National

International

Pacific Northwest

Pacific Coast

Alaska

Alaska

Alaska

Pacific Islands

Gulf of Mexico

Caribbean

New England

New England

Mid-Atlantic

STAR Panel to Hold Sessions on Petrale Sole and Splitnose Rockfish; May 4-8 in Newport, OR

New England Council's VMS/Enforcement Committee to Meet; May 8 in Danvers, MA

Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee to Meet; May 12-14 in Monterey, CA

Preparatory Meetings for International Whaling Commission; May 27 & 29 in Silver Spring, MD and Seattle, WA

Gray's Reef Sanctuary Seeks Advisory Council Applicants; Deadline May 29

New Stock Assessment for Pacific Blue Shark

Updated Stock Assessment for Hawaii Bottomfish

National - Nominations Sought for Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee

Nominations are being sought for appointment by the Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) beginning in October 2009. MAFAC is the Federal advisory committee with the responsibility to advise the Secretary on all matters concerning living marine resources that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. The Committee makes recommendations to the Secretary to assist in the development and implementation of Departmental policies and programs critical to the mission and goals of NOAA. Qualified nominees are sought to fill upcoming vacancies being created by the expiration of existing appointments this October, thereby bringing the Committee to its full complement of 21 members. A MAFAC member cannot be a Federal employee or a member of a Regional Fishery Management Council.

International - Greenhouse Gases Continue to Climb Despite Economic Slump

Two of the most important climate change gases - carbon dioxide and methane - increased last year, according to a preliminary analysis for NOAA's annual greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. Researchers measured an additional 16.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide - a byproduct of fossil fuel burning - and 12.2 million tons of methane in the atmosphere at the end of December 2008. This increase is despite the global economic downturn and the associated decrease in a wide range of activities that involve fossil fuel consumption.

Pacific Northwest - ESA Listing Proposed for Three Rockfish Populations

NOAA Fisheries Service has proposed to list three populations of rockfish in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Georgia Basin populations of two of the rockfish species - canary and yelloweye - are proposed for threatened status. A third rockfish species - bocaccio - is proposed as endangered. An endangered species is at high risk of extinction; a threatened species is vulnerable to extinction in the near future and in need of protection.

Pacific Coast - New Biological Opinion Assesses Effects of Three Additional Pesticides on Salmon

NOAA Fisheries Service has issued a final Biological Opinion that evaluates the EPA's proposed registration of three types of pesticides and the expected impacts on threatened and endangered populations of Pacific salmon. NOAA has concluded that pesticides products containing carbaryl and carbofuran are likely to jeopardize the continued existence of 22 listed salmon populations, while the use of methomyl is likely to jeopardize 18 populations of listed salmon. The agency also determined that these pesticides are likely to destroy or adversely modify the designated critical habitat of some populations. This biological opinion is part of a series of opinions that NOAA will issue between now and February 29, 2012, to the EPA concerning a total of 37 active chemical ingredients in pesticides.

Alaska - Proposal to Limit Charter Halibut Boats Now Open for Comment

NOAA Fisheries Service is inviting public comment on a proposed program designed to limit the number of charter boats in the guided sport halibut fishery in Southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska. This action is intended to stabilize the guided charter sector while maintaining access to the halibut charter fishery for small rural coastal communities. The program would apply only in International Pacific Halibut Commission regulatory areas 2C (Southeast Alaska) and 3A (Central Gulf of Alaska). The North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to develop the proposed limited access program for the sport charter halibut fishery in March 2007. Details of the proposal are described in a news release from NOAA Fisheries Service. Comments may be sent to www.regulations.gov until June 5, 2009.

Alaska - Pollock Trip Limit Regulations Revised

NOAA Fisheries Service has issued a new final rule for the Gulf of Alaska pollock fishery. The rule prohibits a catcher vessel from landing more than 300,000 lb of unprocessed pollock during a calendar day. Vessels are prohibited from landing a cumulative amount of unprocessed pollock from any Gulf of Alaska reporting area that exceeds 300,000 lb multiplied by the number of calendar days the pollock fishery is open to directed fishing in a season. This rule will prevent catcher vessels from circumventing the intent of current trip limit regulations when making deliveries of pollock. It is expected to disperse catches of pollock, consistent with the intent of Steller sea lion protection measures in the Gulf of Alaska.

For more information, read the final rule or contact Jeffrey Hartman at 907-586-7442.

Alaska - Advance Notice of Proposal to Designate Critical habitat for Cook Inlet Beluga Whales

NOAA Fisheries Service has announced that it will designate critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Five distinct stocks of beluga whales are currently recognized in Alaska; the Cook Inlet population is the smallest, and the only one occurring south of the Alaska Peninsula in waters of the Gulf of Alaska. At this stage, the agency is seeking information that will help to map specific areas that are currently occupied by the species and contain essential physical and biological features. The ESA also requires consideration of economic impacts, impacts to national security, and any other relevant impacts of critical habitat designation. Specific data needs are discussed in the Federal Register notice.  

Comments may be sent to Chief, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK, 99802-1668 until May 14, 2009. Following consideration of this input, NOAA Fisheries Service will publish a proposed designation of critical habitat, with an opportunity for additional public comment and public hearings.  

For more information, contact Brad Smith at 907-271-3023.

Pacific Islands - Sanctuary Celebrates Opening of New Learning Center

Two U.S. senators, state officials, and local community leaders joined NOAA officials at the recent opening of the Sanctuary Learning Center for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. The new 4,600-square-foot learning center provides facilities for offices and classroom space for school groups and public programs. The facility also will enhance interaction with the greater Pacific and international marine mammal management community. Delegates from the United States, Fiji, Australia, Philippines, Uruguay, Guatemala and Brazil visited the learning center during the recent International Conference on Marine Mammal Protected Areas.

Gulf of Mexico - Annual Catch Limits and Accountability Measures Established for Several Reef Fish Species

NOAA Fisheries has issued a final rule to implement Amendment 30B to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef Fish of the Gulf of Mexico. This rule establishes annual catch limits and accountability measures for gag, red grouper, and shallow-water grouper. It also includes the following actions: establishes a commercial quota for gag; adjusts the commercial quotas for red grouper and shallow water grouper; removes the commercial closed season for shallow water grouper; establishes an incidental bycatch allowance trip limit for commercial gag and red grouper; reduces the commercial minimum size limit for red grouper; reduces the gag bag limit and the aggregate grouper bag limit; increases the red grouper bag limit; extends the closed season for recreational shallow water grouper; eliminates the end date for the Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps marine reserves; and requires that federally permitted reef fish vessels comply with the more restrictive of Federal or state reef fish regulations when fishing in state waters.  

In addition, Amendment 30B establishes new management targets and thresholds for gag, sets the gag and red grouper total allowable catch, and establishes interim allocations for the commercial and recreational gag and red grouper fisheries. The rule is effective May 18, 2009. For more information, contact Peter Hood at 727-824-5305.

Caribbean - Council to Hold Scoping Meeting on Alternatives for Setting Annual Catch Limits

The Caribbean Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries Service have identified a preliminary range of alternatives for implementing a suite of annual catch limits, accountability measures, permits, and recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Affected species and management complexes include: Snapper Unit 1, Grouper Unit 4, parrotfish and queen conch.

The Council will hold scoping meetings to obtain input from fishers, the general public, and local agencies on issues that include setting commercial and recreational annual catch limits, methods for accounting for uncertainty, alternative methods for setting annual catch limits based on proxies for reducing fishing mortality, accountability measures, monitoring and enforcement, permits, and allowable fishing gear. The Council and NOAA Fisheries Service intend to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to describe and analyze the management alternatives. Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS will be accepted until May 18, 2009.

For more information, contact Jason.Rueter@noaa.gov or read the Federal Register notice.

New England - 2009 Sector Plans Implemented for Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector and Fixed Gear Sector

New final rules implement the Georges Bank Cod Hook Sector and Georges Bank Cod Fixed Gear Sector Operations Plans and Agreements for the 2009 fishing year, as approved by NOAA Fisheries' Northeast Regional Administrator. The rules also allocate a total allowable catch of 350.1 mt of Georges Bank cod to the Hook Sector and 503.8 mt to the Fixed Gear Sector. A total of 24 Hook Sector members signed the 2009 Hook Sector Contract, while 23 Fixed Gear Sector members signed the 2009 Fixed Gear Sector Contract.  

As in 2008, the total allowable catch is based upon the Sector members' qualifying historical landings of Georges Bank cod. Once the total allowable catch has been taken, the Sector's vessels may not fish under Northeast multispecies days-at-sea, possess or land Georges Bank cod or other regulated species managed under the Fishery Management Plan, or use gear capable of catching groundfish (unless fishing under charter/party or recreational regulations). If the total allowable catch is exceeded, the Sector's allocation in the following year will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the overharvest.  

For more information, contact Mark.Grant@noaa.gov with questions about the Hook Sector, or contact Melissa.Vasquez@noaa.gov with questions about the Fixed Gear Sector.

New England - Regulatory Exemption Proposed for Scallop Fishery in Maine Waters

NOAA Fisheries has proposed an exemption from the minimum twine-top mesh size for vessels issued Federal scallop permits and fishing exclusively in State of Maine waters. In addition, this proposed rule would provide an exemption from scallop days-at-sea for limited access days-at-sea scallop vessels, provided the vessel owner declares that the vessel will fish exclusively in Maine state waters. Scallop fishery regulations specify that a state may be eligible for a state waters exemption if it has a scallop fishery and a scallop conservation program that does not jeopardize the biomass and fishing mortality/effort limit objectives of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.  

Comments may be sent to www.regulations.gov until 5pm, local time, on May 14, 2009. For more information, read the proposed rule or contact Peter Christopher at 978-281-9288.

Mid-Atlantic - NOAA Dedicates New Chesapeake Bay Research Vessel

NOAA has christened a new state-of-the-art research vessel, R/V Bay Hydro II, which will collect oceanographic data in the Chesapeake Bay region. Information collected by the vessel will be used to update NOAA nautical charts and help coastal managers, biologists, planners and policymakers better understand the Chesapeake Bay. The bay's shoreline, including its islands and tidal wetlands, spans over 11,600 miles - more shoreline than the West Coast of the United States. R/V Bay Hydro II's mission is critical to ensuring commercial ships and recreational boaters can safely travel to and from mid-Atlantic ports, marinas and docks. The vessel will also be equipped to provide emergency survey assistance following an Atlantic hurricane or shipping accident.