August 2012 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. Commercial Fishing News
noise, including a project to map underwater sound-fi elds and cetacean distribution, to provide decision makers information to reduce potential impacts on cetaceans. The U.S. also led a successful effort to establish a group to work on ocean noise issues. “The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with other countries on whale conservation,” Wulff added. “It is imperative that the IWC focus more of its attention on global conservation problems such as climate change, by-catch, marine debris, disentanglement, pollution and ocean noise. This is important work, and we have seen a lot of progress so far, but we intend to continue the push in this area.” Some of the programs the U.S. discussed
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people, and the U.S. is pleased that the IWC has recognized this importance.” The United States requested a renewal of the bowhead whale catch limits on behalf of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, and a renewal of the gray whale catch limits on behalf of the Makah Tribe of Washington State.
Alaska Native coastal communities harvest bowhead whales for subsistence purposes. The Makah Tribe of Washington State has hunted gray whales in prior years, but currently seeks authorization from NOAA Fisheries under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to hunt gray whales for subsistence purposes.
at this year’s IWC include: Whale approach regulations and ship speed restrictions; Traffic separation schemes; Data base to track whale watching; WhaleALERT mobile application for mariners to help reduce risk of ship and whale collisions; Global partnership to look at marine debris impacts to whales; Scientifi c workshop to look at marine debris impacts to whales; Continued training of Argentina and Brazil in disentanglement response; and Acoustic studies looking at how human-made noise affects whales.
Whaling Commission Updates Aboriginal Subsistence Catch Limits The International Whaling Commission (IWC) renewed aboriginal subsistence whaling catch limits through 2018 for bowhead and gray whales. The IWC last renewed these catch limits in 2007. The Commission approved catch limits at the same annual levels as previous years. “We are extremely pleased with this action by the IWC,” said Doug DeMaster the acting U.S. Commissioner for the IWC. “Subsistence hunting continues to be important to the way of life for our aboriginal
Aboriginal subsistence whaling is based on the nutritional and cultural needs of Native communities, as well as on IWC Scientifi c Committee advice that the hunts are sustainable.
“The United States’ request for updated bowhead and gray whale catch limits was based on the needs of our Native communities and IWC scientifi c advice that these hunts would be sustainable,” said Russell Smith, deputy assistant secretary for International Fisheries for NOAA, at the IWC meeting. “The United States is committed to ensuring that the subsistence needs of our aboriginal people can be met, and that all hunts occur in a manner that is consistent with the advice of the IWC Scientifi c Committee.”
NOAA Fisheries Works with International Partners to Better Understand Shark Behavior Silently patrolling the ocean depths for the last 400 million years, sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the planet … and some of the most elusive. However, that’s changing a bit now that NOAA scientists are working collaboratively with Uruguay’s fi sheries agency to research blue sharks in
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the southwestern Atlantic Ocean using state- of-the-art tagging techniques and satellite monitoring. In this project, which is partially funded by NOAA Fisheries, scientists from Uruguay and the United States have been working together to tag blue and other pelagic sharks since 2007 to determine their movement patterns and interactions with Atlantic pelagic longline fi sheries. Like the global positioning systems (GPS) we have in cars and smart phones, the satellite tags used in the study supply invaluable data on the sharks’ long-distance migratory routes, areas of abundance, and mating or pupping areas. Experts believe that this research could lead to better conservation of sharks, by informing sustainable fi shing practices and reducing unnecessary bycatch. International Collaboration Through this international research project and the information it generates, NOAA Fisheries and Uruguay’s fi sheries agency hope to better inform the management process under which sharks in the southwestern Atlantic are managed, facilitate more effective enforcement and compliance with the conservation measures already in existence, and provide enhanced understanding that can benefi t
shark conservation efforts throughout the ocean. For additional information on NOAA Fisheries’ international stewardship and science activities, please visit our International Science page and our Offi ce of International Affairs. To view the tracks of several blue sharks tagged to-date as part of this project, visit the project website. Unique Life History Characteristics It’s not unusual for sharks to be the
focus of scientifi c research. As top predators, sharks are often used by scientists as indicators of the ocean’s health. Some sharks, like many other types of fi sh, are ‘pelagic’ which means they live in the open ocean and all parts of the water column and are also highly migratory, referring to the fact that they swim long distances and move in and out of national and international waters. While the United States has some of the strictest conservation and fi sheries management measures in place, enforcing such practices in international waters is a real challenge. For this reason, it is crucial for the United States to work with international partners and conduct research to improve our understanding of fi sh and the role they play in the marine ecosystem.
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