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Making Waves: Episode 11 (Jan. 09, 2009)

(INTRO)
... STUDYING LOBSTER TRAP DEBRIS IN FLORIDA
...AND A NEW RESTORATION PLAN IS ANNOUNCED FOR THE DELAWARE RIVER
THOSE STORIES ARE COMING UP TODAY ON MAKING WAVES FROM NOAA’S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE.

(LOBSTER TRAP DEBRIS STUDY)
LET’S START OFF TODAY IN SOMEPLACE WARM. HOW DOES THE FLORIDA KEYS SOUND? WELL, NOS RESEARCHERS DOWN IN THE KEYS JUST FINISHED UP A STUDY FOCUSED ON THE TRAPS USED TO CATCH SPINY LOBSTERS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BITS AND PIECES OF ABANDONED AND LOST TRAPS IN THE SANCTUARY ARE THE MOST COMMON FORM OF MARINE DEBRIS IN THE WATERS THERE. AND SURPRISINGLY, THE MOST HEAVILY FISHED AREAS WERE NOT ALWAYS THE AREAS WITH THE MOST TRAP DEBRIS.

RESEARCHERS AT NOAA’S CENTER FOR COASTAL FISHERIES AND HABITAT RESEARCH SURVEYED THE WATERS BY TOWING DIVERS BEHIND BOATS. AS THEY STREAMED ALONG THROUGH THE WATER, THEY WERE ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF DERELICT LOBSTER TRAPS AND TRAP-RELATED DEBRIS ON THE SEA FLOOR IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SANCTUARY.

FLORIDA’S COMMERCIAL SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY IS THE LARGEST COMMERCIAL FISHERY IN FLORIDA. AND TRAPS ARE THE MAIN METHOD USED TO CATCH THEM.

THERE ARE 495,000 TRAPS CURRENTLY PERMITTED TO CATCH SPINY LOBSTERS IN FLORIDA. AND EACH YEAR, TENS OF THOUSANDS ARE LOST. IT’S A REAL PROBLEM. FOR STARTERS, LOST LOBSTER TRAPS KEEP DOING THEIR JOB. THEY CAN TRAP, INJURE, OR KILL SEA LIFE RANGING FROM FISH, TO SEA BIRDS, TO MARINE MAMMALS LONG AFTER THEY’RE LOST. AND THEY ALSO DAMAGE SENSITIVE HABITATS LIKE SEA GRASS BEDS.

BUT THEY CAUSE TROUBLE TO HUMANS TOO. THEY CAN BE A HAZARD TO NAVIGATION. AND THE LOSS OF A TRAP MEANS LOST INCOME FOR LOBSTERMEN, WHOLESALERS, AND THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.

THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY WILL BE USED BY RESOURCE MANAGERS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY. AND THE RESEARCH IS PART OF A LARGER EFFORT TO FOSTER A WIDER DISCUSSION AMONG SCIENTISTS, ACADEMICS, AND FISHERY MANAGERS ABOUT THE SOURCES OF FISHING GEAR DEBRIS, HOW IT’S DISTRIBUTED, AND HOW ABUNDANT THIS DEBRIS IS IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN.

THE STUDY WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN NOS AND THE FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION. YOU CAN SEE PHOTOS FROM THE STUDY ON OUR WEBSITE AT NOS.NOAA.GOV.

(DELAWARE RIVER RESTORATION PLAN)
NOW LET’S HEAD BACK NORTH TO THE COLDER WATERS OF THE DELAWARE RIVER.

BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2004, A LARGE CARGO VESSEL CALLED THE ATHOS I STRUCK A SUBMERGED ANCHOR WHILE IT WAS GETTING READY TO DOCK IN NEW JERSEY. THE ANCHOR PUNCTURED THE HULL, AND THAT LED TO THE LOSS OF NEARLY 265,000 GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL INTO THE DELAWARE RIVER THAT EVENTUALLY SPREAD TO MORE THAN 280 MILES OF SHORELINE. IT DAMAGED HABITATS, KILLED OR INJURED AQUATIC CREATURES, BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE ... AND IT SHUT DOWN A LOT OF THE RIVER TO RECREATIONAL USE BY HUMANS.
THIS WEEK, NOAA, THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND THE STATES OF PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY AND DELAWARE RELEASED A RESTORATION PLAN TO REPAIR AND IMPROVE SHORELINE AND HABITATS OF THE DELAWARE DAMAGED BY THE SPILL.

THAT PLAN IS NOW UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS COMMENT PERIOD IS THE LAST STEP BEFORE RESTORATION PROJECTS ARE SELECTED AND FUNDING IS SOUGHT FROM AN OIL SPILL LIABILITY TRUST FUND. THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS FEB. 20 OF THIS YEAR.

UNDER THE OIL POLLUTION ACT, NOAA AND ITS STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RESTORING THE SHORELINE AND HABITAT TO CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE EXISTED BEFORE THE OIL SPILL.

THE PLAN FOR THIS LARGE, COMPLEX SPILL WAS DEVELOPED AFTER AN EQUALLY LARGE AND COMPLEX EFFORT THAT INVOLVED RESPONDING TO THE INITIAL INCIDENT, AND ASSESSING ALL OF THE NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE IN THE REGION.

THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT RESTORATION PLAN RECOMMENDS NINE PREFERRED RESTORATION PROJECTS INTENDED TO ADDRESS SHORELINE AND RECREATIONAL USE INJURIES IN DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA. COSTS FOR THESE PROJECTS ARE EXPECTED TO TOTAL OVER $20 MILLION.

THESE PROJECTS WILL BENEFIT COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES BY IMPROVING THE HABITAT, PROVIDE GREEN JOBS DURING CONSTRUCTION, AND CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO ENJOY THE RIVER AND ITS NATIVE WILDLIFE.

(TAKING A CLOSER LOOK)
THE DRAFT DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION PLAN IS AVAILABLE ONLINE. WE’LL GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS IN A MOMENT. BUT FIRST, LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW AND WHY NOAA IS INVOLVED IN THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND RESTORATION BUSINESS.

EACH YEAR, OIL AND TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM SHIPS, PIPELINES, AND HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES CONTAMINATE OUR NATION’S COASTAL WATERS.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE COASTS IS A BIG SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH THE EFFECTS ARE NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS. POLLUTANTS LIKE TOXIC METALS, PESTICIDES, AND OTHER HARMFUL SUBSTANCES CAN PERSIST IN THE ENVIRONMENT, POSING THREATS TO FISH, WILDLIFE, AND PEOPLE FOR MANY YEARS.

SO, AFTER AN OIL SPILL OR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE RELEASE, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RESPOND BY CLEANING UP AND REDUCING LONG-TERM RISKS TO HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. BUT THESE EFFORTS MAY NOT FULLY RESTORE INJURED NATURAL RESOURCES.

THAT’S WHERE NOAA’S DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, REMEDIATION, AND RESTORATION PROGRAM, OR DARRP, STEPS IN. THIS GROUP IS MADE UP OF THE NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE’S OFFICE OF RESPONSE AND RESTORATION, NOAA’S FISHERIES’ RESTORATION CENTER, AND NOAA’S GENERAL COUNSEL FOR NATURAL RESOURCES. THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO STUDY THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE TO NATURAL RESOURCES, FIND THE BEST METHODS FOR RESTORING THOSE RESOURCES, AND FIGURE OUT THE TYPE AND AMOUNT OF RESTORATION THAT’S NEEDED.

THE DARRP TEAM PARTNERS WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF COASTAL CONTAMINATION AND TO PROTECT AND RESTORE THE ENVIRONMENT.

TO DATE, DARRP HAS SUCCESSFULLY PROTECTED NATURAL RESOURCES AT MORE THAN 500 WASTE SITES AND GENERATED MORE THAN $440 MILLION FROM RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO PROTECT OR RESTORE THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF HABITAT AND RETURN VALUABLE RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC.

(OUTRO)
AS PROMISED, THE LINK THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE FULL ATHOS I REPORT IS WWW.DARRP.NOAA.GOV. YOU CAN FIND OUT THERE HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THE PLAN.

BUT WE HOPE YOU START YOUR ONLINE JOURNEY BY VISITING OUR SITE. WE’RE AT OCEANSERVICE.NOAA.GOV. WE’VE POSTED A SUMMARY OF THE ATHOS I RESTORATION PLAN THERE, AND WE DEVELOPED AN INTERACTIVE MAP IN COORDINATION WITH DARRP TO GIVE YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT IS PLANNED AT EACH OF THE NINE PROPOSED RESTORATION SITES.

WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR THIS WEEK. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS WEEK’S PODCAST, ABOUT OUR OCEAN AND COASTS, OR ABOUT THE NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE, SEND US A NOTE. WE’RE AT NOS.WEB@NOAA.GOV.

NOW LET’S BRING IN THE OCEAN ...

THIS IS MAKING WAVES FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE. SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

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