster relief aid this fall. According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration award notice, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is,,, Read more here 07:44
Fishermen lukewarm about disaster relief
Certain permit holders will be eligible for $32,500 in 
in the coming months. But some in the industry say the amount is a patch over a gaping wound. “I would be happy if they gave me back more fish. I don’t want the money,” said Linda McCann, sector manager for Northeast Fishery sectors 7 and 8. Read more here 08:32
The need for real science in Magnuson by Carmine Gorga
If there are no fish at docks in Gloucester, it is not because there are no fish in the ocean. It is because the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is virtually prohibiting fishermen to fish. The reason is that NOAA is expected by its empowering legislation, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, to prevent overfishing. But how can a dwindling family fishing fleet do the overfishing? Any open-minded observer is concluding that NOAA is applying an agenda-driven science. Read more here 14:29
An Article of Interest Leading up to the MAFMC Meeting – Scientists exploring offshore canyons for Atlantic deep-sea corals
The mission of the NOAA vessel Bigelow during its 12-day cruise this month is to explore some of the canyons along the Mid-Atlantic coast.,,”Other places in the world, areas like this have been demolished,” Pew’s Gordon said.,,Commercial fishing interests hope the council doesn’t bar them from current fishing grounds. <Read more here> 11:53
South Shore Fishermen Taking a Beating! FISHY BUSINESS: No vacation, just a battle for fishermen facing regulations
Many of us are enjoying the recreation that Scituate’s shores and water access afford both residents and our friends that visit from elsewhere for vacation, despite a few drizzly weekends. Unfortunately, the past month was no vacation for the commercial fisherman. <Read more here> 11:03
Decline of Gulf of Maine cod leaves regulators a tough task
The Gulf of Maine cod population has continued to drop despite decades of catch restrictions, according to preliminary results of a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study. Exact causes are unknown, but they likely include warming of the oceans and continued overfishing, marine scientists said. <Read more here> 08:11
This GOP governor wants to halt offshore oil and gas exploration
“This ruling is very disappointing to the administration, and could have a negative impact on the ocean and its wildlife,” The stance is a rare one for a GOP governor to take — especially one who might have presidential ambitions — given that seismic airgun testing is a prelude to eventual drilling. The Obama administration is expected allow production in the Atlantic for the first time in decades in its next five-year drilling plan, which it is drafting. Read more here 12:43
UNE researcher gets $1.7M grant to aid fishing industry – will research the mortality rate of winter skates
A federal agency has awarded a University of New England researcher and his colleagues $1.7 million for a research project they hope will help increase revenues for the fishing industry. “If our proposed study is as successful as our previous otter trawl project, it could result in increased revenues to the commercial fishing industry,” Read more here 16:05
Ocean Acidification Is an Imminent Threat for Alaska Fishing Communities
Keeping Alaska’s fisheries wild and sustainable is going to be a serious challenge in the years ahead as our oceans become more acidic, and that in turn, is going put many Alaskans’ subsistence way of life at risk, says a new report. Minor says the problem is “still far enough over the horizon” that local fishermen haven’t seen any impacts on the fishing grounds, but adds, “those of us who are paying attention are worried.” Read more here 16:45
Forage fish management key to protecting Pacific Ocean ecosystem health
Pacific sardine populations have shown an alarming decline in recent years, and some evidence suggests anchovy and herring populations may be dropping as well. The declines could push fishermen toward other currently unmanaged “forage fish,” Read more here 10:35 The Forage Fish Farce
70 subpoenas issued ‘throughout New York’ in federal probe of fisheries program
The federal government has issued 70 grand-jury subpoenas as part of two-year investigation into a fishing auction program widely criticized as a “license to steal.”,, A NOAA Fisheries spokesman didn’t return a call seeking further comment, and Logan couldn’t be reached. Federal regulators “knew there was a problem when they set the [fluke] quota in place. They never addressed it,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association,, Read more here 16:19
New Jersey: Opposition To Seismic Testing Plan
New Jersey environmental officials say they will go to court in an effort to block a plan for seismic testing of the ocean floor. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved the testing that’s designed to examine ocean sediments as part of a study of climate change and sea level rise. Listen to the report 21:07
Legislature eyeing another layer of fishing enforcement – would allow NOAA OLE in North Carolina waters.
The state House and Gov. Pat McCrory want to enter a “joint enforcement agreement” with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and task the North Carolina Marine Patrol with enforcing both state and federal regulations in coastal waters. But the North Carolina Senate went in the other direction by specifically saying they are opposed to the proposal. Also cited in the resolution was a recent report by the U.S. Inspector General about possible corruption in the enforcement branches of NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Read more here 13:02
Stronger restrictions adopted affecting California’s drift gill net fishery
West Coast fishery managers on Monday adopted stringent regulations against California’s swordfish and thresher shark drift gill net fishery, laying the framework to more aggressively limit its bycatch of endangered ocean species. Read more here 12:03
Scientists map sea floor off NC for potential wind energy
“North Carolina reportedly has some of the best conditions for wind in the Southeast United States,” said Chris Taylor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ecologist at the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science lab in Beaufort. “Our proximity to the Gulf Stream promotes relatively consistent strong winds that can have the potential for producing energy if utilized in the right way.” (what bullshit this is.) Read more here 17:52
Our View: Fix the big problem with fisheries
The reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act under consideration by Congress now needs to require better science, more contribution from the industry in gathering data for the science (Alaska fisheries rely on industry vessels for 80 percent of data, 20 percent from government,,,Read more here 08:17
Lobstermen claim research vessel is cutting trap lines, government fails to pay for damage
What is upsetting lobstermen the most is NOAA has never notified them beforehand that a ship would be in their fishing waters, despite assurances given in March by the commanding officer of the present ship, the Ferdinand R. Hassler, according to Sinclair. Read more here 07:48
Elver season falls short of statewide quota – Feds suspect significant illegal activity, though.
ELLSWORTH, Maine — The 2014 elver fishing season is expected to come to a close Saturday, without the statewide catch quota being reached, according to state officials. Read more here 08:25
New Hampshire’s beleaguered commercial fishing industry – $2M in federal funds
New Hampshire’s 400-year-old commercial fishing fleet, made up of small boats, has worked under increasing federal regulations and restrictions since the Magnuson-Stevens Act was passed in 1976. It limits the catch and species of fish that can be caught, as well as when and where fisherman can fish. A 2010 amendment to the act introduced the “catch share” limit system for groundfish that hit small independent boat fishermen, like those in New Hampshire, the hardest. Read more here 08:52
REFI Act will support West Coast fishing jobs
t’s no secret that the health of our coastal communities is dependent of the success of local fishermen and the jobs they create. In my district of Southwest Washington and all along the West Coast, the groundfish fleet and the 3,000 jobs it supports are centrally important. But fishermen off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California are struggling to sustain their businesses, due in large part to unnecessary regulatory and financial burdens. Read more here 07:01
$1.6 million in disaster aid split among 50 Maine fishermen
“The fishermen have been regulated so tightly they can’t earn a livelihood anymore,” he said. Maine fishermen have stayed within their catch limits for years but have suffered the consequences of “inflexible federal regulations,” Gov. Paul LePage said in a prepared statement. “I am glad that this economic relief will give Maine fishermen the flexibility to make an investment in their future, because our fishermen want a hand up, not a handout,” LePage said. Read more here 21:10
Public Comment Begins For Sea Lion Protections
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