Final Rule for Pacific sardine

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access :

NMFS issues this final rule to adjust the harvest specifications for Pacific sardine in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the Pacific coast for the fishing season of January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009. This final rule increases the tonnage of Pacific sardine allocated for industry conducted research from 1200 metric tons (mt) to 2400 mt and decreases the second and third period directed harvest allocations by 750 mt and 450 mt, respectively.

Read the entire announcement via the Federal Register.
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Proposed Snapper-Grouper rules

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access :

NMFS issues this proposed rule to implement Amendment 15B to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). This proposed rule would, for South Atlantic snapper-grouper, require a private recreational vessel that fishes in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), if selected by NMFS, to maintain and submit fishing records;

require a vessel that fishes in the EEZ, if selected by NMFS, to carry an observer and install an electronic logbook (ELB) and/or video monitor provided by NMFS; prohibit the sale of snapper-grouper harvested or possessed in the EEZ under the bag limits and prohibit the sale of snapper-grouper harvested or possessed under the bag limits by vessels with a Federal charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper regardless of where the snapper-grouper were harvested; require an owner and operator of a vessel for which a commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit has been issued and that has on board any hook-and-line gear to comply with sea turtle and smalltooth sawfish release protocols, possess on board specific gear to ensure proper release of such species, and comply with guidelines for proper care and release of such species that are incidentally caught; and expand the allowable transfer of a commercial vessel permit under the limited access program and extend the allowable period for renewal of such a permit. Amendment 15B also proposes to revise the stock status determination criteria for golden tilefish and specify commercial/recreational allocations for snowy grouper and red porgy. In addition, NMFS proposes to remove language specifying commercial quotas for snowy grouper that are no longer in effect and proposes to revise sea turtle bycatch mitigation requirements applicable to the Gulf reef fish fishery to add two devices that were inadvertently omitted from a prior rule. The intended effects of this rule are to provide additional information for, and otherwise improve the effective management of, the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery; minimize the impacts on incidentally caught threatened and endangered sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish; and remove outdated language.

Written comments on this proposed rule must be received no later than 5:00 p.m., eastern time, on August 4, 2009.


Read the entire announcement via the Federal Register.
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Expected rate of fisheries-induced evolution is slow

From PNAS:
Expected rate of fisheries-induced evolution is slow

Commercial fisheries exert high mortalities on the stocks they exploit, and the consequent selection pressure leads to fisheries-induced evolution of growth rate, age and size at maturation, and reproductive output. Productivity and yields may decline as a result, but little is known about the rate at which such changes are likely to occur. Fisheries-induced evolution of exploited populations has recently become a subject of concern for policy makers, fisheries managers, and the general public, with prominent calls for mitigating management action.

We make a general evolutionary impact assessment of fisheries by calculating the expected rate of fisheries-induced evolution and the consequent changes in yield. Rates of evolution are expected to be ≈0.1–0.6% per year, and the consequent reductions in fisheries yield are <0.7% These rates are at least a factor of 5 lower than published values based on experiments and analyses of population time series, and we explain why the published rates may be overestimates. Dealing with evolutionary effects of fishing is less urgent than reducing the direct detrimental effects of overfishing on exploited stocks and on their marine ecosystems.

Published online before print June 29, 2009, doi:10.1073/pnas.0901690106

Read the article here. [Subscription Required]

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Exxon Mobil will not appeal interest ruling

The AP reports via Google:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. has decided not to appeal hundreds of millions of dollars in interest on punitive damages resulting from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The Irving, Texas-based company will pay about $470 million in interest on more than $507.5 million in punitive damages following the 11 million gallon spill of crude in Prince William Sound, company spokesman Tony Cudmore said Monday.

Read the full story here.
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Tampa Bay Algal Bloom

Reports from various sources on the Tampa Bay Algal Bloom:

Via TampaBay.com:
Algae bloom one of largest in Tampa Bay history

One of the most extensive algae blooms in Tampa Bay's history stretches more than 14 miles from Safety Harbor to Weedon Island, and scientists predict it soon could lead to fish kills.

The algae bloom was most likely fueled by pollutants — fertilizers, yard waste and animal feces — that were washed into the bay from the rains that hit the region over the past two months, according to Pinellas County officials. The recent heat wave has helped spur the explosive growth of the microscopic algae.

Via the Tampa Bay Business Journal:
Scientists: Tampa Bay has extensive, unprecedented algae bloom

An algae bloom described as extensive is occurring in areas of Tampa Bay. Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management scientists reported the bloom is in Old Tampa Bay from Safety Harbor to Weedon Island and covers more of the bay than ever observed before, a release said.

Via The Ledger:
Algae Bloom Is 14 Miles Long

One of the most extensive algae blooms in Tampa Bay's history stretches more than 14 miles from Safety Harbor to Weedon Island, and scientists predict it soon could lead to fish kills.

The algae bloom was most likely fueled by pollutants - fertilizers, yard waste and animal feces - that were washed into the bay from the rains that hit the region over the past two months, according to Pinellas County officials. The recent heat wave has helped spur the explosive growth of the microscopic algae.

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Proposed Endangered Species Status

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access :

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), proposes to list the Georgia pigtoe mussel (Pleurobema hanleyianum), interrupted rocksnail (Leptoxis foremani), and rough hornsnail (Pleurocera foremani), as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Georgia pigtoe, interrupted rocksnail, and rough hornsnail are endemic to the Coosa River drainage within the Mobile River Basin of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. These three species have disappeared from large portions of their natural ranges due to extensive construction of dams that eliminated or reduced water currents and caused changes in habitat and water quality. The surviving populations are small, localized, and highly vulnerable to water quality and habitat deterioration.

USFWS is also proposing to designate critical habitat concurrently for the Georgia pigtoe, interrupted rocksnail, and rough hornsnail under the Act. In total, approximately 258 kilometers (km) (160 miles (mi)) of stream and river channels fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation for the three species: 153 km (95 mi) for the Georgia pigtoe, 101 km (63 mi) for the interrupted rocksnail, and 27.4 km (17 mi) for the rough hornsnail. The proposed
critical habitat is located in Cherokee, Clay, Coosa, Elmore, and Shelby Counties, Alabama; Gordon, Floyd, Murray, and Whitfield Counties, Georgia; and Bradley and Polk Counties, Tennessee.

These proposals, if made final, would implement Federal protection provided by the Act.

USFWS will accept comments received on or before August 28, 2009.

Read the entire announcement via the Federal Register.
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NSF provides $3.4 million to study climatically important Agulhas Current

Public release date: 29-Jun-2009
Contact: Barbra Gonzalez
barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu
305-421-4704
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science


Three-years of in situ measurements, combined with along-track satellite data to create long-term index of Agulhas Current transport


VIRGINIA KEY, Fla. -- The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that it is funding a study with the goal of building a multi-decadal time series of Agulhas Current volume transport, which will contribute to the Global Ocean Observing System. Led by Principal Investigator, Lisa Beal, Ph.D. of the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the international team will include scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (Southampton, United Kingdom) and the University of Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa).

The Agulhas Current is the "Gulf Stream" of the southern Indian Ocean, carrying warm and salty tropical waters southward along the east coast of Africa as a narrow, fast jet. At the tip of Africa the Agulhas retroflects, looping around to eventually flow eastward toward Australia. This retroflection is unstable and regularly sheds large Agulhas Rings, which carry Indian Ocean waters into the South Atlantic.


"We anticipate this study will shed light on the seasonal to decadal variability of the Agulhas," said Beal. "Locally, the warm waters of the Agulhas effect African rainfall rates, and globally, there is paleo-oceanographic evidence suggesting that changes in the amount of Agulhas water reaching the Atlantic may have triggered the end of the last ice age." In addition, Beal believes there may be other, so far unstudied climatic impacts such as heat transport into the Southern Ocean via the unstable retroflection.

The Agulhas Current Time-series (ACT) project will be conducted in two phases. The first requires the deployment of an array of instruments across the Agulhas Current and along an altimeter ground track, to obtain a three-year series of transport data. Using the in situ measurements gathered, the team will embark on the second phase, to correlate the along-track satellite altimeter data with measured transports to produce a proxy for Agulhas Current transport, which can be extended forwards and backwards in time.

The ACT mooring array will be positioned offshore and to the southwest of East London, South Africa, in up to 4700 m of water. The array will consist of seven full-depth current meter moorings, spanning the mean width of the Agulhas Current, one tide gauge, plus four pressure gauge-equipped inverted echo-sounders (C-PIES) to cover the Current's offshore meandering events cost-effectively.

On each full-depth mooring upward-looking profiling current meters will measure the top 350 m of the water column, where velocities are strongest. Below these, up to six single-point current meters will measure the rest of the water column. All current meters are acoustic, with no moving parts, measuring velocity using the principle of Doppler shift, whereby the frequency of a sound wave changes as it reflects off a moving particle in the ocean.

Offshore recirculations and meandering events will be captured using the C-PIES, which can give information about the transport over the upper 2000 m, when combined with local hydrographic data collected during each mooring cruise. The shallow-water tide gauge will be placed on the continental shelf, allowing for an hourly record of sea surface height shoreward of the Agulhas Current.

The initial deployment cruise is scheduled to leave Cape Town, South Africa, in March 2010, aboard a U.S. University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research vessel. The ACT array will be in the water until approximately March 2013.

"Ultimately, a twenty year proxy of Agulhas Current transport will provide an important climate index for the Indian Ocean, which can be linked to other climate indices, such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning, and hopefully improve our predictive capabilities for the future," Beal added.

###

The University of Miami is the largest private research institution in the southeastern United States. The University's mission is to provide quality education, attract and retain outstanding students, support the faculty and their research, and build an endowment for University initiatives.

Founded in the 1940's, the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science has grown into one of the world's premier marine and atmospheric research institutions. Offering dynamic interdisciplinary academics, the Rosenstiel School is dedicated to helping communities to better understand the planet, participating in the establishment of environmental policies, and aiding in the improvement of society and quality of life. For more information, please visit www.rsmas.miami.edu
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International Whaling Commission meeting ends in disarray

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Portugal has ended in disarray over the current impasse between pro-whaling and anti-whaling countries. [guardian.co.uk] Fortunately there is some good news on the commercial whaling front. The ban on commercial whaling remains in place for at least another 12 months, and Norway has suspended its annual whale hunt mid-season due to lack of demand [LATimes].     Norway has formally objected to the commercial whaling moratorium declared by the IWC and continues hunt Minke whales. Greenpeace has more on Norwegian Whaling

Norway is not the only country to continue whaling. There are Aboriginal exceptions to the ban for subsistence fishing by native populations including those in Canada, Russia and Alaska. Additionally, Iceland, while not objecting to the ban, has alternately classified its whaling as scientific research (another exception to the ban) or cited economic hardship to justify its commercial whaling efforts. While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), prohibits the trade of whale meat, Iceland has, in recent years, exported to both Japan and the Faroe Islands. [BBC]  [Japan Times]
Greenpeace has more on Icelandic Whaling

Japan too, has continued to operate an annual whale hunt under the guise of scientific research.The year after agreeing to the IWC moratorium, they embarked on a scientific research mission that

took the same species of whale they had caught the year before and returned them to Japan boxed in 15kg cardboard cartons, ready for sale. [Greenpeace]

The Japan Whaling Association provides a Q&A page defending their position. This hunt has recently gained public attention due to the American documentary television series "Whale Wars" which highlights the ant-whaling activities of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. They harass the Japanese whalers by ramming their boats and hurling chemical stink bombs onto the decks of the processing ship. In response to the Japanese government's classification of Sea Shepherd's actions as high-seas piracy, Captain Paul Watson, the group's leader has responded:

"This is a research project. We’ve decided to demonstrate our solidarity with the Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand Research projects. Our primary objective is to research non-lethal means for defending whales. Of course this may include research into Japanese ship’s hull plate thickness, vessel stress tests, and paint chip analysis, as well as observation of whaler behavior in response to olfactory stimulation."

And finally, Science & the Public, Janet Raloff's blog at ScienceNews covers the IWC meeting with two posts of note:

Jean-Michel Cousteau finds “hypocrisy” in scientific whaling

Jean-Michel Cousteau has traveled the world chronicling life under the sea, including whales — first with his father Jacques, now as a explorer-videographer and president of the Ocean Futures Society. This morning, he took issue with the idea that Japan and other countries are conducting legitimate research when they kill whales in the name of science.

and
Of 'science' and fetal whaling

More than one-quarter of the 679 whales taken from Antarctic waters by Japanese research crews, during the past seven months, were pregnant, according to a report released Monday at the International Whaling Commission meeting, in Madeira, Portugal.

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Marine Mammal Draft Stock Assessment Reports Available

Notice of Availability of Draft Stock Assessment Reports

NMFS reviewed the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regional marine mammal stock assessment reports (SARs) in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act. SARs for marine mammals in the Alaska, Atlantic, and Pacific regions were revised according to new information. NMFS solicits public comments on draft 2009 SARs.
Comments must be received by September 24, 2009.

Fifty-two new or updated reports (16 strategic and 36 non-strategic) are included among 2009 Atlantic regional SARs. Nineteen reports were not revised. New reports include four stock-specific reports for beaked whales and nine new reports of bay, sound, and estuary stocks of bottlenose dolphins along the Atlantic coast. The 39 revised reports included updates of abundance or mortality estimates, strandings, and status of these stocks was unchanged. However,
Potential Biological Removal (PBR) estimates for three stocks of dolphins (bottlenose, Atlantic spotted, and rough-toothed) in the Gulf of Mexico were changed to ``undetermined'' because the abundance data supporting these estimates are outdated (more than 8 years old).

Read the full announcement in the Federal Register here.
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Commercial Non-Sandbar Large Coastal Shark Fisheries Closure

50 CFR Part 635
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Inseason Action to Close the
Commercial Non-Sandbar Large Coastal Shark Fisheries in the Shark Research Fishery and Atlantic Region

NMFS is closing the commercial fisheries for non-sandbar large coastal sharks (LCS) in both the shark research fishery and Atlantic region. This action is necessary because NMFS estimated that these fisheries have reached or exceeded 80 percent of the available quota.

DATES: The commercial non-sandbar LCS fisheries in both the shark research fishery and the Atlantic region are closed effective 11:30 p.m. local time July 1, 2009, until the effective date of the final 2010 shark season specifications in which NMFS will publish a separate document in the Federal Register.

Read the entire notice in the Federal Register here.
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Fish managers seek emergency action to protect river herring

Karl Blankenship offers some further insight into the herring issue
Via the Bay Journal:

Bycatch blamed for sharp decline in alewife, blueback populations

The coastwide catch of blueback herring, shown here, and alewife has declined from 13.7 million pounds in 1985 to about 1 million pounds. Four states have closed their waters to river herring catches.

East Coast fishery managers are calling for emergency action from the federal government to control the bycatch of river herring in ocean fisheries in an attempt to reverse the sharp decline of blueback herring and alewife.

Millions of the small fish once flooded Chesapeake Bay tributaries during their spring spawning runs, but those migrations have dwindled to a trickle in recent decades as populations hit historic lows around the Bay and in most other East Coast rivers.

While a number of factors may contribute to the decline, fishery managers suspect that large numbers are caught by fishermen targeting other species in federal waters-those more than three miles off the coast, where river herring spend most of their lives.

Read the entire article here.
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Experts call on government to protect herring

Via www.pressofatlanticcity.com:

More than 100 fishing, conservation, science and faith-based organizations signed a letter sent Tuesday to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce calling for emergency action to protect river herring caught offshore.

"River herring play an important role in the ecosystem as prey for predator fish, marine mammals and seabirds," Brooks Mountcastle, mid-Atlantic representative for the Marine Fish Conservation Network, said in a statement. "Failing to act would mean more than the loss of a species, but a loss of profound cultural and historical significance for many coastal communities."

Read the full story here.
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Management Effectiveness of the World's Marine Fisheries

An article in PLoS Biology highlights the lack of transparency in fisheries management regimes worldwide and the importance of converting scientific advice into policy:

Ongoing declines in production of the world's fisheries may have serious ecological and socioeconomic consequences. As a result, a number of international efforts have sought to improve management and prevent overexploitation, while helping to maintain biodiversity and a sustainable food supply. Although these initiatives have received broad acceptance, the extent to which corrective measures have been implemented and are effective remains largely unknown. We used a survey approach, validated with empirical data, and enquiries to over 13,000 fisheries experts (of which 1,188 responded) to assess the current effectiveness of fisheries management regimes worldwide; for each of those regimes, we also calculated the probable sustainability of reported catches to determine how management affects fisheries sustainability.

Our survey shows that 7% of all coastal states undergo rigorous scientific assessment for the generation of management policies, 1.4% also have a participatory and transparent processes to convert scientific recommendations into policy, and 0.95% also provide for robust mechanisms to ensure the compliance with regulations; none is also free of the effects of excess fishing capacity, subsidies, or access to foreign fishing. A comparison of fisheries management attributes with the sustainability of reported fisheries catches indicated that the conversion of scientific advice into policy, through a participatory and transparent process, is at the core of achieving fisheries sustainability, regardless of other attributes of the fisheries. Our results illustrate the great vulnerability of the world's fisheries and the urgent need to meet well-identified guidelines for sustainable management; they also provide a baseline against which future changes can be quantified.

Management Effectiveness of the World's Marine Fisheries

Mora C, Myers RA, Coll M, Libralato S, Pitcher TJ, et al. 2009 Management Effectiveness of the World's Marine Fisheries. PLoS Biol 7(6): e1000131. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000131
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Elevated CO2 levels cause abnormally large otoliths in fish

A study out of Scripps, featured in this week's Science, reports that elevated levels of dissolved carbon dioxide cause the growth of abnormally large otoliths in white seabass.

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the ocean have been shown to adversely affect shell-forming creatures and corals, and now a new study by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has shown for the first time that CO2 can impact a fundamental bodily structure in fish.

A brief paper published in the June 26 issue of the journal Science describes experiments in which fish that were exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide experienced abnormally large growth in their otoliths, or ear bones. Otoliths serve a vital function in fish by helping them sense orientation and acceleration.

Read the press release here.
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NE US Spiny Dogfish (Framework Adjustment 2)

NMFS announces approval of Framework Adjustment 2 (Framework 2) to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which was developed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils (Councils). Framework 2 broadens the FMP stock status determination criteria for spiny dogfish, while maintaining objective and measurable criteria to identify when the stock is overfished or approaching an overfished condition. The framework action also establishes acceptable categories of peer review of new or revised stock status determination criteria for the Council to use in its specification-setting process for spiny dogfish.

This action is necessary to ensure that changes or modification to the stock status determination criteria, constituting the best available, peer-reviewed scientific information, are accessible to the management process in a timely and efficient manner, consistent with National Standards 1 and 2 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). This action modifies the process for defining and peer-reviewing the stock status determination criteria, as defined in the FMP and does not implement or change any regulations.

Read all changes to the stock status determination criteria here.
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'Bycatch' whaling a growing threat to coastal whales

Public release date: 23-Jun-2009

Contact: Scott Baker
scott.baker@oregonstate.edu
541-867-0255
Oregon State University

'Bycatch' whaling a growing threat to coastal whales

NEWPORT, Ore. – Scientists are warning that a new form of unregulated whaling has emerged along the coastlines of Japan and South Korea, where the commercial sale of whales killed as fisheries "bycatch" is threatening coastal stocks of minke whales and other protected species.

Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, says DNA analysis of whale-meat products sold in Japanese markets suggests that the number of whales actually killed through this "bycatch whaling" may be equal to that killed through Japan's scientific whaling program – about 150 annually from each source.

Baker, a cetacean expert, and Vimoksalehi Lukoscheck of the University of California-Irvine presented their findings at the recent scientific meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Portugal. Their study found that nearly 46 percent of the minke whale products they examined in Japanese markets originated from a coastal population, which has distinct genetic characteristics, and is protected by international agreements. It will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Animal Conservation.

Their conclusion: As many as 150 whales came from the coastal population through commercial bycatch whaling, and another 150 were taken from an open ocean population through Japan's scientific whaling. In some past years, Japan only reported about 19 minke whales killed through bycatch, though that number has increased recently as new regulations governing commercial bycatch have been adopted, Baker said.

Japan is now seeking IWC agreement to initiate a small coastal whaling program, a proposal which Baker says should be scrutinized carefully because of the uncertainty of the actual catch and the need to determine appropriate population counts to sustain the distinct stocks.

Whales are occasionally killed in entanglements with fishing nets and the deaths of large whales are reported by most member nations of the IWC. Japan and South Korea are the only countries that allow the commercial sale of products killed as "incidental bycatch." The sheer number of whales represented by whale-meat products on the market suggests that both countries have an inordinate amount of bycatch, Baker said.

"The sale of bycatch alone supports a lucrative trade in whale meat at markets in some Korean coastal cities, where the wholesale price of an adult minke whale can reach as high as $100,000," Baker said. "Given these financial incentives, you have to wonder how many of these whales are, in fact, killed intentionally."

In Japan, whale-meat products enter into the commercial supply chain that supports the nationwide distribution of whale and dolphin products for human consumption, including products from scientific whaling. However, Baker and his colleagues have developed genetic methods for identifying the species of whale-meat products and determining how many individual whales may actually have been killed.

Baker said bycatch whaling also serves as a cover for illegal hunting, but the level at which it occurs is unknown. In January 2008, Korean police launched an investigation into organized illegal whaling in the port town of Ulsan, he said, reportedly seizing 50 tons of minke whale meat.

Other protected species of large whales detected in market surveys include humpbacks whales, fin whales, Bryde's whales and critically endangered western gray whales. The entanglement and death of western or Asian gray whales is of particular concern given the extremely small size of this endangered populations, which is estimated at only 100 individuals.

###
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Amendment 80 closures for Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish

NMFS is closing directed fishing for Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish by vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2009 halibut bycatch allowance specified for the trawl Greenland turbot, arrowtooth flounder, and sablefish fishery category by vessels participating in the Amendment 80 limited access fishery in the BSAI.

DATES: Effective 1200 hrs, Alaska local time (A.l.t.), June 19, 2009, through 2400 hrs, A.l.t., December 31, 2009.

Details of the closure here.
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Proposed Amendment to Shrimp Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States

NMFS issues this proposed rule to implement Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP), as prepared and submitted by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council). For South Atlantic rock shrimp, this proposed rule would rename the rock shrimp permit and endorsement; require all South Atlantic shrimp permit holders to provide economic data if selected; reinstate all limited access rock shrimp endorsements for those vessel owners who renewed their open access permit in the year in which they failed to renew their limited access endorsement; remove the 15,000-lb (6,804-kg) rock shrimp landing requirement; and reinstate all limited access rock shrimp endorsements lost due to not meeting the landing requirement.

Written comments on this proposed rule must be received no later than 5 p.m., Eastern time, on July 24, 2009.

Details of the amendment and address for comments here.
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NE US Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass 2009 Recreational Management Measures

Today NMFS announced the 2009 recreational management measures for scup, summer flounder and black sea bass in the Northeastern United States:

NMFS implements recreational management measures for the 2009 summer flounder and black sea bass fisheries and notifies the public that the recreational management measures for the scup fishery remain the same as in 2008. These actions are necessary to comply with regulations implementing the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and to ensure compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The intent of these measures is to prevent overfishing of the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass resources.

DATES: Effective July 24, 2009.

Read the Regulations in the Federal Registry entry here.
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Rates of sea-level change over the past century

Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) presents the results of a new GPS-based study of seal level rise:

The results from a carefully implemented GPS analysis, using a strategy adapted to determine accurate vertical station velocities, are presented. The stochastic properties of our globally distributed GPS position time series were inferred, allowing the computation of reliable velocity uncertainties. Most uncertainties were several times smaller than the 1–3 mm/yr global sea level change, and hence the vertical velocities could be applied to correct the long tide gauge records for land motion. The sea level trends obtained in the ITRF2005 reference frame are more consistent than in the ITRF2000 or corrected for Glacial-Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) model predictions, both on the global and the regional scale, leading to a reconciled global rate of geocentric sea level rise of 1.61 ± 0.19mm/yr over the past century in good agreement with the most recent estimates.

Wöppelmann, G., C. Letetrel, A. Santamaria, M.-N. Bouin, X. Collilieux, Z. Altamimi, S. D. P. Williams, and B. M. Miguez (2009), Rates of sea-level change over the past century in a geocentric reference frame, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L12607, doi:10.1029/2009GL038720

Read the full article here.[Subscription Required]
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Is regulation on ocean acidification on the horizon?

Noreen Parks writes in Environmental Science and Technology:

With mounting evidence that ocean waters worldwide are turning more acidic, scientists have issued ever more urgent pleas for policy makers to recognize that this phenomenon is a direct and real consequence of rising levels of atmospheric CO2. Researchers warn that as ocean pH falls, the capacities of calcifying marine organisms to build shells and skeletons will be severely reduced, in all likelihood causing widespread impacts on marine ecosystems. In June 2009, a statement endorsed by 70 national science academies emphasized that the issue must be on the agenda at the upcoming global climate talks in Copenhagen. “To avoid substantial damage to ocean ecosystems, deep and rapid reductions of global CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2050, and much more thereafter, are needed,” the statement warned.

Read the full article here.
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Opponents to marine research funding use fishy reasoning

Robert McElroy publisher of TheWeekInCongress.com has an interesting editorial at today's TCPalm.com describing the "behind the scenes" aspects of Congressional funding of marine research:

The world eats a lot of fish and we hear that fishery resources are diminishing. Not so summer flounder and sea bass, according to government data. But fishermen from Florida to South Carolina to Maine don’t agree, says Ray Bogan of the Partnership of Fisheries Science Inc., Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.

Read the editorial here.
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Update of Charting the Course for Ocean Science

Update of Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy (aka ``Charting the Course''):

Request for Public Input to an update of the January 2007
Charting the Course[PDF]

In January 2007, Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy (Charting the Course) was published. Charting the Course was based on input gathered from public and private sources over a period of several months, and it has provided a basis for coordinated ocean science and technology investments. In view of scientific advancements and recognition of new ocean management challenges, the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST) is embarking upon an effort to update and refresh Charting the Course. This notice solicits public input to inform the drafting of an updated Charting the Course.

Public comments must be received by July 17, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Only electronic (e-mail) comments will be accepted. Comments
should be sent to: comments@jsost.org.

Please note that all submissions may be posted without change to http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/jsost.html, including any personal information provided.

The public comment period will close on July 17, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Any comments received after the close of the comment period will not be considered.

The full text of the January 2007 Charting the Course is posted at http://ocean.ceq.gov/about/sup_jsost_prioritiesplan.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding this Notice, please contact comments@jsost.org.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This national plan, released in January of 2007, is intended to present ocean research priorities that focus on the most compelling issues in key areas of interaction between society and the ocean. The goal of Charting the Course is to formulate priorities for ocean science and technology initiatives across the wide scope of societal interests and to define the fundamental principles for guiding actions and programs in support of the research priorities. This document also provides guidance on how the various ocean science sectors (government, academia, industry, and non-governmental entities) can and should be engaged, individually or through partnerships, to address the areas of greatest research priority and opportunity.
Charting the Course was developed through a collaborative effort involving academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, state and local governments, and anyone with an interest in ocean issues. The JSOST also developed a series of public and conference information sessions to provide updates on the development of the national ocean research priorities.
Charting the Course concisely gathers together and lays out in a single document the issues and priorities agreed to across the ocean sciences community. It has supported the creation of programs and projects where there were none, and it has guided priorities in federal agency budget submissions beginning in Fiscal Year 2008 and continuing through the latest budget submission, Fiscal Year 2010. The JSOST recognizes the need to harness momentum and magnify this progress.
In the two and a half years since Charting the Course was released, much has changed in the understanding of the ocean, its processes and its role in the Earth system as a whole. Much has also changed in our ability to access, explore, observe, and model the ocean and its communities. In light of these changes, and based on encouragement and input from the federal ocean community's external advisory body--the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel (ORRAP)--and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the JSOST is building a way forward to
refresh Charting the Course and revisit the priorities it sets forth.
The first and most critical step in this way forward is reaching out to all interested parties for comments on how the current priorities should be revised for the refreshed Charting the Course. For example, are there issues that should be listed as priorities under the current six societal themes? Are there important areas that the original Charting the Course did not capture? As with developing Charting the Course, the JSOST considers community input and
involvement in updating the national ocean research priorities a vital component in the process. JSOST is also working with ORRAP to additionally ensure proper community input and communication. All input received will be compiled, cataloged and thoroughly considered by the federal agency writing teams tasked with crafting a refreshed look at our nation's ocean research priorities.
The JSOST is requesting input in this community effort to revise, update and focus Charting the Course. Please provide complete contact information (name, affiliation, physical address, phone, e-mail) and note which of the following Charting the Course themes your comments
address:
Stewardship of our natural and cultural ocean resources
Increasing resilience to natural hazards
Enabling marine operations
The ocean's role in climate
Improving ecosystem health
Enhancing human health
Other
You may also elect to provide comments on the following Charting the Course cross-cutting areas:
Observations and Infrastructure
Ocean Education
Enhancing Basic Understanding
The input obtained through this process will be fully considered as the JSOST drafts the updated Charting the Course.

M. David Hodge,
Operations Manager, OSTP.
[FR Doc. E9-14592 Filed 6-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3170-W9-P

Read more!

Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2009

H.R. 509, the Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization was considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources which has recommended it be considered by the entire chamber. A vote has not yet been scheduled.
The bill extends the provisions of Marine Turtle Conservation Act (MTCA) of 2003 through 2014.

From the Congressional Budget Office Summary:[PDF]

H.R. 509 would authorize the appropriation of $5 million for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for the Department of the Interior to support programs to protect and conserve marine turtles. The bill also would make states eligible for those funds, which are now available to foreign or international organizations and other entities involved in marine turtle conservation (current law authorizes funding of $5 million annually through fiscal year 2009 for this program). CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 509 would cost $24 million over the 2010-2014 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 509 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

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NMFS proposes FMP for Arctic Management Area

Fisheries of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Fisheries of the Arctic Management Area; Bering Sea Subarea

NMFS issues a proposed rule that would implement the Fishery Management Plan for Fish Resources of the Arctic Management Area (Arctic FMP) and Amendment 29 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (Crab FMP). The Arctic FMP and Amendment 29 to the Crab FMP, if approved, would establish sustainable management of commercial fishing in the Arctic Management Area and move the northern boundary of the Crab FMP out of the Arctic Management Area south to Bering Strait. This action is necessary to establish a management framework for commercial fishing and to provide consistent management of fish resources in the Arctic Management Area before the potential onset of unregulated commercial fishing in the
area. This action is intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

DATES: Written comments must be received by July 27, 2009.


ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS,
Attn: Ellen Sebastian. You may submit comments, identified for this
action by 0648-AX71 (PR), by any one of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal website at http://www.regulations.gov.
Mail: P. O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
Fax: (907) 586-7557.
Hand delivery to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.
All comments received are a part of the public record and will
generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All
Personal Identifying Information (e.g., name, address) voluntarily
submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information.
NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required
fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or
Adobe portable document file (pdf) formats only.
Copies of the Arctic FMP, Amendment 29 to the Crab FMP, maps of the
action area and essential fish habitat, and the Environmental
Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) for this action may be obtained from the Alaska
Region at the mailing address above or from the Alaska Region website
at http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

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The Impacts of Climate Change on the Chesapeake Bay.

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, led by Del. Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-GU), will hold a joint oversight field hearing on "The Impacts of Climate Change on the Chesapeake Bay."

Subject:
House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife
Joint Oversight Field Hearing on "The Impacts of Climate Change on the Chesapeake Bay"

When:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.

Where:
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
647 Contees Wharf Road

Witnesses:

Panel 1

Marvin Moriarty
Regional Director
US Fish and Wildlife Service

Robert Wood, Ph.D.
Director
NOAA Cooperative Oxford Laboratory

The Honorable Michael Bojokles
Mayor
Town of North Beach

Donald F. Boesch, Ph.D.
President
Center for Environmental Science

Anson H. Hines, Ph.D.
Director
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Panel 2

The Honorable Bernie Fowler
Former State Senator
Maryland State Senate

Skip Stiles
Executive Director
Wetlands Watch

Stuart Parnes
President
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Tommy Leggett
Waterman
Wicomico, VA
Read more!

Rising acidity levels could trigger shellfish revenue declines, job losses

Via The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:
Changes in ocean chemistry — a consequence of increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human industrial activity — could cause U.S. shellfish revenues to drop significantly in the next 50 years, according to a new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

Intensive burning of fossil fuels and deforestation over the last two centuries have increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere by almost 40 percent. The oceans have absorbed about one-third of all human-generated carbon emissions, but the buildup of CO2 in the ocean is pushing surface waters toward more acidic conditions.

This “ocean acidification” creates a corrosive environment for marine organisms such as corals, marine plankton, and shellfish that build carbonate shells or skeletons. Mollusks — including mussels and oysters, which support valuable marine fisheries — are particularly sensitive to these changes.


In a case study of U.S. commercial fishery revenues published in the June issue of Environmental Research Letters, WHOI scientists Sarah Cooley and Scott Doney calculated the possible economic effects of ocean acidification over the next 50 years using atmospheric CO2 trajectories from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and laboratory studies of acidification’s effects on shell-forming marine organisms, focusing especially on mollusks.

Mollusk sales by fishermen currently generate about $750 million per year — nearly 20 percent of total U.S. fisheries revenue. The study assumed that mollusks harvests in the U.S. would drop 10 to 25 percent in 50 years’ time as a result of increasing acidity levels, which would decrease these mollusk sales by $75 to $187 million dollars annually.

“Losses in primary revenue from commercial mollusk harvests—or the money that fisherman receive for their catch—could add up to as much as $1.4 billion by 2060,” said Cooley.

Reduced harvests of mollusks, as well as losses of predatory fish and other species that depend on mollusks for food, could lead to economic hardships for fishing communities.

“Ocean acidification will impact the millions of people that depend on seafood and other ocean resources for their livelihoods,” said Doney. “Losses of crustaceans, bivalves, their predators, and their habitat — in the case of reef-associated fish communities — would particularly injure societies that depend heavily on consumption and export of marine resources.”

Because changes in seawater chemistry are already apparent and will grow over the next few decades, Cooley and Doney suggest measures that focus on adaptation to future CO2 increases to lessen the impact on marine ecosystems, such as flexible fishery management plans and support for fishing communities.

“Limiting nutrient runoff from land helps coastal ecosystems stay healthy,” said Cooley. “Also fishing rules can be adjusted to reduce pressure on valuable species; fisheries managers may set up more marine protected areas, or they may encourage development of new fisheries.”

This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Read more!

Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act

Two versions of the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2009 are working their way through Congress. Both have gone through the committee process and are recommended for votes by the full chambers.

The House version, H.R. 2093, amends the testing and reporting requirements in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, extends funding of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 877) to 2013 and calls for the determination of the impact of climate change on the pollution of coastal recreational waters.

The Senate version, S. 878, similarly amends the testing and reporting requirements in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and requires a study on the long-term impact of climate change on pollution of coastal recreation waters, but adds a requirement for a study on the impact of algae on coastal recreation waters.
Read more!

Proposed rule change for Hawaii-based Shallow-set Longline Fishery

NOAA and NMFS announced a proposed rule change and call for comments:

This proposed rule would remove the annual limit on the number of fishing gear deployments (sets) for the Hawaii-based pelagic longline fishery. The rule would also increase the current limit on incidental interactions that occur annually between loggerhead sea turtles and shallow-set longline fishing. The proposed rule is intended to increase opportunities for the shallow-set fishery to sustainably harvest swordfish and other fish species, without jeopardizing the continued existence of sea turtles and other protected resources. This proposed rule would also make several administrative clarifications to the regulations.

Read more!

European scientists investigate the role of Fe-rich Saharan dust in the fertilization of the N-fixing cyanobacteria UCYN-A

European scientists have collaborated with the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) to establish the Tenatso Observatory on the Cape Verde island of Sao Vicente. This observatory is the base for research into the role of Fe-rich Saharan dust in the fertilization of the N-fixing cyanobacteria UCYN-A.

Via AlphaGalileo:

The tropical Atlantic waters around Cape Verde are very low in plant nutrients. Nitrogen is in especially short supply and limits the growth of the phytoplankton, the tiny plants that are at the basis of the food chain in the ocean. In this area, the nutrients fall out from the sky: Trade winds carry Saharan dust rich in iron and phosphorus which can fertilize the surface of the ocean. This was one of the reasons for the IFM-GEOMAR and other German and UK institutions to establish an observatory on the Cape Verde island Sao Vicente. The Tenatso Observatory now supports long-term measurements of dust and greenhouse gases as well as an oceanographic mooring and regular sampling expeditions by the small Cape Verdean research vessel Islandia.

“We’re testing whether Saharan dust can promote the growth of a particular type of microbe, a cyanobacteria. These cyanobacteria can fertilize the surface of the ocean by fixing the abundant nitrogen gas that is dissolved in seawater”, says Prof. Julie LaRoche from IFM-GEOMAR, co-leader of the expedition. There is plenty of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere but it needs to be "fixed" so that it turns into a fertilizer which is available to phytoplankton. The enigmatic cyanobacteria UCYN-A seems to be a very special nitrogen fixer. In contrast to other cyanobacteria, it is probably incapable of producing oxygen. This in turns enables it to fix nitrogen during the day while others cannot.

The Trade Winds and frequent dust storms that make this area so important for ocean research also complicate the scientists’ work. Dust samples are collected with filters on top of the atmospheric observatory. The collection of the water samples, however, requires sailing on the Islandia for several hours to the ocean observatory located 130 kilometres offshore in a surrounding water depth of 3600 metres. The samples are returned to laboratories that have been established at Cape Verde’s “National Institute for Fishery Development” where the dust experiments are conducted.

„The working conditions are difficult and some trips on the Islandia are like a roller coaster. But overall it’s a very positive work experience, thanks to our supportive Cape Verdean colleagues, the crew of the Islandia, and the general ambience on the islands “, says Stefanie Sudhaus , Ph.D. student at IFM-GEOMAR and member of the last expedition. Loaded with plenty of data from their experiments and confident that the experiments will deliver new discoveries, the scientists have returned to Kiel. During the expedition they were accompanied by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research.

Research Project at the Cape Verde

Scientists from German and Cape Verdean institutes have started collecting data at Cape Verde Observatory Tenatso in 2008, measurements that they hope to continue in order to follow the effect of global change in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Their research is part of the SOPRAN project (Surface Ocean Processes in the Anthropocene) that is largely supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Nitrogen fixers and UCYN-A

There is plenty of nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere but only few organisms are able to "fix" it so that it turns into a fertilizer with biologically useful molecules. Cyanobacteria or blue-green algae are amongst the most important nitrogen-fixers. Until recently scientists thought that single-cell organisms could only fix the nitrogen during the night because during the day, oxygen is released through photosynthesis and inhibits nitrogen fixation by poisoning the enzyme responsible for it. The cyanobacterium UCYN-A doesn’t seem to work like that. It lacks the genes for photosystem II that are needed for the oxygen release and apparently cannot fix carbon dioxide into sugars. Thus, it may utilize light energy in other ways and forgoes photosynthesis, as is normally carried out by land plants and other algae. Although this organism has never been isolated in pure culture, an initial characterization of its genome was published in 2008 by the group of Jonathan Zehr at University of Santa Cruz (Zehr et al. 2008, Science Vol. 322 no. 5904, pp. 1110-1112). Read more!

Scientists Get No Respect From Fishery Managers

Via Science:[subscription required]

Last June, when a scientific panel met to review the health of the bluefin tuna stock in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean, they estimated that the 2007 bluefin catch was roughly 61,000 tons—more than double the limit set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). To forestall disaster, the panel recommended that ICCAT set a quota of 15,000 tons starting in 2009. ICCAT's response: quotas of 22,000 tons in 2010, 19,950 tons in 2011, and 18,500 tons in 2012.

The report from ICCAT Standing Commitee On Research And Statistics is available here.[PDF 11.4 MB] Read more!

Low Apalachicola River Flow May Hurt Gulf Fisheries

Via PhysOrg.com:
Reductions in the flow of the Apalachicola River have far-reaching effects that could prove detrimental to grouper and other reef fish populations in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, according to a new Florida State University study that may provide new ammunition for states engaged in a nearly two-decade water war.The Florida State researchers found that in years with low river flow, the concentration of phytoplankton -- the microscopic plant-like organisms that feed into the food chain -- decreased over a large area of the continental shelf. This is significant because scientists have hypothesized that year-to-year changes in the phytoplankton can alter the availability of food for the very young fish larvae, according to research scientist Steven Morey of the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) at Florida State.

Though much of the scientific research examining the consequences of low-flow conditions, primarily caused by extended drought in recent years, has focused on the Apalachicola River and the estuary system of Apalachicola Bay, the Florida State researchers instead examined the effect of unusually low and high flows over the wide western Florida continental shelf. A number of important reef fish, such as grouper, spawn on the outer shelf edge and use the inner shelf areas as nursery habitat.

“This work shows that variations in the river flow can have implications on marine ecosystems over a much broader geographic region, namely much of the continental shelf extending out several hundred miles,” Morey said. “This now suggests that there might be a link between the river flow variations and offshore fisheries.”

Morey, Dmitry Dukhovskoy, also of COAPS, and Mark Bourassa, an associate professor of meteorology at FSU, examined the seasonal and year-to-year variability of the river flow caused by changes in precipitation over the watershed encompassing much of western Georgia and parts of eastern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The researchers used satellite ocean color data and computer models of ocean circulation to identify a region extending about 125 miles offshore of Apalachicola Bay in which the changes in ocean color, which is indicative of the abundance of phytoplankton and other organic material in the water, is linked to changes in the river flow.

The researchers outlined their findings in an article, “Connectivity of the Apalachicola River flow variability and the physical and bio-optical oceanic properties of the northern West Florida Shelf,” published in the journal Continental Shelf Research.

The findings broaden the environmental considerations of managed flow reductions in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) river system. The Apalachicola River, the final leg of the river system, has been the focus of a nearly 20-year legal battle between Florida, Georgia and Alabama, known as the Tri-State Water War. At the heart of the dispute is Georgia’s desire to divert water from the ACF river system to the burgeoning population of the Atlanta metropolitan area, and Florida and Alabama’s contention that this flow reduction could have negative consequences for the downstream river environment.

The Apalachicola River is considered a “hot spot” of ecological biodiversity, and Apalachicola Bay supports extensive finfish and shellfish communities dependent on the regular flow of freshwater from the river. The river is a source of nutrients that can contribute to the abundance of phytoplankton, which are consumed by small zooplankton, thus feeding the marine food web in the region. The strongest connection between the river flow rate and the offshore water properties is seen during the late winter and early spring months, which coincide with the spawning period of several reef fish species.

“It is possible that if the natural flow of the river is reduced by water being diverted to reservoirs upstream, it could reduce the natural nutrient supply to the local food web,” Morey said. “That could potentially result in a reduction of food available for larger plankton, like fish larvae.”

The study sheds some light on potential effects of climate change scenarios altering precipitation patterns over the southeastern United States, Morey said, but further study is needed to determine if the proposed man-made flow reductions at the center of the water wars will have a significant impact on the offshore marine systems, especially during abnormally dry years.

Provided by Florida State University. Read more!

Shortfin Mako Stock is Approaching an Overfished Condition

[DOCID:fr19jn09-39]
NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), has determined that overfishing is occurring on Atlantic highly migratory species shortfin mako and the stock is approaching an overfished condition. The Secretary is required to take action within 1 year following determination that: a stock is overfished; a stock is approaching an overfished condition; or existing remedial action taken to end overfishing or rebuild an overfished stock has not resulted in adequate progress.

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Gulf of Maine Atlantic Salmon Declared Endangered; Critical Habitat Established

NMFS and USFWS, have determined that naturally spawned and conservation hatchery populations of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) whose freshwater range occurs in the watersheds from the Androscoggin River northward along the Maine coast to the Dennys River, including those that were already listed in November 2000, constitute a distinct population segment (DPS) and hence a "species" for listing. And that the Gulf of Maine (GOM) DPS warrants listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Additionally the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), issued a final rule designating critical habitat for the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment (GOM DPS).

50 CFR Part 226
We previously determined that naturally spawned and several hatchery populations of Atlantic salmon which constitute the GOM DPS warrant listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). We are required to designate critical habitat for the GOM DPS as a result of this listing. We hereby designate as critical habitat 45 specific areas occupied by Atlantic salmon at the time of listing that comprise approximately 19,571 km of perennial river, stream, and estuary habitat and 799 square km of lake habitat within the range of the GOM DPS and in which are found those physical and biological features essential to the conservation of the species. The entire occupied range of the GOM DPS in which critical habitat is designated is within the State of Maine. We exclude approximately 1,256 km of river, stream, and estuary habitat and 100 square km of lake habitat from critical habitat pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the ESA.

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Arizona Congressman attempts to reduce NOAA funding

I guess living in Arizona affects your perspective on ocean research. On Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Flake [R-AZ] proposed no less than four amendments to H.R.2847 cutting funding for NOAA. They all failed by healthy margins:

H.AMDT.239 to H.R.2847 An amendment numbered 86 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds to be used for the Innovative Science Learning Center of Science South, Florence, South Carolina, and decrease the appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cross agency support by $500,000.
Sponsor: Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6] (introduced 6/17/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/18/2009 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Flake amendment (A029) Failed by recorded vote: 107 - 320 (Roll no. 379).

H.AMDT.240 to H.R.2847 An amendment numbered 85 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use for the Drew University Environmental Science Initiative of Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, and decrease the appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cross agency support by $1 million.
Sponsor: Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6] (introduced 6/17/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/18/2009 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Flake amendment (A030) Failed by recorded vote: 100 - 318 (Roll no. 380).

H.AMDT.241 to H.R.2847 An amendment numbered 91 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use for the Science Education Through Exploration project of the JASON Project, Ashburn, Virginia, and decrease the appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operations, research, and facilities by $4 million.
Sponsor: Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6] (introduced 6/17/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/18/2009 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Flake amendment (A031) Failed by recorded vote: 119 - 306 (Roll no. 381).

H.AMDT.242 to H.R.2847 An amendment numbered 84 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the use of funds for the Institute for Seafood Studies project of the Nicholls State University Department of Biological Sciences, Thibodaux, Louisiana, and decrease the appropriations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operations, research, and facilities by $325,000.
Sponsor: Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6] (introduced 6/17/2009) Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 6/18/2009 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Flake amendment (A032) Failed by recorded vote: 124 - 303 (Roll no. 382). Read more!

EPA Abandons Wetlands and Fisheries to Destruction in 2nd Largest U.S. Estuary

Via the Southern Environmental Law Center
CHAPEL HILL, NC –

The Environmental Protection Agency last night backed away from its earlier finding that an 11,000 acre mine expansion by PCS Phosphate posed “unacceptable harm” to critical wetlands and fisheries in the nation’s second largest estuary, the Albemarle-Pamlico, according to environmental groups. After elevating the permit to the national level in a rare move, EPA could have vetoed the destruction of 1,200 acres of the most critical wetlands and nurseries while still allowing continued mining by the company for 29 years.

“EPA has inexplicably reversed course, embracing a devastating mine plan that it determined would cause unacceptable harm just two months ago,” said Derb Carter, director, Carolinas Office, the Southern Environmental Law Center. “EPA isn’t protecting the environment our children and grandchildren will inherit long after PCS Phosphate mining has left the area.

After EPA’s elevation of the mining permit, the Corps rejected the minimum steps EPA determined necessary to avoid “unacceptable” impacts from the mine expansion, leaving EPA’s concerns largely unaddressed. In its letter accepting the permit, EPA acknowledged the inevitable destruction it has now blessed, noting that the permit is “designed to provide for the early detection of unacceptable impacts.”

In a June 11th letter to EPA following the Corps permit decision, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recommended EPA veto the permit in concurrence with multiple federal and state agencies. The Council found that the permitted mine expansion will result in “significant and unacceptable impacts” to essential fish habitats including coastal ecosystems and aquatic resources that depend on them.

Environmental groups echoed these concerns in urging EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to stand by her agency’s findings and implement the administration’s pledge in a May 20th letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, “we need to identify opportunities to expand protection of wetlands and other aquatic resources that are especially vulnerable or critical to sustaining the health of [aquatic] systems.”

In a letter to the Corps, EPA stated it will not act to prevent the destruction of wetlands and fisheries.

PCS Phosphate’s permitted mine expansion will be the largest single destruction of wetlands permitted in North Carolina history. It jeopardizes the irreplaceable ecosystem of Albemarle-Pamlico Sound, the nation’s second largest estuary and one of the most productive American fisheries which generates thousands of jobs and over $1 billion annually.

In its objections to the permit, EPA requested that the Corps revise the permit to


* reduce wetland impacts by 29 percent (1,166 acres);

* prohibit mining that would affect the most sensitive fish nursery areas, prohibit mining of rare hardwood wetlands; and

* improve the proposed mitigation to compensate for remaining wetland and water quality impacts.


The Corps’s response to EPA reduces wetland impacts by only 1 percent (44 acres) and fails to address other EPA concerns and recommendations.

Concern over PCS Phosphate’s planned destruction of wetlands and primary nurseries near the Pamlico River remain unaddressed despite consistently being raised by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, U.S. EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council throughout the permit process.

Acting as its own agent of delay, the company sued North Carolina for years during the permitting process after being warned such action would delay the issuance of any permit. PCS Phosphate, a subsidiary of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, is now permitted to mine 11,000 acres, including 4,000 acres of wetlands and more than four miles of tidal creeks and streams bordering the Pamlico River.

### Read more!

Oyster and Macroalgae Bioindicators Detect Elevated δ15N in Maryland’s Coastal Bays

Anthropogenic sources of nitrogen have been linked to declining coastal water quality worldwide. A paper in the July 2009 issue of Estuaries and Coasts reports that elevated stable nitrogen isotopes ratios (δ15N) in two bioindicator species, "a macroalgae (Gracilaria sp.) and the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) were used to infer that human and animal wastes were important nitrogen sources in some areas of Maryland’s coastal bays. Different nitrogen integration periods across multiple organisms may be used to indicate nitrogen sources at various spatial and temporal scales, which will help focus nutrient management." Read more!

New Ocean-Based Tsunami Warning System Has Large Dead Zones

Via Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER):

CRITICAL NEW TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM HAS GAPING HOLES — Nearly One-Third of Deep Ocean Stations Are “Dead” Including Tsunami Hot Spots

Washington, DC — A highly-touted new ocean-based tsunami warning system has large dead zones that undercut its effectiveness, according to documents posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists also complain that several other stations are reporting sporadic data that is not useable.

NOAA completed its Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) network of 39 stations covering the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in March 2008. NOAA claims that the “DART network serves as the cornerstone of the U.S. tsunami warning system” yet a significant portion of the stations are not functioning.

NOAA records indicate that more than one in four (10 out of 39) of its DART stations are failing. When the seven DART buoys operated by other countries are added in the failure rate rises to above 30%. A review by PEER indicates the average dead period for non-reporting DART stations exceeds 6 months.

Significantly, one area left completely uncovered is the Kuril Trench, off the Pacific coast of Russia, that is part of the “Ring of Fire”, named due to its tectonic instability resulting in frequent seismic activity that has historically produced large tsunamogenic earthquakes. All four of the DART buoys closest to the Kuril Trench are non-responsive.

“NOAA scientists rely on the DART network to help provide timely tsunami warnings so as to prevent a repeat of the human catastrophe seen in south Asia from the 2004 Indonesian tsunami,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “Our scientists worry that this system is like a fire alarm that cannot ring.”

A DART works by sending acoustic signals between a transmitter anchored on the sea floor and a surface buoy. As a tsunami moves across the ocean, the DART reports bottom pressure changes due to the entire column of water above. With these measurements taken in the open ocean, NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers are better able to predict the size of any tsunami. This improves forecasts, thus allowing earlier, more accurate watches, warnings and, if needed, evacuations.

In 2008, NOAA actually requested a more than million dollar decrease in its appropriation “to reflect the completion of the…DART buoys”, leaving no funds or personnel dedicated to the DART network.

“We hope that by publicly bringing this problem to NOAA’s attention that they will fix it,” added Ruch, pointing to NOAA attempts to fix problems in its Hawaiian seismic network earlier this year after PEER went public with internal memos outlining delays and dysfunctions. “If, as claimed, DART is the cornerstone of our tsunami warning system, then NOAA should make darn sure this cornerstone is not crumbling.”

###

Followup:
Broken Tsunami Warning System Being Fixed Read more!

Exxon required to pay interest on the $507.5 million judgment

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Exxon shall pay interest on the $507.5 million judgement awarded plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez lawsuit,from September 24, 1996 at the rate of 5.9%. Read more!

Taking of Marine Mammals incedental to EROS

Today, the NMFS issued a one-year Letter of Authorization (LOA) to undisclosed applicants to take marine mammals incidental to the explosive removal of offshore oil and gas structures (EROS) in the Gulf of Mexico. This authorization is effective from June 17, 2009 through June 16, 2010 and it permits the applicant to take bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata), Clymene dolphins (Stenella clymene), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris), rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), melonheaded whales (Peponocephala electra), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in small numbers during EROS activities. A similar LOA was issued to Exxon Mobil in April of 2009. Read more!

Suppression of Environmental Science by the Bush Administration

The House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Committee on Science and Technology has released the results of their investigation into the suppression of Environmental Science by the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget. It's not good news.

"By the end of the Bush Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) process was broken. What began two decades ago as an initiative at EPA to establish a reliable database on what science said about the risks of particular chemicals devolved by the end of the Bush Administration into a tortured round of interagency bickering, mediated and even stimulated by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). As a result of the IRIS process breaking down, public health offices across the country and around the world, as well as concerned citizens, were left without the reliable, expanding, up-to-date database of chemical risks that they had come to rely upon."

Read the report here.[PDF] Read more!

Hatchery fish may hurt efforts to sustain wild salmon runs

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Steelhead trout that are originally bred in hatcheries are so genetically impaired that, even if they survive and reproduce in the wild, their offspring will also be significantly less successful at reproducing, according to a new study published June 10 by researchers from Oregon State University.

The poor reproductive fitness – the ability to survive and reproduce – of the wild-born offspring of hatchery fish means that adding hatchery fish to wild populations may ultimately be hurting efforts to sustain those wild runs, scientists said.

The study found that a fish born in the wild as the offspring of two hatchery-reared steelhead averaged only 37 percent the reproductive fitness of a fish with two wild parents, and 87 percent the fitness if one parent was wild and one was from a hatchery. Most importantly, these differences were still detectable after a full generation of natural selection in the wild.
Read the entire press release here

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What to do with derelict offshore oil rigs?

Via the Long Beach Press-Telegram: The disposition of derelict offshore oil rigs is a challenging issue. While one's initial reaction might be to remove them and dispose of the steel on land, scientists at Cal State Long Beach are saying that parts of these rigs have become vital habitat and should be left in place.
Fish Co-opt Oil Rigs despite state rule saying these 'artificial reefs' can't be permanent. Read more!

Maryland Wholesaler pleads guilty in rockfish case

Via the Baltimore Sun: A St. Mary's County fish wholesaler who authorities say is at the heart of the largest striped-bass poaching case in Chesapeake Bay history pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt to falsifying Maryland catch reports and interstate trafficking in illegal fish. Read more!

Obama Establishes Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force

Washington - President Barack Obama on Friday issued a memorandum to heads of executive departments and agencies establising an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force that "shall develop, with appropriate public input, a recommended framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning. This framework should be a comprehensive, integrated, ecosystem-based approach that addresses conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources consistent with international law, including customary international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea."

"To succeed in protecting the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, the United States needs to act within a unifying framework under a clear national policy, including a comprehensive, ecosystem-based framework for the longterm conservation and use of our resources."

President Obama also proclaimed June 2009 as National Oceans Month. Read more!

Endangered Right Whales Identified Where They Were Presumed Locally Extinct

ScienceDaily (2009-06-13) -- Using a system of underwater hydrophones that can record sounds from hundreds of miles away, scientists have documented the presence of endangered North Atlantic right whales in an area they were thought to be locally extinct. Read more!

Caribbean reefs 'flattened' in just 40 years

Caribbean reefs 'flattened' in just 40 years - environment - 10 June 2009 - New Scientist Read more!

Ocean Explorer Sylvia Earle Calls for Action to Protect Earth's Life-Support System

"People can't care, unless they know. They can't act if they don't care." Read more!

Global garbage swamping world's oceans

UNITED NATIONS — Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea said Monday the government is protecting Canada's ocean resources, even as a United Nations study showed the world's seas are filthier than ever. Read more!

Scientists Discover Surprisingly High Methylmercury Contamination In Groundwater

UnderwaterTimes | Scientists Discover Methylmercury Contamination In Groundwater; 'Surprisingly High...

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Ocean Acidification

The uptake of anthropogenic carbon since colonial times has resulted in an average decrease in seawater pH of 0.1 units. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations will exacerbate this acidification as dissolved CO2 levels (and consequently H2CO3 levels) rise. Projections based on the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) show a reduction in average global surface ocean pH of between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the 21st century, which would be a doubling of H+ ions. (Fields et al. 1993; IPCC 2007)

Fields, P. A., J. B. Graham, R. H. Rosenblatt, and G. N. Somero. 1993. Effects of expected global climate change on marine faunas. Twenty years of TREE - part I 8:361-367.

IPCC. 2007. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden, and C.E.Hanson, editors, Cambridge, UK. Read more!

Vegetation may not slow wave erosion.

A study highlighted in this weeks Nature reports that vegetation may not slow wave erosion and soil type may be more important than plant cover in preventing coast edges washing away Read more!

Dr. Daniel Pauly - Toward a Conservation Ethic for the Sea

Dr Daniel Pauly delivering the keynote address to the International Marine Conservation Congress last month. Read more!

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release

Contact: Bill Mott, Director
(401) 709-4071 or bmott@theoceanproject.org

Hundreds of zoos, aquariums, and museums planning events around the world for
World Oceans Day on June 8th


(Providence, RI) - On June 8th hundreds of communities around the globe will celebrate World Oceans Day – an opportunity to learn about our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea, to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives, and the important ways people can help to protect our shared world ocean.

The Ocean Project – with over 830 Partner aquariums, zoos, science museums and other educational organizations in all 50 states and 70 countries – is the largest network ever formed to focus on conservation of the ocean. The Ocean Project, working closely with the World Ocean Network, helps to coordinate events and activities to celebrate World Oceans Day with our Partners and other organizations around the globe. Working together, we also succeeded in our petition to have the United Nations officially designate World Oceans Day as June 8th each year.

This year’s theme: Since climate change and the ocean are inextricably tied together, and our society’s future depends on a healthy climate and a healthy world ocean, this year’s theme will better make that connection that binds us together as part of an interconnected planet. This year we are encouraging Partners to promote the theme "one ocean, one climate, one future."

Climate change and the ocean: The ocean and climate are inextricably linked – the ocean plays a crucial role in maintaining the Earth’s climate and ocean life is vulnerable to climate change. As human activities produce too much carbon dioxide, it is absorbed by the ocean and, as a result, ocean waters are becoming warmer and more acidic, threatening the fundamental building blocks of life in the ocean. The ocean is also rising as a result of climate change.

Impact on marine life: Coral reefs - important food, medicinal, economic, aesthetic and cultural resources - are particularly vulnerable to these changes. Scientists are recording record coral reef die-offs and are worried about the future survival of these treasured ecosystems. Other ocean life and ecosystems are also at risk - invasive species and diseases are spreading into new waters, and marine mammals continue to face decreased food supplies as a result of climate change and other factors. People’s homes and livelihoods in coastal communities are seriously threatened as sea level continues to rise and severe weather events increase in frequency.

World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to make the connections between a healthy climate and a healthy ocean, and our own lives. People can learn more and get directly involved in protecting our future through ocean-themed art contests, musical events, beach and watershed cleanups, sustainable seafood events, outdoor exploration and educational programs, storm drain stenciling, film festivals, and more.

A continually updated list of events for 2009 as well as event ideas can be found at the World Ocean Day website.
www.WorldOceansDay.org

We invite everyone to plan a World Oceans Day event in their community and list your event for promotion at the World Oceans Day Website.

For media interested in accessing free online images of the ocean, The Marine Photobank (http://marinephotobank.org) has a growing collection of compelling images and photo stories that visually engage and help audiences to understanding the threats and challenges facing our world’s ocean. The Marine Photobank is partnering with The Ocean Project and its Partners to use this free resource to promote ocean conservation. The World Oceans Day website also has a poster and logos for you to download and use in publicity. Read more!

A robotic submarine named Nereus has become the third craft in history to reach the deepest part of the world's oceans, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean.

Read more!