The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified the first state record Graysby Grouper (Cephalopholis cruentata). George O. Dale of Wilmington caught the 2-pound, 3-ounce fish about 40 miles outside of Masonboro Inlet in about 100 feet deep water on May 31. The fish measured 15 inches total length (from the tip of the snout to the tip of the compressed tail) and had an 18-inch girth. He caught it with a heavy jigging rod and a Penn Slammer III reel using cut bait on a floral carbon rig with 80-pound braid.

To establish a state record fish, an angler must submit an application that is then reviewed by N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries staff. The fish must be exceptionally large for North Carolina waters and within a reasonable range of the world record.

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The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today announced that the 2022 recreational flounder season will open at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 1 and close at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. The season will open with the following provisions for both the recreational hook-and-line and gig fisheries:

Harvest of flounder with a Recreational Commercial Gear License will be prohibited.

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In the first Endangered Species Act (ESA) interpretive rule produced under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to revise section 10(j) regulations under the ESA to better facilitate recovery by allowing for the introduction of listed species to suitable habitats outside of their historical ranges. The proposed change will help improve the conservation and recovery of imperiled ESA-listed species in the coming decades, as growing impacts from climate change and invasive species cause habitats within their historical ranges to shift and become unsuitable. 

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At a United Nations conference in May, NOAA Fisheries discussed Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management with other interested nations. The event highlighted the importance of an ecosystem approach on a global stage.

Adopting ecosystem approaches to fisheries management allows countries to address the many problems the globe is facing, such as climate change, and create a more sustainable future for our ocean. “For the United Nations to prioritize discussing Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management is not trivial. It is indicative of how important the topic has become around the world,” said Jason Link, Senior Scientist for Ecosystems at NOAA Fisheries.

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A sea change in craft brewing. Petar Puškarić made a beer from marine yeasts during his master’s degree in ecology (Nature).

11 Songs About Climate Change (Sierra Club Magazine).

Mass extinction in oceans can be avoided by curbing fossil fuels. If not slowed, climate change over the next few centuries could lead to marine losses unlike anything Earth has seen in 252 million years, says a new study (National Geographic).

How to Build a Flood-Resilient Community (Grist).

Call of the deep. Some of the ocean’s biggest predators dive way down into the cold, dark depths. Animals-turned-oceanographers are helping biologists find out what they do when they get there (Knowable).

Behold the Lionfish, as Transfixing as It Is Destructive. Lionfish, while spectacularly beautiful, are wreaking havoc on Caribbean reef habitats (The New York Times).

Fishing industry still ‘bulldozing’ seabed in 90% of UK marine protected areas. New data shows ‘mystifying’ lack of progress in post-Brexit pledge to curb bottom-trawling, two years after landmark legislation (The Guardian).

Blue Holes Show Hurricane Activity in the Bahamas Is at a Centuries-Long Low. Compared to what we’re seeing now, hurricane activity in the region used to be much, much higher (Hakai Magazine).

The Fight to Save the California Kelp Forest. In the warming waters of the Pacific Ocean, urchins crowd out a legacy ecosystem (Sierra Club Magazine).