News Updates for The Week of July 7, 2022
Graysby grouper in NC, a new quarterly newsletter from MA, and a horseshoe crab story map!
Upcoming
Meetings

July 11: Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee Webinar

July 11: Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel 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 1-4: 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
Jobs

(Open Until Filled)

(Open Until Filled)

(Due: July 15)

(Due: July 24)

(Due: September 5)
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the National Marine Fisheries Service and affected coastal states, will be holding meetings through July to discuss draft guidance for ways to mitigate impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries and fishing (Find more here).
ASMFC: May/June Fisheries Focus Now Available!
Find more information here.
MD DNR: Maryland Sport Fishing Achievement Awards Presented for 2022

The Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are proud to announce Captain Bruno M. Vasta and the late James W. “Jim” Gracie each as recipients of Maryland Sport Fisheries Achievement Awards for 2022. 

The Maryland Sport Fisheries Achievement Award was established by the commission to honor individuals who have provided sustained efforts in habitat management, conservation, education, research, or other meaningful contributions that benefit recreational fishing in Maryland. 

Vasta, an accomplished federal civil servant, has served in various capacities with the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association, including as its statewide president and Southern Maryland Chapter president. He also represented Maryland as a governor-appointed member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. 

Find more information here.
NC DMF: State certifies new state record Graysby Grouper that may be a world record

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record Graysby Grouper (Cephalopholis cruentata) that may also be a world record. Edward J. Tait of Little River, S.C. caught the 3-pound, 0.8-ounce fish offshore of Ocean Isle Beach on June 30.

The previous state record Graysby Grouper weighed 2 pounds, 3 ounces, and was caught offshore of Masonboro Inlet on May 31, 2022. Additionally, Tait said he is applying to the International Game Fish Association for certification of the fish as the All Tackle World Record. The current certified world record Graysby Grouper weighed 2 pounds and 8 ounces. It was caught off Texas in 1988.

Find more information here.

NC DMF: Marine Fisheries Division encourages anglers to donate Red Snapper carcasses to science

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will collect Red Snapper carcasses from recreational fishermen during the upcoming Red Snapper-mini season. The division has set up five temporary freezer locations, in addition to the ten carcass collection locations available throughout the year, where recreational fishermen can take their Red Snapper carcasses.

The temporary locations are:
  • Bridge Tender Marina, 1418 Airlie Rd, Wilmington
  • Carolina Beach Municipal Docks, Carl Winner Dr, Carolina Beach
  • Capt. Stacy Fishing Center, 416 Atlantic Beach Causeway, Atlantic Beach
  • Carolina Princess Headboat Dock, 604 Evans St, Morehead City
  • Oden’s Dock, 57878 North Carolina Hwy 12, Hatteras

Find more information here.
ME DMR: Recent Increase in Seal Deaths in Maine Linked to Avian Flu

Beginning in June 2022, Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME)-a NOAA Fisheries authorized marine mammal stranding network partnerhas responded to an elevated number of stranded seals. Most of the seals were found dead. On July 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed that samples from four stranded seals in Maine have tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1. All of these animals had recently died or required euthanasia. USDA is notifying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as state animal and public health officials. The finding will be reported to the World Organization for Animal Health.

Find more information here.
MA DMF: 2022 News for Quarter 1 & Quarter 2 Now Available!
Find more information here.
NEFMC: Council Initiates Framework 35; Approves 2023-2024 Research-Set Aside Program Priorities

During its June 28-30, 2022 hybrid meeting in Portland, ME, the New England Fishery Management Council initiated Framework Adjustment 35 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The framework will include specifications for the 2023 scallop fishing year, default specifications for 2024, and other measures. Work on this action will continue throughout the summer and fall and address recommendations from the final report on the evaluation of rotational management. The Council will receive an update on Framework 35 in September, and final action is scheduled for December.

Find more information here.
NOAA Fisheries: Extension of the 2022 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications Announced

NOAA Fisheries is extending the rule that set the 2022 specifications for the Atlantic mackerel fishery in federal waters through January 13, 2023. The most recent management track assessment from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center concluded that the species remains overfished and overfishing increased slightly. We are implementing these measures to minimize additional catch for the current fishing year while the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council revises the current mackerel rebuilding plan for 2023. This reduction is considered to be sufficient to prevent vessels from targeting Atlantic mackerel while still allowing vessels to retain some mackerel caught when targeting other species. This reduction is also not expected to substantially change overall effort or harvest levels, which have been well below the commercial quota in recent years.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Agencies Rescind Regulatory Definition of “Habitat” Under the Endangered Species Act

NOAA Fisheries and the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service will rescind a final rule, published in December 2020, which established a regulatory definition of “habitat” specific to designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. This action will allow us to better fulfill the conservation purposes of the ESA.  

The decision follows Executive Order 13990, which directed all federal agencies to review and address agency actions to ensure consistency with Biden-Harris administration objectives. We concluded that codifying a single definition of “habitat” could impede our ability to designate critical habitat based upon the best available science. Eliminating the rule will provide clarity and transparency for the public in better understanding what constitutes habitat for given species.

Find more information here.
What We're Reading

Check out this story map from Delaware Sea Grant: 2022 Horseshoe Crab Spawning Survey at Big Stone Beach.

Feeling ill after going swimming? Microplastics may be behind it. Research reveals that viruses can survive and stay infectious for up to three days by 'hitchhiking' on plastic pollution in fresh water (The Telegraph).


The Pandemic Changed How People Buy Fish—and Small Fishers Couldn’t Keep Up. Small-scale fishers, often overlooked by government aid, were less able to adapt to changing market conditions than large companies. As a result, many lost out to bigger players (Hakai Magazine).

Swamps Can Protect Against Climate Change, If We Only Let Them. Wetlands absorb carbon dioxide and buffer the excesses of drought and flood, yet we’ve drained much of this land. Can we learn to love our swamps (The New Yorker)?

United States of Fish (The Fisheries Blog).

Satellites Stalk Narwhals From Space, But They Still Keep Secrets. On being a mysterious being in a massive possible ocean (Sierra Club Magazine).

Ancient Nautilus, Uncertain Future. The nautilus’s lineage made it through all five of Earth’s previous mass extinctions. But can it survive the Anthropocene (Hakai Magazine)?

Beware the Luxury Beach Resort. These ostensible paradises have a dark side (The Atlantic).
Partner Agencies
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