Conservation & Environment Archives

West Coast whale entanglements up in 2024

December 20, 2024 — Whale entanglements in fishing gear off the Pacific Coast rose in 2024 despite state and federal measures to reduce such incidents, including efforts to deploy “ropeless“ fishing gear that could eliminate risk of entanglements.

Preliminary data from NOAA Fisheries shows 34 whales became entangled in 2024, the highest number since 2018. Another entangled whale was reported off Orange County, California, earlier this month but has not been seen since last week, NOAA said.

NOAA spokesperson Nick Rahaim confirmed the latest entanglement numbers for California, Oregon and Washington state, which were released to the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group on Wednesday and will be publicly released next year.

Read the full article at E&E News

Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts

December 19, 2024 — Two endangered whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off Massachusetts, and one is likely to die from its injuries, the federal government said.

They are North Atlantic right whales, which number less than 400 and face existential threats from entanglement in gear and collisions with ships. An aerial survey found the whales swimming about 50 miles southeast of Nantucket on Dec. 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

One of the whales is a juvenile that has a thick line that passes across its head and back and is likely to succumb to the injury, the agency said in a statement. The other whale is an adult female who biologists think has suffered a sublethal injury from the entanglement, NOAA said.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

ESA protections will continue for Pacific salmon, steelhead

December 17, 2024 — Federal protections for four West Coast salmon and steelhead species will remain in place for at least another five years, even as some populations have made progress toward recovery, according to NOAA.

The decision, based on formal status reviews, means restoration of salmon runs will continue for California coastal chinook salmon, central California coast steelhead, California Central Valley steelhead and Southern Oregon/Northern California coast coho salmon.

The combined fishery, which extends from the San Francisco Bay to the southern Oregon coast, includes key river runs from California’s Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Those habitat areas continue to “suffer from habitat loss as development and other threats compromise spawning and rearing habitat [that are] particularly important in preparing young salmon for a life at sea,” NOAA Fisheries said last week.

Read the full article at E&E News

Nuisance alga detected beyond Papahānaumokuākea for the 1st time

December 17, 2024 — A red alga first found by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers smothering coral reefs in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) has been detected for the first time by the team outside of the marine monument and more than 2,000 miles away.

The research team detected DNA matching Chondria tumulosa in Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the east-central Pacific Ocean. Papahānaumokuākea is a chain of islands and atolls that extends approximately 1,200 miles northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands in the northern Pacific.

“Our discovery in Majuro suggests that C. tumulosa may be more widespread than we previously thought. This could have significant implications for coral reef ecosystems across the Pacific, potentially requiring broader monitoring efforts and a more comprehensive understanding of the alga’s distribution and ecological impact,” said UH Mānoa School of Life Sciences graduate student Patrick Nichols.

A threat to coral reefs

First detected in 2016 and named in 2020 by UH researchers, C. tumulosa has earned a reputation for smothering coral reefs in PMNM, where it forms dense mats that blanket corals and other native organisms. Its mat-forming behavior, ability to spread rapidly, and unknown origin have posed significant challenges for reef conservation.

Until now, the alga had only been observed spreading throughout the three northwestern-most atolls of PMNM: first at Manawai (Pearl and Hermes), then Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) and Hōlanikū (Kure Atoll). However, a new detection outside of Hawaiʻi caught the researchers by surprise.

Read the full article at the University of Hawaii News

Lame-duck Biden flooded with monumental requests

December 17, 2024 — President Joe Biden is facing a wave of campaigns to create new national monuments in his final weeks in office, but people both inside and outside the administration expect the outgoing president to select just a handful of key sites that have already been thoroughly vetted.

During his sole term in office, Biden has repeatedly used the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate new national monuments, ranging from preserving sweeping natural landscapes to sites important to Native Americans to those that memorialize Black history in this country.

Earlier this week, he declared his seventh new national monument, recognizing the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, and acknowledging the government’s role in attempting to eradicate tribal culture through a boarding school system run by the Interior Department.

Read the full article at E&E News

How the 2024 Hurricane Season Impacted Recreational Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico

December 19, 2024 — The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially ended on November 30, showcased above-average activity. It had a profound impact on recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, causing recreational fishers to face challenges and interim closures. Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton caused devastating effects in many Gulf Coast fishing communities—many of which are still working to recover.

The aftermath of this hurricane season is still being felt by many key industries that contribute to the coastal economy— including the recreational fishing community. NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Recreational Fishing Coordinator, Sean Meehan has spoken with key members in the industry to learn the full scale of this hurricane season’s impacts.

“Hurricanes can upset coastal marine ecosystems, but they also have the ability to negatively impact the economy in the Gulf,” Sean Meehan says, “Many business owners rely on tourism to keep their tackle shops and charter operations running smoothly. I’ve met with several members of the recreational fishing community here in Florida who have shared the challenges they’re facing in the wake of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Rebuilding efforts are underway and it’s only up from here.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Sea Grant launches new projects to combat contaminants in coastal waters

December 16, 2024 — The NOAA Sea Grant program has recently announced the launch of new projects designed to address growing environmental and community health concerns related to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). These contaminants, which include a wide range of substances that may be present in the environment but have not yet been thoroughly studied or regulated, pose significant risks to coastal and marine ecosystems as well as public health. With the funding of these projects, Sea Grant is taking a proactive step to mitigate these risks, especially in vulnerable communities that rely heavily on the health of their surrounding natural resources.

What Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern?

Contaminants of emerging concern are chemicals or pollutants that are not well understood, are often not regulated, and may have unknown environmental impacts. Some of the most concerning CECs include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial chemicals that have been detected in waterways and marine environments. While research on CECs is still in its early stages, there is growing evidence that these substances can accumulate in aquatic species and harm ecosystems, human health, and the economy, particularly in regions that rely on seafood harvesting and recreational water activities.

New Sea Grant Projects Focused on Community Impact

The new projects funded by NOAA’s Sea Grant program address these concerns in coastal communities. The initiative will focus on enhancing the understanding of how CECs affect water quality, wildlife, and human health, particularly in areas where communities depend on clean water and marine resources for their livelihoods.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA make $20 million available for habitat restoration and resilience for tribes and underserved communities

December 13, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of $20 million in funding for projects that will advance coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of tribes and underserved communities. Of the $20 million of funding available, 15% is specifically available to U.S. federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native corporations and organizations that represent tribes. This is the third and final round of funding for this initiative under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for habitat restoration focused on tribes and underserved communities.

NOAA seeks to support opportunities for tribes and underserved communities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities, such as removing outdated dams and restoring coastal wetlands. These activities can help improve communities’ ability to adapt and recover from the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events.

“Tribes and underserved communities are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and are often affected the most by hazards such as coastal storms and flooding,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are making sure tribes have the resources they need for habitat restoration efforts that strengthen ecological and economic prosperity.”

This funding opportunity will support the following activities:

Capacity building, including activities such as participation in municipal or regional-scale resilience planning, project planning and feasibility studies, community engagement or proposal development for future funding.
Restoration, including activities such as demonstration projects, engineering and design, permitting and on-the-ground restoration.

“NOAA is committed to advancing equity in everything we do,”said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Through meaningful engagement and coalition-building, these investments will allow tribes and underserved communities to restore the lands and waters that support their economies and cultures.”

Through historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation has awarded more than $985 million for 214 projects across the country. The Office of Habitat Conservation has a long history of conducting habitat restoration efforts with large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert technical assistance through its Community-based Restoration Program.

Applications are due by May 12, 2025. For more information about this opportunity, visit the Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities webpage.

Visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

Fishing Gear Threatens Hawaiʻiʻs Already Endangered False Killer Whales

December 12, 2024 — A concerningly high number of endangered false killer whales are being injured when they get hooked by fishing gear in waters off the main Hawaiian islands, according to a new research paper released Thursday.

Published in the scientific journal Endangered Species Research, the research concludes there should be closer monitoring of that unique but dwindling local population and how the creatures — actually dolphins, not whales, and not killers — interact with the small-scale commercial and recreational boats that fish in those waters.

That could include installing cameras to record encounters with the false killer whales, which feed on the same large fish those boats catch and often go after what is already on the hook, said Robin Baird, a research biologist with the nonprofit Cascadia Research Collective, which led the study.

Read the full article at Civil Beats

US Western Pacific council fighting push to name giant clams under Endangered Species Act

December 10, 2024 — The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC), which has authority over the stewardship of fisheries in the state and territorial waters of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands, is pushing back against a proposal to list giant clams in the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“I feel NMFS is just ramming this through the system,” said WPRFMC Council Member Sylvian Igisomar, who is also the chair of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Lands and Natural Resources.

Read the full story at Seafood Source