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Living Marine Stewardship |
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Welcome to NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service). NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to the stewardship of living marine resources through science-based conservation and management, and the promotion of healthy ecosystems.
As a steward, NOAA Fisheries Service conserves, protects, and manages living marine resources in a way that ensures their continuation as functioning components of marine ecosystems, affords economic opportunities, and enhances the quality of life for the American public. |
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| Features |
Hot Topics / Current Events |
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 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects Funding Announcement
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, NOAA is seeking proposals for "shovel-ready" coastal restoration projects that will create or sustain jobs and stimulate the economy. Typical awards are expected to range between $1.5 million to $10 million. Click here to read more information about this funding opportunity and submitting a proposal. |
 NOAA Fisheries Service Proposes Listing Pacific Smelt as Threatened Species
NOAA Fisheries Service said today it is proposing to list Pacific smelt as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Final action on the proposal could come as soon as a year from now. Pacific smelt, known officially as eulachon and sometimes called candlefish or Columbia River smelt, are small ocean-going fish that historically ranged from northern California to the Bering Sea in Alaska. They return to rivers to spawn in late winter and early spring. Recreational fishers catch smelt in dip nets, and typically fry and eat them whole. >> read more |
 NOAA Holds Public Hearings on Proposed Rule to Identify and Certify Nations Whose Vessels Fish Illegally
NOAA will hold the first of five public hearings on Mon., Mar.16, in Boston, to receive comments on a proposed rule to identify and certify nations with vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing or bycatch of protected species, such as marine mammals and sea turtles. >> read more |
 "Don't Feed Wild Dolphins" Says New Public Service Announcement
"Just stop feeding me!" says an animated dolphin in a new public service announcement released today that highlights the dangers of dolphins getting hooked on human handouts. The PSA was produced by a coalition of government agencies and private organizations. >> read more |
 New Deep-Sea Coral Discovered on NOAA-Supported Mission
Scientists identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered on a NOAA-funded mission in the deep waters of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Six of these species may represent entirely new genera, a remarkable feat given the broad classification a genus represents. A genus is a major category in the classification of organisms, ranking above a species and below a family. Scientists expect to identify more new species as analysis of samples continues. >> read more |
 New Report Shows Loss of Coastal Wetlands in Eastern U.S.
While the nation as a whole gained freshwater wetlands from 1998 to 2004, a new report by NOAA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service documents a continuing loss of coastal wetlands in the eastern United States. >> read more |
 Lake Michigan Fish Populations Threatened by Decline of Tiny Creature
The quick decline of a tiny shrimp-like species, known scientifically as Diporeia, is related to the aggressive population growth of non-native quagga mussels in the Great Lakes, say NOAA scientists. As invasive mussel numbers increase, food sources for Diporeia and many aquatic species have steadily and unilaterally declined. >> read more |
 Scientists Discover 'Hot Spot' for Toxic Harmful Algal Blooms Off Washington Coast
A new study funded by NOAA and the National Science Foundation reveals that a part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Washington state from Canada's British Columbia, is a potential “hot spot” for toxic harmful algal blooms affecting the Washington and British Columbia coasts. Understanding where and how these blooms originate and move is critical for accurate forecasts that could provide early warning to protect human and ecosystem health, according to NOAA scientists. >> read more |
 Agencies Issue Revised Recovery Plan for the Northwest Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle
NOAA Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the availability of the final revised recovery plan for the Northwest Atlantic population of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The species is listed globally as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. >> read more |
 NOAA Issues Final Guidance on Annual Catch Limits to End Overfishing
NOAA Fisheries Service has issued final guidance on annual catch limits designed to help restore federally managed marine fish stocks and end overfishing. Annual catch limits are amounts of fish allowed to be caught in a year."The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act requires that we end overfishing by 2010," said Jim Balsiger, acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries Service. "The commercial seafood industry and recreational saltwater fishing provide our nation food, jobs and other incredible benefits that we want to continue for future generations when we end overfishing." >> read more |
 NOAA Will Work With Six Identified Nations to Address Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing
NOAA has submitted the first ever report to Congress identifying six nations – France, Italy, Libya, Panama, People's Republic of China, Tunisia - whose fishing vessels were engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2007 or 2008. This opens the way for consultations between the U.S. government and officials of each of the six nations to encourage them to take corrective action to stop IUU fishing by their vessels. Annual global economic losses due to IUU fishing are estimated to be about $9 billion, according to an international task force on IUU fishing. >> read more |
 New Economic Report Finds Commercial and Recreational Fishing Generated More Than Two Million Jobs
U.S. commercial and recreational fishing generated more than $185 billion in sales and supported more than two million jobs in 2006, according to a new economic report released by NOAA Fisheries Service. >> read more |
 NOAA to Create Saltwater Angler Registry in 2010
NOAA Fisheries Service released its final rule to create a national saltwater angler registry of all marine recreational fishermen to help the nation better protect our shared marine resources. A requirement to establish a registry was included in a statute approved by Congress in 2007. >> read more |
 NOAA Develops Seafood Consumer Guide
Seafood consumers in the United States, increasingly concerned about the sustainability and quality of seafood, can now turn to a NOAA Fisheries Service Web site, FishWatch, for the latest information. This consumer guide provides the best available scientific information on over 60 of the most popular types of seafood. More species will be added to the site in the near future.
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Consult IUU Fishing Lists Before Making Commercial Arrangements |
Illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) vessel lists have been created by Regional Fishery Management Organizations to combat IUU fishing practices. Certain penalties may apply to vessels included on such lists; therefore, it is advisable to consult these lists before making commercial arrangements with listed vessels. Penalties may include restricted port access or unloading prohibitions. Some lists are intended to include only fishing vessels, some can include transport vessels as well. For more information: >> read more |
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>> More Announcements
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| FishNews |
News Briefs |
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 No Evidence of Tampering in Last Year's Sea Lion Deaths at Bonneville
An investigation by NOAA Fisheries Service into the deaths last May of six sea lions trapped on two floating cages below Bonneville Dam found no evidence of human intervention, either intentional or accidental, in the closing of the cage doors. >> read more |
 NOAA Grants Endangered Species Status to Black Abalone
NOAA Fisheries Service determined black abalone, an edible marine mollusk, should be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The ruling takes effect on Feb. 13, and comes one year after the fisheries service proposed to list the species. >> read more |
 High Numbers of Right Whales Seen in Gulf of Maine
A large number of North Atlantic right whales have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent days, leading researchers at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species. The Center's aerial survey team saw 44 individual right whales on December 3 in the Jordan Basin area, located about 70 miles south of Bar Harbor, Maine. "We're excited because seeing 44 right whales together in the Gulf of Maine is a record for the winter months, when daily observations of 3 to 5 animals are much more common," said team leader Tim Cole. An estimated 100 female North Atlantic right whales head south in winter to give birth in the waters off Florida and Georgia, but little is known about where other individual right whales in the population go in winter, largely due to difficult surveying conditions. >> read more |
 NOAA Proposes Rule to Reduce Charter Halibut Catch
NOAA Fisheries Service proposed reducing the number of halibut that charter vessel anglers in southeast Alaska can keep, from two each day to one. The proposed rule, which would take effect this spring, would allow each charter vessel client to use only one fishing line, and no more than six lines targeting halibut would be allowed on a charter vessel at one time. The rule would prohibit guides and crew from catching and retaining halibut while charter halibut clients are on board. >> read more |
 NOAA Finds Decline in Pollock; Recommends Catch Cut to Council
NOAA has released new scientific information showing a decline in the walleye pollock biomass that has the agency recommending a cut to the pollock catch for 2009 in the eastern Bering Sea. "Although the pollock biomass was well above average in the 1990s, our surveys show a substantial decline in recent years," said Doug DeMaster, science and research director for NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "The stock has been closely monitored and management decisions have historically followed sound conservation principles. We anticipate lower catch limits for 2009." >> read more |
 NOAA Training Workshops for Seafood Dealers and Fishermen
Free workshops are planned to assist Atlantic shark dealers with the identification of various shark species. Accurate species identification is important because some regulations vary by species; some stocks are severely overfished, while others are more plentiful. Atlantic shark dealers are required to attend the shark identification workshops in order to maintain valid Federal permits. In addition, special workshops for commercial fishermen who use bottom longline, pelagic longline, or gillnet gear will help them learn new techniques for releasing any protected species (e.g. sea turtles) that are caught accidentally. These "safe handling" workshops are required for fishermen who wish to maintain Federal swordfish and shark fishing permits.
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