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).

Each June, biologists from DEC’s Hudson River Fisheries Unit study the endangered adult Atlantic sturgeon when the fish return to the Hudson River to spawn. Atlantic sturgeon, the largest fish species in the Hudson River Estuary, are anadromous, which means they hatch in freshwater, spend most of their lives in saltwater, and return to freshwater to spawn.

Atlantic sturgeon may live more than 60 years, reaching a weight of 800 pounds and a length of fourteen feet. They are armored with bony plates, evidence of a lineage extending back to the age of dinosaurs. Sturgeon are bottom feeders, using whisker-like barbels on the underside of their snouts to find food - chiefly worms, insects, crustaceans, and small fish - that are sucked up in their tube-like mouths.

The fisheries crew set nets to catch the sturgeon, carefully moving the fish from the nets into a large pen in the Hudson, tied to the boat. Crew members then weigh and measure each fish, determines its sex, and scan them for an electronic tag, called a PIT tag (Passive Integrated Transponder Data tag). If no tag is detected, a crew member inserts one into the base of the dorsal fin. The sturgeon are immediately released back into the Hudson River as soon as they are examined.

The Department of Marine Resources has awarded $202,500 in Shore and Harbor Planning grants to Bar Harbor, Chebeague Island, Long Island, Thomaston, and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. These awards, funded by DMR's Maine Coastal Program and NOAA, will be used for harbor management plans, documenting and increasing public access to the shore, designing and updating water access facilities, and waterfront resiliency planning.

Chebeague Island's Stone Wharf is the primary access point for islanders and the Town is raising it to accommodate higher sea levels and storm surges. This will guarantee that the wharf remains useable in all conditions, increasing safety and maintaining the island community.

Find more information here.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has released a report and educational report card on the health of wetlands within Delaware’s portion of the Brandywine watershed, with wetlands earning a C+ grade with recommendations for improvement. Published by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program (WMAP), the report covers the Brandywine watershed, a combination of eight sub-watersheds. The Delaware part of the watershed resides in New Castle County, where it encompasses 72,969 acres (114 square miles) of land.

Find more information here.

DMF’s Seafood Marketing Program seeks to increase consumer awareness and preference for local seafood products. Our activities under this program are guided by a 19-member steering committee and funded by commercial harvester and dealer permit revenues. Here are some recent highlights of our seafood marketing efforts in support of the state’s commercial fishing and seafood industries and communities.

The Seafood Marketing Program partnered with Woods Hole Sea Grant (WHSG) to give away the most funds in the six-year history of the program. $175,169 was awarded in grants for eight projects that will benefit the Commonwealth’s seafood sector. Woods Hole Sea Grant contributed $100,000 to the Seafood Marketing Grant Program budget and the remainder of the grant program is funded through a portion of commercial fishing permit fees at no extra cost to the permit holder. Also, unique this year, a pitch event was held in December 2021 where selected projects were invited to do a five-minute virtual presentation in front of a panel of industry judges. The goal of the grant program is to enhance the viability and stabilize the economic environment for the state’s local commercial fishing and seafood industries and communities.

Find more information here.

In spring 2022, the Massachusetts coast once again played host to large aggregations of North Atlantic right whales. Seasonal feeding aggregations were observed in both traditional right whale habitats like Cape Cod Bay and in newly utilized areas like Massachusetts Bay and the North Shore. The Massachusetts Restricted Area (MRA), a seasonal trap gear closure, was geographically expanded in 2021 to state waters portions of Mass Bay and the North Shore to protect right whales that have recently extended their distribution to those areas. The importance of that expanded closure was demonstrated in 2022, as the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) aerial surveillance team observed aggregations of right whales in Massachusetts Bay, Salem Sound, and off Gloucester. Since 2021, DMF and CCS has broadened aerial survey coverage to include the northern portions of the MRA.

Find more information here.

As summer approaches, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources would like to remind people that marine wildlife — dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, whales, and others – are making their seasonal return to the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, as well as the Atlantic Ocean and coastal bays.

Anyone who has seen either a marine mammal or sea turtle in Maryland waters is urged to report it to the state Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program at 800-628-9944. Anglers, boaters, and beachgoers should especially be on the lookout for stranded, dead, sick, injured, or entangled animals.

Find more information here.

Fifteen lucky participants won $100 each in a yearly drawing held by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Multi-Species Tagging Program.

The tagging program randomly selected tag numbers from over 664 fish tags that were turned in by participants in 2021. Three tag numbers were selected from each of the five species that are tagged by the program.

The Multi-Species Tagging Program began in October 2014 and is funded by a Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant. Staff and volunteers place yellow or red tags on approximately 15,000 fish in North Carolina’s coastal waters each year. When a tagged fish is reported along with the required information, participants receive a letter and personalized certificate with information about their fish, as well as a reward. Those who return a yellow tag marked with “NCDMF” receive either $5, a tagging program hat, fish towel, or fish pin. Those who return a red tag marked with “NCDMF” and “$100 REWARD” receive a $100 reward. Additionally, those who return a tag are automatically entered into an annual drawing for $100.

Find more information here.