Just in time for the new school year, the FL FWC has partnered with Pubbly, a digital education company, to launch five interactive games that engage and educate students of all ages on marine fisheries conservation. Jump in today at FloridaFishing.Pubbly.com.

Find more information here.

The FL FWC 2021-2022 High School Fishing Program offers high school fishing clubs or teams the opportunity to teach fisheries conservation, practice fishing skills and apply for the Florida R3 Fishing Grant Program. This grant program is focused on recruiting new anglers to ensure the future of fishing in Florida.

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A Florida angler is the new Maryland state record holder for a blue marlin, which he caught in an August 20 tournament at Ocean City. Billy Gerlach, 41, of Jupiter, Fla. broke the state’s 12-year-old standing record for the Atlantic Division, with a 1,135-pound blue marlin — Makaira nigricans — caught during the 30th MidAtlantic fishing tournament.

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Data collected by the MD DNR and Old Dominion University show that dissolved oxygen conditions in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia continued to be better than average in July. The hypoxic water volume — areas with less than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 1.02 and 1.20 cubic miles during early and late July monitoring cruises, compared to historical early and late July averages (1985-2020) of 1.64 and 1.63 cubic miles. The early and late July reports rank as the 7th and 8th best in their respective time periods, out of a total of 37 years of monitoring. The effects of Tropical Storm Elsa were not captured in July’s monitoring, as early July sampling occurred just prior to the storm passing through the Bay watershed.

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NOAA Fisheries: Six Ways Fishermen Keep Shark Fishing Sustainable

U.S. shark fisheries are among the most sustainably managed commercial and recreational fisheries in the world. Here are six things fishermen do to help help us maintain a sustainable shark fishery:

1. Have the Proper Permits

2. Follow Bag and Size Limits

3. Use Circle Hooks

4. Fins Attached

5. Identify Shark Species

6. Report Catch

Find more information here.

This summer, the NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture hosted two summer scholars, who helped advance NOAA’s aquaculture work and stakeholder outreach. Rose Leeger is a college junior studying Marine Biology as well as Environmental Science and Biology. She joined the Office of Aquaculture’s communications team through the EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship program. She spent the summer collaborating with staff from the Milford Lab to communicate and increase outreach efforts around the lab’s development of the OY15 probiotic. These efforts included assisting in the lab, and writing a feature story to educate stakeholders about the potential for probiotic benefits in oyster hatcheries.

Benjamin Hurley is a college senior studying Marine Science. He connected with the Office of Aquaculture’s policy team through the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship program. He spent the summer working on updating and expanding a permitting inventory of aquaculture policy in coastal states for public reference. The permitting guide provides aquaculture farmers with at-a-glance contact information for various government agencies.

Find more information here.

John “Jack” Casey was born and raised in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Two days out of high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served for 4 years on the destroyer escort USS Raymond. Following his military service, he returned to Turners Falls and worked at a paper mill for about 18 months. Seeking more on his horizon, Casey returned to school. He spent 2 years at the University of New Hampshire and 2 years at the University of Massachusetts, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife management in 1960.

Find more information here.

Perth boy Rehan Somaweera has become one of Australia's youngest authors of a scientific paper (ABC News).

What Does It Mean That Greenland Sharks Could Live for Hundreds of Years? A languid fish has a story to tell about longevity, lifestyle, and loss (Atlas Obscura).

Conservation needs more women, says Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak (Mongabay).

Can You Identify North Carolina’s Three Species of Flounder? Check out these helpful tips from North Carolina Sea Grant and NC DMF.

This Fish Is The Master Of The Poignant Pause (Science Friday).

Scuba Diving's 2021 Underwater Photo Contest Winners (Scuba Diving Magazine).

Op-ed: climate change is threatening our supply of fish. To save seafood, we’ll need to grow it sustainably (LA Weekly).

Sea Scallops Farmed in Maine Aren’t Just Sustainable. They’re Helping Their Habitat. There are only a handful of these farms in the United States, most run by fishing families in Maine. But their number is growing (New York Times).

Blobfish might be a gooey mess out of water, but check out a living one (Earth Touch News)!