NH FGD will hold a public hearing on proposed rule changes to vertical lines in trap/pot fisheries on November 2, 2021, at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road in Portsmouth, NH. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.

In response to final rules of the modified Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, NHFG is proposing a rule change to vertical lines for lobster, crab, and fish trap/pot gear. The change would require the addition of a NOAA Fisheries approved weak insertion 50% of the way down each vertical line or the use of NOAA Fisheries approved weak rope within all New Hampshire state waters on or before May 1, 2022.

Find more information here.

At its October meeting, the FL FWC approved the creation of new regulations for spot and Atlantic croaker in state waters from the Florida-Georgia border through Miami-Dade County. The following changes for the Atlantic coast of Florida will go into effect Dec. 1, 2021:

Find more information here.

At its October meeting, the FL FWC announced the winners of this year’s Lionfish Challenge. The lionfish removal and incentive program ended Sept. 6 (Labor Day). A total of 21,146 lionfish were removed during the 3.5-month program. In addition, 471 people registered and 185 people submitted lionfish, the highest participation number since the Challenge began in 2016. Winners:

Recreational Category

Commercial Category

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At its October meeting, the FL FWC approved a draft proposal for a limited, highly regulated harvest of goliath grouper in Florida state waters. Staff were directed to explore additional changes before bringing the proposal back for final approval at the March 2022 meeting. If approved in March, this proposal would provide additional stakeholder access to goliath while continuing to allow access through catch-and-release, ecotourism and dive viewing opportunities. “I think we are going to learn a lot through the process, while continuing to promote continued rebuilding of the population,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.

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Across the nation, USGS has collaborated with school districts and other educational institutions that have work transition programs for students (mostly ages 18-22) with cognitive and other disabilities. It's known as STEP-UP (Secondary Transition to Employment Program - USGS Partnership). Through the partnership, students have training experiences with USGS to gain valuable job skills to support their goals of seeking employment and living independently.

The students engage in projects that involve sorting, counting, comparing, cataloging, and identifying and tagging information in various data sets from the different mission areas in USGS. Many assist in the preservation of at-risk data by scanning paper and other analog records and adding important metadata to them. While the projects are not mission critical, the students’ contributions do benefit the USGS, the larger scientific community, and the public by making information more accessible. 

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: National Fish Habitat Partnership’s 2021 Waters to Watch Projects Feature Coastal Habitats

The National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) is a science-based, state-led initiative to protect, restore, and enhance aquatic ecosystems across the United States. NOAA has been a key partner in NFHP since its establishment. This unique national partnership consists of a network of 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships, which focus on improving fish habitat and aquatic communities at regional and local levels. Collectively, they have completed more than 1,000 projects in 50 states. Each year, NFHP hosts the Waters to Watch campaign, which raises the visibility of some of the best on-the-ground aquatic habitat conservation projects implemented by individual FHPs. We are highlighting five coastal, estuarine, and marine projects in the 2021 Waters to Watch campaign that take place in habitats where NOAA works.

Find more information here.

Now that Halloween is upon us, you might be thinking about stocking up on candy for trick-or-treaters. But I’d like to divert your attention to a much healthier option for your grocery carts—good ol’ sustainable seafood harvested and farmed in the United States under some of the most robust regulations in the world. So put your thoughts of Halloween aside and let’s celebrate National Seafood Month! It’s our chance to focus on those nutritious omega-3s instead of sugar. (That’s right—I’m a mother of two.)

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: MRIP Data User Seminars Start October 26

The Marine Recreational Information Program will kick off a series of educational seminars next month.

The training sessions will provide stock assessors, fisheries analysts, and other data users with best practices for accessing, analyzing, and using recreational fishing data. Equipping data users with this information is an important step in the phased implementation of the agency's Recreational Fishing Survey and Data Standards .

Find more information here.

Catch limits imposed on menhaden have sparked a population rebound (NPR).

Massive Yet Misunderstood, What Is the Ocean’s Midwater? Discover what lives in the largest and least understood ecosystem on Earth (Smithsonian Magazine).

Low oxygen levels along Pacific Northwest coast a ‘silent’ climate change crisis (The Seattle Times).

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Outer Coast Killer Whales. Off the United States west coast, an assemblage of outer coast killer whales hunt from deep-water canyons (Hakai Magazine).

Keep online option at conferences — it makes them more inclusive (Nature).

Biodiversity’s Greatest Protectors Need Protection. Indigenous peoples have been conserving ecosystems for millennia. Now the developed world wants to evict them (Scientific American).

Marine heatwaves could have severe negative impacts on global fish stocks (Phys.org).

Ways for Dive Operators to Support Diversity and Inclusion (PADI Pros).

What sea level rise will do to famous American sites, visualized. New images show what areas of the world can be saved or lost if carbon emissions aren’t curbed (The Guardian).