News Updates for The Week of July 6, 2021
FL lionfish challenge, NC seeking striped bass advisors, and the most sustainable food options!
Upcoming
Meetings


July 7: Tautog Technical Committee Webinar

July 8: Atlantic Striped Bass Plan Development Team Webinar

July 12: Atlantic Menhaden Work Group Webinar

July 15: Atlantic Striped Bass Technical Committee Webinar

July 26: SEAMAP Joint Annual Meeting Webinar

July 29: SEAMAP South Atlantic Committee Webinar

August 3-5: ASMFC Summer Meeting

August 9-12: MAFMC Webinar

August 12-13: GA DNR CRD Climate Conference Meeting

September 13-17: SAFMC Meeting

September 28-30: NEFMC Meeting

October 4-7: Red Drum Simulation Assessment Workshop Webinar

October 18-21: ASMFC 80th Annual Meeting
(Long Branch, NJ)

November 6-10: AFS Baltimore Annual Meeting
Abstract submission deadline extended to mid-summer
ME DMR: Department Launches Web Form to Identify Shark Species

ME DMR has unveiled a new online tool to help people confirm if what they see in the water is a white shark, or something else. A form is now available on the DMR website that provides a convenient way to upload photos, to share videos, and to submit a description of a possible white shark sighting to the Maine DMR science bureau.

"Many people mistake other species of fish for white sharks," said Erin Summers, Director of DMR's Division of Biological Monitoring. "Species like Ocean sunfish or basking sharks are often mistaken for white sharks, so this new online tool will help people gain a better understanding of the species found in the Gulf of Maine." Once the information has been received, a DMR scientist will review it along any images or video submitted and will respond via email with information either confirming the species or requesting additional information. Submitters should not expect an immediate reply, as responses may take several days to be returned.

Find more information here.
SC DNR: Graham Eubank on the Sportin Life's Blue Marlin

Graham Eubank, owner of the Sportin’ Life, shared this incredible account of landing a 445.3 lb blue marlin during the 53rd Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament. Catch all the details by reading Graham’s take from that memorable day and expect to get fired up for the Carolina Billfish Classic!

Find more information here.
GA DNR: Department collecting red snapper data

Georgia DNR is working with NOAA Fisheries to collect data on harvest, discards, and fishing effort during the red snapper recreational mini-season scheduled to open later this week. Recreational anglers will be allowed to harvest red snapper in federal waters of the South Atlantic during the weekend of July 9-11. Each recreational angler is allowed one red snapper per day with no size restriction.

If you decide to fish for red snapper, there are several ways you can help the Georgia DNR collect valuable data. You can place your red snapper carcasses in a chest freezer located along the Georgia Coast. List of participating marinas and chest freezer locations. A $50 Academy Sports gift card will be randomly awarded to two participants who donate red snapper carcasses. You can provide information about each of your fishing trips by completing a brief Red Snapper Fishing Survey.

Find more information here.
MD DNR: Maryland Awards Climate Resilience Grants to Seven Communities

MD DNR announced the award of $415,000 to seven climate resilience projects to help communities prepare for, and recover from, climate-related impacts. These competitive grants are designed to help communities plan and design solutions to withstand flooding and other weather-related events. 

The projects selected will identify and prioritize vulnerable communities, incorporate climate change data and information into existing plans and policies, and develop nature-based or natural solutions to control flooding. Funding is provided by Governor Hogan’s Resiliency Through Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and NOAA.

Find more information here.

MD DNR: Outdoor Environmental Education Grants Awarded for Watershed Studies

The MD DNR has announced $160,000 in awards for student and youth outdoor science and watershed education in the state. Outdoor education funding is made possible from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant.

Find more information here.
NC DEQ: Division of Marine Fisheries seeks striped bass advisers

NC DMF is looking for commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, and other interested parties to sit on the Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee.

The division will hold workshops over several days in Fall 2021 to develop Amendment 2 to the N.C. Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. Since meetings may be held online via webinar, individuals interested in serving are strongly encouraged to have access to a computer/tablet/smartphone with an internet connection.

Find more information here.

NC DEQ: Grant money available for transient recreational boating facilities

NC DMF is accepting proposals for the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) Program for federal fiscal year 2022. The FY 2022 Request for Proposals is published on the division’s BIG webpage.

BIG is a grant program of the USFWS that reimburses up to 75 percent of costs for projects that construct, renovate, or maintain tie-up facilities and related amenities for recreational transient vessels that are at least 26 feet long. The grant program was authorized by Congress in 1998 and is funded by excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat fuel.

Find more information here.
DNREC: Scientists Investigate Mysterious Songbird Deaths in Delaware, Several Other States and D.C. Area

State and federal wildlife experts and wildlife rehabilitators are investigating reports in at least six mid-Atlantic and central states, including Delaware, of sick and dying songbirds stricken by an unknown disorder characterized by swollen eyes with crusty discharge, as well as neurological signs such as erratic flight and stumbling. The DNREC has observed similar symptoms in Delaware’s avian population and more than 50 dead birds have been reported.

Find more information here.
FL FWC: Lionfish Challenge 2021 Update

“I want to extend my personal thanks to each and every person who has taken the Lionfish Challenge,” said FL FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “It is my belief that your efforts do a great deal in helping control this nonnative predator’s population, ensuring that our native wildlife is protected.”

As of June 29:

  • 362 people have registered.
  • 69 people have submitted lionfish (64 recreational, five commercial).
  • 3,446 lionfish submitted.
  • 50 checkpoints for recreational participant submissions.

Find more information here.
NOAA Fisheries: Secretary of Commerce Approves Disaster Declarations in Four U.S. Commercial Fisheries

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced her determination that fishery disasters occurred in four fisheries in 2018, 2019, and 2020 — for two states, Alaska and New York, and for two Tribes, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis, in Washington.

Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: Digging Up Diversity Opportunities on Shellfish Farms

A growing diversity of aquaculture producers is bringing knowledge of farming, farm practices, and food cultures from around the world to help meet our growing demand for seafood. Male managers and employees have traditionally dominated seafood harvesting around the nation. However, Totten Inlet and Skookum Inlet farm manager Aisha Prohim is challenging this stereotype as she enters her thirteenth year at Taylor Shellfish in Olympia, Washington.

Find more information here.
What We're Reading

Climate policy has an ocean-sized hole in it. Arizona representative Raúl Grijalva has ambitious plans to bolster blue carbon and coastal economies (Grist).

Bringing Eels Back to the River Thames: One ongoing project is looking to reduce the barriers to migration for juvenile European eels (Hakai Magazine).

The Last Days of Butterfly Town, USA: Inside humankind’s emotional attachment to monarchs—and how we might put that to work (Sierra Magazine).

A vacant lot in the heart of Brooklyn is now a thriving aquaponics farm: the city’s only public soilless farm is bringing fresh veggies and the promise of food security to a diverse community (Grist).

Survivor: Salmon Edition. Will different salmon species adapt before the climate votes them off the island (Hakai Magazine)?
Partner Agencies
Subscribe or share with friends our collection of upcoming meetings, recent news alerts, and articles from Atlantic coast states, regional fishery management councils, and federal agencies.