News Updates for The Week of July 13, 2022
Dangerous puffer fish in RI, a striped bass study in NY, and the crazy evolution of sea dragons!
Upcoming
Meetings

July 18: Spot and Croaker Technical Committee Webinar

July 18-21: Black Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop

July 21: The Trouble with Lionfish NOAA Webinar

July 28: Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel Webinar

August 2-4: ASMFC Summer Meeting

August 8-11: MAFMC Meeting

August 9: American Eel Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Webinar

August 10: Atlantic Striped Bass Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Webinar

September 12-16: SAFMC Meeting

September 27-29: NEFMC
Public Comment

August 8: NOAA is seeking public comment on potentially designating a new national marine sanctuary in Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey (Find more here). 

August 19: NOAA Fisheries is seeking comment on a first-ever draft Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy. This draft national strategy describes the path that NOAA Fisheries will take to incorporate equity and environmental justice into the vital services we provide to all stakeholders (Find more here).

August 22: BOEM, in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and affected coastal states, will be holding meetings through July to discuss draft guidance for ways to mitigate impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries and fishing (Find more here).
MD DNR: Governor Hogan Announces $18.8 Million for Chesapeake Bay Restoration Projects

Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the award of $18.8 million to 22 ecological restoration projects that will improve water quality and habitat in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, while building local resilience to climate impacts. These awards encompass 77 unique sites that will be restored using best management practices, including riparian buffer and reforestation plantings, stream restoration, stormwater management, and wetland creation.

“Our administration’s commitment to environmental stewardship has included making record investments in Chesapeake Bay restoration, including fully funding the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund,” said Governor Hogan. “Each of these projects plays a critical role in improving the quality of the bay, and making our ecosystem more resilient.”

Find more information here.

MD DNR: Secretary’s Message – July 2022

Fifty-six years ago, Maryland’s Waterway Improvement Fund was established to fund waterway improvements, promote recreational and commercial boating, and improve the safety and navigation of Maryland’s waterways for the benefit of the general boating public.

Since its inception this important program has provided more than $300 million in funding for 4,500 projects at public boating access sites across Maryland. If you use a publicly owned boat ramp or marina in our state, there is a good chance that it was funded and is maintained with funding from this program.

Find more information here.
SC DNR: Sea turtle hatching season begins on South Carolina beaches

Sea turtle hatching season is officially underway in South Carolina, and state wildlife officials are asking beach residents and visitors to give these animals the best chance of success by following best practices for the season: (1) keep the beach dark and free of lights to avoid disorienting hatchlings, and (2) leave only footprints along the coast by picking up litter, removing personal belongings and filling in any holes at the end of the day. The state’s first hatchlings of 2022 emerged July 3 from the first nest laid this year on on Lighthouse Island. Other nests quickly followed suit across the coast.

Find more information here.
DNREC: Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta Set for Saturday, Aug. 6 on Nanticoke River
The seventh annual Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta will cast off Saturday, Aug. 6 at the Nanticoke River Public Marine Park, 26 North Market Street, Blades, after a two year absence. Sign in and registration begin at 11 a.m., with judging of boats’ appearances at noon, and races starting at 12:30 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, Aug. 7.

The Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta is presented by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship, the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, Abbotts Mill Nature Center, and Town of Blades, as part of the Reclaim Our River (ROR) Program – Nanticoke Series. The event is open to anyone who can build a cardboard boat.

Boats may be any size, shape, or design, but must be made of recycled cardboard. They should be painted with multiple coats of any indoor or exterior latex house paint. Decorations may be removed after judging, and prior to the race start. Participants who pre-register their boats by Saturday, July 30, will receive special early-bird pricing of $20 per boat. After that date, registration will increase to $30. Participants can also register the day of the event.

Find more information here.
MA DMF: In Memoriam, Mike Hardy

On April 14, 2022 long-time DMF employee Richard M. Hardy (Mike) passed away after a year-long illness. Mike was instrumental at the Shellfish Purification Plant in Newburyport where he worked for the last 21 years. He was dependable, reserved, a good colleague, a hard worker with a steady demeanor, with never a harsh word for anyone and quiet until he got to know you. Operations at the Shellfish Plant are unique in the agency where the schedule is dictated by the tides, depuration clam digger activity, and market demand. At “the Plant” coordinating schedules with co-workers is critical to maintain seven-day-a-week coverage. Mike would always prioritize those needs to keep the diggers digging and plant operations smooth. Preferring to keep busy and never dissuaded by hard work, he helped out his co-workers by coming in weekends and holidays, collecting samples for the lab, and maintaining Plant operating procedures to remain in compliance with state and federal regulations—always with a smile.

Find more information here.

MA DMF: Lobster Vessel Trackers to be Required in 2023

Beginning in 2023, one of the biggest blind spots in the assessment and management of commercial fisheries will be resolved. Precise location of lobster fishing effort, especially in federal waters, has been absent from the collection of statistics for this important fishery. Over the past two decades nearly all other important offshore commercial fisheries (such as scallops, groundfish, and surf clams) have been required under federal regulations to deploy vessel monitoring systems that reveal and archive fishing locations. A new coastwide requirement for tracking devices to be placed on lobster vessels operating in federal waters will soon address this deficiency.

Find more information here.
FL FWC: Blueline tilefish recreational season closes July 26 in Atlantic state waters

Blueline tilefish closes for recreational harvest in Atlantic state waters (including all state waters of Monroe County) on July 26, with the last day of harvest being July 25. Earlier this year, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Commissioners approved a temporary modification to reduce the recreational season in state waters to be consistent with recent changes in Atlantic federal waters. These regulations are intended to help prevent overfishing from occurring.

Find more information here.
NYSDEC: Restoring American Shad in New York

As part of an effort to restore American shad (Alosa sapidissima) in New York, DEC Fisheries staff, in collaboration with the PA Fish and Boat Commission, recently stocked 322,000 American shad fry (young fish) into the Susquehanna River in Endicott, NY. The eggs and milt were collected from Potomac River fish and reared at the Van Dyke State Fish Hatchery in Pennsylvania for 30 days before making their journey up to New York. Prior to stocking, fish were marked so if they are recaptured, staff will be able to obtain useful information on fish growth, movement, and stocking success. Stocking the shad further upstream will give them more time to grow larger, hopefully increasing their chance of survival and the success of restoring this migratory species.

NYSDEC: Striped Bass Study Underway to Monitor Contaminants

DEC is partnering with Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County to collect striped bass (Morone saxatilis) samples through December 2023. Staff will collect samples of striped bass from the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound, and New York Harbor and measure levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and other contaminants. This information is used to update commercial fishery restrictions and the NY State Department of Health's consumption advisories for recreational anglers, as well as enhance the understanding of New York's striped bass population.

Staff at DEC's Hale Creek Field Station laboratory and commercial analytical laboratories will perform analytical and quality control work. In addition to PCBs, contaminant analysis will include testing for mercury and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from all survey areas, as well as dioxins and furans in fish collected from the New York-New Jersey Harbor. Samples from each fish will also provide data on size, age, sex, disease prevalence, population genetics, and diet. Funding for this survey is from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund.
RI DEM: Know Your Puffers! DEM, RI Saltwater Anglers Association Warn of Toxins from Catching Smooth Puffer Fish

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Division of Marine Fisheries and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association are warning of receiving increased reports of anglers catching Smooth Puffers Fish in Rhode Island waters. Puffers belong to the family Tetradontidae, which is comprised of around 120 known species. Smooth Puffers have a fairly significant range in the western Atlantic Ocean from New England and Bermuda to Argentina, though it's more common in southern waters.

This member of the puffer family is a serious threat to your health if not cleaned properly. The neurotoxins in puffers responsible for illness and death are Tetrodotoxin and Saxitoxin, which adversely affect the human central nervous system. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these toxins are deadlier than cyanide and there are no known antidotes for these toxins. Also, these toxins cannot be frozen or cooked out. Toxins can be found in all organs of the Smooth Puffer, intestines, and even in the skin. Do not use Smooth Puffers for bait or chum. If you catch a Smoother Puffer, take this fish off the hook carefully and release it.

Find more information here.
NOAA Fisheries: Celebrating Habitat Month 2022: Healthy Habitat, Resilient Infrastructure

We are excited to kick off Habitat Month at NOAA Fisheries. All month long, we will share our incredible habitat conservation efforts through our website and social media. The theme this year is "Healthy Habitat, Resilient Infrastructure”! Learn more about the role of healthy habitat in building coastal resilience. We’ll also talk about how restoring habitat for our nation’s fisheries and protected resources also strengthens the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems.

Find more information here.
What We're Reading
The Explosive Ambitions of Kate the Chemist. At the lecture halls of the University of Texas or on TV, Kate Biberdorf is working to catalyze more people into careers in science (The New York Times).

Rising seas are weakening nature’s storm shields. Barrier islands may not be such a good barrier anymore (Grist).

The Surprising Consequences of a Seaweed Switcheroo. In the ocean off southwest England, cold-water kelp is being replaced by a warm-water species, with profound effects for the local ecosystem (Hakai Magazine).

Listen to this podcast from CBC about how the cod moratorium rocked Newfoundland and what can be done to recover from it three decades later.

How Foreign Private Equity Hooked New England’s Fishing Industry. Owned by a billionaire Dutch family, Blue Harvest Fisheries has emerged as a dominant force in the lucrative fishing port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Its business model: benefit from lax antitrust rules and pass costs on to local fishermen (ProPublica).

Congress Is Considering a Wildlife Protection Bill That Everyone Can Love. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act enjoys bipartisan support and could be a game changer for imperiled species (Sierra Club Magazine).

‘Evolution Gone Crazy’: What Makes Sea Dragons So Strange. In the genomes of the bizarre fish that are related to sea horses, scientists found certain key growth genes were missing (The New York Times).
Partner Agencies
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