Page 12. MAINE COASTAL NEWS August 2012
A Message from Sam Rauch, Head of NOAA Fisheries
Commercial Fishing News MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS
Northwest regions increased. Find the full report online at
http://1.usa.gov/LDCjpt.
Spotlight on International Cooperation Toward Global Stewardship As we all know, fi sh and living marine resources do not recognize the management boundaries of states, nations, or even oceans. They are shared resources whose long-term sustainability depends on international cooperation and stewardship.
Our collaborative activities include cooperative science and management initiatives at the bilateral, regional, and global levels. These include: Advancing the adoption of ecosystem approaches to management (considering habitat and other environmental influences on fish populations.) Promoting scientific collaboration to assess migratory marine species. Enhanced efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) or pirate fi shing activities. Monitoring against trade in endangered species. Helping developing countries to improve stewardship and build data collection capacities to monitor their marine resources.
Since last September when the United States and the European Union signed a Joint Statement to Combat IUU Fishing, significant progress has been made to enhance awareness of global fi sheries and the need for international cooperation. The United States and European Union have worked together to outline a vision for fi sheries reform in the global arena. In early June, Dr. Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, addressed a joint session of the European Union Parliament and met with Regional Fisheries Management Organization leaders to advance the United States’ vision for sustainable, science-based, fisheries management.
NOAA Releases National Observer Program Annual Report
In 2011, NOAA Fisheries had more than 1,000 observers and 79,570 sea days observed in 47 fi sheries across the nation. Those were record numbers for the program. This type of data and more is included in the new National Observer Program Annual Report released by NOAA Fisheries. The report highlights program activities, funding, future goals, and the number of sea days observed and program accomplishments throughout the regions. Observers are NOAA-trained biologists onboard commercial fi shing vessels. Their job is to tally the number of fi sh kept or discarded, document sightings of protected species, and collect data on fi shing gear and effort. Established in 1972, the observer program continues to evolve today. In 2011, observer coverage in the Northeast and
Marinette Marine Corporation Launches NOAA Fisheries Survey Vessel Reuben Lasker
On June 16, 2012, Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), a Fincantieri company, launched the Reuben Lasker, a fi sheries survey vessel that the Wisconsin shipyard is building for NOAA. Pamela A. Lasker, the daughter of the ship’s namesake and its sponsor, christened the ship before the 208-ft. vessel was side-launched into the Menominee River. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Reuben Lasker is the fi fth in a series of Oscar Dyson-class ships built for the agency. The ship will be equipped with the latest technology for fi sheries and oceanographic research, including advanced navigation systems, acoustic sensors, and scientifi c sampling gear. The Reuben Lasker will primarily support fi sh, marine mammals and turtle surveys off the U.S. West Coast and in the eastern tropical Pacifi c Ocean. The high-tech ship is engineered to produce much less noise than other survey vessels, allowing scientists to study fi sh populations and collect oceanographic data with fewer effects on fi sh and marine mammal behavior.
NOAA Extends Public Comment Due Date for Proposed Regulations Regarding Confi dentiality of Information under Magnuson-Stevens Act; Comments Now Due Aug. 21 NOAA Fisheries is extending the date by which public comments are due concerning proposed regulations to revise existing regulations governing the confi dentiality of information submitted in compliance with any requirement or regulation under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NOAA Fisheries published the proposed rule on May 23, 2012 and announced that the public comment period would end on June 22, 2012. With this notice, NOAA Fisheries is extending the comment period to August 21, 2012.
NOAA issues award to Gloucester Health Department Offi cial for restoration efforts
NOAA’s Restoration Center today announced that Gloucester’s Manager of Health Services Charles Max Schenk will receive an “Excellence In Restoration” award for his leadership in the Mill Pond mud fl at and salt marsh restoration project, which took place from 1998 - 2012. “The key to any successful restoration
effort is committed partners,” said John Catena , supervisor, Northeast Region, NOAA Restoration Center.
“While a
number of organizations worked long and hard on this 10-year project, much of the project success is due to the leadership, ingenuity and determination of Max Schenk. Max was involved in every aspect of this project from grant writing and contract management to outreach and communications.”
Schenk has also provided valuable support on other NOAA Restoration Center supported projects in Gloucester, including the Eastern Point Salt Marsh Restoration project, Dun Fudgin intertidal restoration project and improvements to the Little River Fish ladder.
In 2005, Schenk was a recipient of the
NOAA Volunteer of the Year award, which recognizes individuals for resourcefulness and leadership in balancing the human use of America’s coastal and ocean resources with the needs of the resources themselves. Schenk has worked with a number of regional organizations to develop partnerships and advocacy coalitions for environmental and cultural causes. His involvement with conservation initiatives began in 1998 as a volunteer for the Friends of Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He has played leadership roles for the National Estuaries Program affi liate - the Eight Towns and the Bay Committee, the Massachusetts Bays Estuary Association, Cultural Alliance of the Lower Merrimack Valley, and Gloucester’s Conservation Commission.
The Mill Pond restoration project entailed modifying an existing concrete dam that regulates water fl ow into Mill Pond, a salt pond that is located inland from the Annisquam River Estuary. By improving tidal influence and increasing salinity levels, algal growth and invasive species like phragmites are being reduced so that native salt marsh plants and in particular soft shelled clams can recolonize this 30-acre site. The restored marsh system will also provide habitat for a variety of fi sh and bird species and serve as a natural buffer against fl ooding. The new tide gate has the ability to be manually operated during signifi cant rain or tidal events and reduce stormwater fl ooding. This is a major concern to nearby residents who suffered an estimated $1 million in fl ood damage in 2006.
United States Leads On Whale Conservation
This week the United States announced new whale conservation initiatives and led the effort to promote conservation work at the 64th
annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The U.S. provided leadership at this meeting for discussions about disentanglement, strengthening the international moratorium on commercial
whaling, ship strike avoidance and responsible whale watching. The IWC is the premiere international organization for the conservation and management of whales. The U.S. delegation announced that they would continue working with Argentina and Brazil on capacity building and training in relation to disentanglement response. In addition, they hosted a premiere showing of the Emmy award-winning fi lm, “In the Wake of Giants,” about NOAA’s effort to disentangle whales caught in fi shing gear in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Sanctuary.
Also at this week’s IWC meeting in Panama, Greenpeace provided the U.S. delegation with almost 53,000 signatures and a letter to President Obama thanking the Administration for their conservation efforts. In the letter, Greenpeace also asks the President to continue efforts to strengthen the international moratorium on commercial whaling. “We are very proud of the effort of the United States in whale conservation,” said Ryan Wulff, U.S. Alternate Commissioner for the IWC. “As members of the IWC, we want to lead the effort to advance our conservation agenda, and to share with other countries some of the techniques and strategies we are using in the U.S. to conserve whales.”
As a global leader in whale conservation, the U.S. trains other countries in disentanglement techniques, and leads the charge to help cut down on ship strikes to large whales. The U.S. has taken a number of steps to reduce the threat of ship strikes, including ship speed restrictions, closures and ship route shifts in whale birthing areas, education and outreach programs, technological and other research and monitoring activities. Ship strikes and entanglement in fi shing gear are two of the biggest threats to whales.
This week, the International Maritime
Organization Safety of Navigation Sub- Committee approved amendments proposed by the U.S. for the Santa Barbara Channel, Los Angeles/Long Beach, and San Francisco traffi c separation schemes. The Maritime Safety Committee plans to meet at the end of November to try to adopt the amendments. As a growing industry worldwide, whale watching stimulates jobs, education and tourism in many coastal communities. The U.S. leads the way in developing guidelines for responsible whale watching, and is the Chair of the IWC’s whale watching working group.
During this year’s IWC meeting, Wulff reported to the IWC on United States’ effort to combat cetacean diseases, including work under the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. He presented information regarding U.S. study on ocean
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