December 10: NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on the Proposed Regulations for the Taking of Marine Mammals Indicental to the Ocean Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project. Comments may be submitted through December 10.

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December 14: MA DMF is seeking public comment on Proposed Increase to 2023 Summer Flounder Period I Commerical Trip Limit

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December 18: NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Funding Aquaculture Projects. Comments may be submitted through December 18.

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December 31: USFWS and NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Comments may be submitted through December 31.

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January 3: NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on the proposed rule for the Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Plan and 2023 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications. Comments may be submitted through

January 3.

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January 13: ASMFC is seeking public comment on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan. Comments may be submitted through January 13.

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January 27: The White House is seeking public comment on the Draft 5th National Climate Assessment. Comments may be made through January 27.

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SCDNR: Environmental Groups and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Awarded $1.2 Million to Establish Living Shorelines

The long-term resilience of Beaufort County’s military installations got a boost this week with the announcement of a major grant to reduce climate impacts at Parris Island and surrounding communities.

The Coastal Conservation League, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Sustainability Institute (SI), Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, and The Pew Charitable Trusts were awarded nearly $1.2 million to establish living shorelines near MCRD Parris Island in an effort to improve the area’s natural infrastructure. Unfolding over four years, the project will employ a diverse group of volunteers in oyster reef construction.

The project at Parris Island will rely heavily on volunteers to build the living shorelines and will use a “train the trainer” model to further expand the project’s impact.

The project sites were identified through stakeholder collaboration and are located along significant waterways in Beaufort County on the Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway), Battery Creek, and Archers Creek.

Find more information here.

NC DEQ: Marine Fisheries Kicks Off Celebration of 200 Years of State Marine Fisheries Management and Conservation

On December 30, 1822, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law titled An Act to Prevent the Destruction of Oysters, and for Other Purposes, in the State that restricted oyster harvest gear and prohibited the export of North Carolina oysters to other states.

It was the first statewide law governing marine fisheries, and it was the beginning of state marine fisheries management in North Carolina. And, with numerous subsequent laws passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it eventually led to the establishment of what is now the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries kicked off its celebration of the 200th anniversary of this law Thursday with a staff gathering at the Carteret County Civic Center. David Bennett, curator of maritime history at the N.C. Maritime Museum shared the history of fisheries management in North Carolina and staff heard anecdotes from two retired Marine Patrol officers who worked in the 1960s.

Find more information here.

NHFG: Upcoming Commercial Marine Fishing Licensing Events

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG), Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the Pease Development Authority Division of Ports and Harbors (DPH) will host two commercial marine licensing events, one each in December and January. These events provide the commercial fishing industry with one-stop opportunities to obtain annual commercial fishing licenses, mooring and pier use permits, and vessel registrations, all at one convenient location.

Both licensing days will be held at the Dover DMV office, 50 Boston Harbor Road, Dover, NH. The dates are Saturday, December 17, 2022, and Saturday, January 7, 2023, from 8:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.

Find more information here.

FL FWC: Commissioners Approve the First Springs Protection Zone in Florida at Nichols Spring

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a rule establishing a Springs Protection Zone for Nichols Spring and its associated spring run in Sumter County.

The Spring Protection Zone for Nichols Spring will be the first created in Florida. Anchoring, mooring, beaching and grounding of vessels was determined to have caused harm to bank vegetation, cypress trees and aquatic grasses in and around the spring. These activities will be prohibited within the Springs Protection Zone.

The public will still be able to visit Nichols Spring but will be prohibited from anchoring, mooring, beaching or grounding a vessel within the spring or along the spring’s shoreline. The public will be able to anchor a vessel outside the protection zone and swim through the small spring run and into the spring. Tubes and rafts are not considered vessels in Florida and may still be used in the spring.

Find more information here.

FL FWC: FWC Seeks Input on the Effects of Long-Term Stored Vessels

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has retained Atkins Global to conduct a study in Florida to better understand the impacts of long-term stored vessels. Feedback from residents, business owners, visitors and others who use and enjoy Florida’s waters is a crucial part of the research.

A virtual meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. EST to announce the study and to explain how the public can participate. The meeting will begin with a formal presentation from subject matter experts and will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

For the purposes of this study, a “long-term stored vessel” is a boat on state waters that is not under the supervision of a person capable of operating, maintaining or moving it from one location to another and that has remained anchored or moored outside of a public mooring field for at least 30 days out of a 60-day period.

Find more information here.

NJ FW: Certifies New Record Fish

NJ Fish and Wildlife has announced that a new record albacore tuna was caught in October. The new record fish, caught by angler, Matthew Florio, broke the previous record for albacore tuna which had been caught in 1984 by 3.4 ounces. Matthew was chunking off the boat Luna Sea at the east elbow of Hudson Canyon when he reeled in the fish.

Matthew was using a Kevin Bogan 30 Stand Up rod and Penn 30 reel with 60-pound monofilament when he landed the fish. A butter fish served as the bait.

The new record albacore tuna measured 48 and 3/8 inches in length and had a girth of 37 inches.

Find more information here.

PA PFBC: No Invasive Carp eDNA Detected in Follow-Up Sampling in Presque Isle Bay

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) today announced that none of the water samples collected in Presque Isle Bay, Erie County, during October 2022 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) contained environmental DNA (eDNA) of Silver Carp or Bighead Carp.

The tests were conducted at the request of the PFBC after the USFWS reported in July that Silver Carp eDNA had been detected in a single water sample collected in the bay this past spring. The USFWS recommended waiting to conduct follow-up testing until fall 2022, when more favorable environmental conditions were present for eDNA sampling.

Upon learning of the positive detection in July, the PFBC took immediate precautionary measures by conducting targeted boat electrofishing sampling near the detection location. No Silver Carp were collected or observed.

Find more information here.

VA MRC: Commerical Spot Industry to Close Dec 9

The Virginia Marine Resource Commission (MRC) has announced the upcoming closure for commercial spot harvest. Effective 12:01 A.M., Friday, December 9, 2022, the 2022 Virginia commercial spot fishery will close. Therefore, after 12:01 A.M. on Thursday, December 9, 2022, it shall be unlawful for any commercial fisherman registration licensee to harvest or land spot for the remainder of 2022.

The commercial spot fishery will remain closed until April 15, 2023.

Find more information here.

SAFMC: Requesting Proposals for Citizen Science Program Evaluation and Stakeholder Assessment

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is seeking a contractor to study and document the interests, motivations, and concerns of fishermen who might participate in the SAFMC’s growing Citizen Science Program.

The SAFMC is responsible for the conservation and management of fish stocks within federal waters (3-200 miles offshore) off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and east Florida to Key West. The SAFMC’s Citizen Science Program aims to work with fishermen and scientists to facilitate and support development of projects to address Council-specific research needs. For many fisheries in the South Atlantic there are long standing data needs and limited resources for data collection. The Citizen Science Program’s mission is to build and maintain an organized system that improves information for fisheries management through collaborative science—that is, fishermen, scientists, and managers working together to gather and analyze data that support fishery management decision-making.

Such a program requires an enthusiastic audience of fishermen who are willing and able to collect biological and socio-economic data as they pursue their livelihoods–in the case of commercial and for-hire fishermen–or their hobby, in the case of private recreational fishermen. When the program began in 2016, numerous fishermen expressed interest in sharing information about the fish they were seeing and catching, and numerous fisheries scientists and managers were enthusiastic about receiving additional data, so long as the information was collected in a systematic and rigorous manner. The positive interest in citizen science among these groups indicated a strong likelihood that the program could achieve its vision, to advance science and to increase trust, one project at a time.

Find more information here.

NOAA: Sea Grant Advances Investigation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern

Contaminants of emerging concern, like pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and microfibers, pose risks to the Nation’s drinking waters and aquatic life, but they are often excluded from monitoring programs and published water quality standards. Two new projects recently funded by Sea Grant aim to enhance research and monitoring efforts for this class of chemicals and materials while strengthening strategies to reduce their presence in aquatic environments.

In the Southeast U.S., the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium will lead an investigation of the drivers of aquatic contaminants of emerging concern in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and inform the development of potential mitigation solutions. The program will execute a competitive research program supported by a gap and network analysis, an advisory committee of community experts, and a blended research model of academic faculty, students, state agency representatives, community leaders and extension specialists to carry out research and outreach activities. Topics to be addressed related to contaminants of emerging concern could include prevalence, transport and interactive effects, climate change impacts and human health effects from seafood consumption. In the final year of the project, Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Interns will participate in the development and implementation of outreach activities for pertinent stakeholders.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: New Sturgeon Animation Released

Did you know that there’s a family of fish found along the East Coast of the United States that dates back to the Cretaceous period more than 120 million years ago when dinosaurs were still in existence? Sturgeon! Two species of these ancient fish, the Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, are found in coastal waters, estuaries, and rivers from Florida to Maine.

NOAA Fisheries and Maine-based animation team, Puckerbrush Animation, recently partnered to create a new digital animation that talks about these two species of sturgeon and the threats that have led to their protection under the Endangered Species Act. Though sturgeon have been around for millions of years, there’s still a lot we need to learn about these ancient fish to help inform recovery efforts.

Check out this animated video to learn more.

Find more information here.

NOAA: Making Progress on Marine Debris in the Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States is a large, dynamic, and diverse place. Home to over 10,000 miles of coastline and spanning from Virginia to New York, it features major metropolitan areas, iconic coastal bays and estuaries, and an incredible array of wildlife and habitats. The Mid-Atlantic provides a home, refuge, and nursery habitat for a variety of species and supports a vibrant coastal economy - including tourism, fisheries, and recreation.

Debris litters the Mid-Atlantic waterways and coastlines, entangles and captures wildlife, scars habitats, and harms the regional economy. Recognizing the threats that marine debris poses, the NOAA Marine Debris Program facilitated regional experts in creating and publishing a Marine Debris Action Plan. This framework aims to strengthen regional partnerships and reduce marine debris across the Mid-Atlantic states. Combined with coordinated efforts like this, the NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to support community-based projects that are making progress on marine debris in the Mid-Atlantic.

The City of Hoboken, New Jersey, and its partners successfully removed 14 abandoned and derelict vessels and structures that had long been littering Weehawken Cove, as well as two vessels upriver near Kingston, New York. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is also working to remove medium to large debris items, including abandoned and derelict vessels, from two salt marsh sites in Jamaica Bay, Queens, New York.

Find more information here.

What We're Reading

The Mystery of Milky Seas Is Finally Being Solved Scientists are uncovering more about an eerie phenomenon that has bewildered seafarers for centuries (Scientific American)

Crabs have Evolved 5 Separate Times—Why do the Same Forms Keep Appearing in Nature? (Phys.org)

Mysterious 24-metre structure discovered under sand on Florida beach Hurricane level erosion has exposed a structure archeologists believe could be the remains of a merchant ship (Global News)

New Methods for Quantifying Spatial Extent of Cyanobacterial Blooms in the U.S Across Different Geographic Scales (Florida Sea Grant)

California’s Slightly Less Gray Laws on White Sharks Advocates say the convoluted legislation won’t solve the problem of fishers targeting the protected species (Hakai Magazine)

Chesapeake Bay Watershed to Benefit from $33.8 Million in Conservation Grants (NFWF)

3 Tribes Dealing with the Toll of Climate Change get $75 million to Relocate to Higher Ground Support for tribal communities in Alaska and Washington that have been severely affected by climate change (NPR)

Batfish and Blind Eel: Deep Sea Creatures Discovered by Researchers in Remote Ocean (USA Today)

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