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Media Contact for the Pacific Islands Regional Office:
Please contact:
pirohonolulu@noaa.gov
(808)944-2200
(808)973-2941 fax
News Releases and Media Advisories
Current NOAA Media Releases
- January 25, 2013 NOAA seeks comment on regulations to protect marine mammals during Navy training and testing in waters off California and Hawaii
- January 18, 2013 NOAA releases environmental study on arctic bowhead whale subsistence harvest catch limits
- November 30, 2012 NOAA Proposes Listing 66 Reef-building Coral Species under the Endangered Species Act
- November 21, 2012 NOAA announces rules to protect false killer whales off Hawaii
Measures reduce bycatch in longline fisheries; protect the insular population from extinction
- September 13, 2012 NOAA announces appointment to Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
- August 1, 2012 NOAA to conduct status review of green turtles, consider management of Hawaii turtles as distinct population segment
- April 2, 2012 NOAA announces new management measures for Gulf of Maine cod for 2012
- March 30, 2012 April is Tsunami Awareness month in Hawaii
- March 15, 2012 NOAA authorizes states to remove sea lions that threaten protected salmon
- February 8, 2012 NOAA doubles Gulf of Maine winter flounder catch limits
- December 7, 2011 NOAA issues scientific integrity policy
- November 8, 2011 NOAA seeks input on enforcement priorities
- November 3, 2011 NOAA assesses civil penalties to shrimpers for alleged Turtle Excluder Device violations
- October 21, 2011 U.S. residents say Hawaii�s coral reef ecosystems worth $33.57 billion per year
Peer-reviewed survey asked U.S. public value of protecting the main Hawaiian Islands� corals
- October 21, 2011 NOAA releases revised Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary draft management plan for public comment
- October 19, 2011 Statement from Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator: NOAA defrays New England fishery observer costs and commits to more stakeholder involvement in reforms
- October 12, 2011 Wild Dolphin Conservation Program Expands in Hawaii: Tour Operators on Oahu Earn Dolphin SMART Recognition
- September 7, 2011 Strange Vent-fellows: Explorers on NOAA expedition discover chemosynthetic shrimp, tubeworms together for first time at hydrothermal vent, also first live vent tubeworms seen in Atlantic waters
- September 7, 2011 NOAA: U.S. domestic seafood landings and values increase in 2010
- September 7, 2011 U.S., European Union to strengthen cooperation to combat illegal fishing
- August 30, 2011 U.S. and EU Leaders to speak at National Press Club, Sept. 7, about progress in rebuilding fisheries and agreement to combat illegal fishing
- Buckson named NOAA Fisheries law enforcement director. NOAA today announced the selection of Bruce Buckson, a nationally recognized leader in natural resource conservation law enforcement, as director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement (OLE).
- July 14, 2011 Annual stock report shows steady progress toward rebuilding our nation�s fisheries � NOAA�s Status of U.S. Fisheries reports on the fishing activity and population level for fish stocks in the country.
- July 14, 2011 NOAA is taking steps to protect sea turtles in the Gulf
- June 9, 2011 Commerce and NOAA release national aquaculture policies to increase domestic seafood production, create sustainable jobs, and restore marine habitats
- June 8, 2011 NOAA proposes critical habitat revision for the Hawaiian monk seal, seeks public comment
- June 7, 2011 Dangerous toxin discovered in critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal
- June 2, 2011 National Ocean Council and NOAA celebrate National Ocean Month
- June 2, 2011 Commerce announces 2011 regional fishery council appointments
News in the Pacific Islands Region
- Hawaii-based Shallow-Set Longline Fishery Closed: November 18 through December 31, 2011
NOAA Fisheries Service, authorized under Federal regulations, closed Hawaii's shallow-set longline fishery north of the Equator effective 9:33 a.m. HST on November 18, 2011, to stop sea turtle interactions. To read the Fishery Bulletin please click here. The closure affects all vessels registered with Hawaii longline limited access permits and using shallow-set longline gear to target swordfish. Federal regulations limit the number of sea turtle interactions allowed in this fishery during the calendar year at 17 loggerhead turtles and 16 leatherback turtles. Information reported by NOAA Fisheries scientific observers on board the fishing vessels indicated that the fishery had reached the annual limit of 16 interactions with leatherback sea turtles triggering its closure. The fishery re-opens on January 1, 2012. For more info about fishery closures due to turtle interactions, please click here. - JIMAR is named NOAA's Pacific Islands Region Cooperative Institute
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa was selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to host the Cooperative Institute (CI) in the Pacific Islands Region as part of a five-year award with funding up to $95 million. The Pacific Islands Region CI, one of 18 NOAA CI's across the country, will be known as the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR). - NOAA proposes a Take Reduction Plan to reduce false killer whale interactions in the Hawaii-based longline fisheries. Public comments on the Proposed Rule and the Draft EA will be accepted through October 17, 2011. View the Federal Register Notice for more information.
- NOAA Fisheries is announcing six public hearings to be held for the proposed rule to revise critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal, which was published in the Federal Register on June 2, 2011. NMFS will be accepting oral and written comments on the proposed rule at each of the meeting locations. Please click here to view a schedule of upcoming meetings. For more information about critical habitat please click here.
- Please check out PIRO's new Hawaiian monk seal webpages! You can also find our Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Program Update and Accomplishments Report 2009-2010 here (under "What's New?).
- NOAA proposes a Take Reduction Plan to reduce false killer whale interactions in the Hawaii-based longline fisheries. Public comments will be accepted through October xx, 2011. View the _Federal Register Notice_ /(link to the PDF of the rule)/ for more information.
- NOAA announces a meeting of the False Killer Whale Take Reduction Team, July 27-29, 2011 at the Moana Surfrider hotel in Honolulu. See the Take Reduction Team webpage for more information.
- NMFS proposes the 2012 List of Fisheries with Marine Mammal Interactions; public comments will be accepted through July 28, 2011. For more information about the List of Fisheries, a copy of the proposed rule, and information about how to submit comments online, please click here.
- Federal Register Notice- New Proposed Rule regarding the revision of the current critical habitat for the Hawaiian monk seal. View the Federal Register Notice for more information.
Learn About PIRO
Would you like more information about the Pacific Islands Regional Office? Please feel free to check out our informational brochure.