Saving Seafood

More sharks along East Coast: 2,800 tagged this spring

September 8, 2015 — If it seems like there were more sharks than usual near the coast this spring, that’s because there were. A team of federal researchers, part of the longest-running coastal shark research program along the East Coast, captured and tagged more than 2,800 sharks — the most in 29 years of population monitoring before the summer season got underway.

“We caught fish throughout the survey,” said Lisa Natanson, a scientist at the Narragansett Laboratory of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center and leader of the coastal shark survey. “Sandbar sharks were all along the coast, while most of the dusky sharks were off North Carolina. We captured a bull shark for the first time since 2001 and recaptured 10 sharks previously tagged by our program and two sharks tagged by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.”

No one is sure why the numbers were up. It could have been the fish were simply concentrated in the study area from Florida north to Delaware during the time the sampling occurred. That could have been driven by any number of factors ranging from water temperatures to availability of prey, said Shelley Dawicki, a spokeswoman for the science center.

Read the full story at Delaware Online

 

Report Available: Independent Review of NEFSC’s Fisheries Sampling Branch

August 28, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces that the report on the recent independent program review of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Fisheries Sampling Branch is now available.  

Fishery monitoring is a vital part of our data collection and delivery. We take very seriously our role in ensuring its quality and our accountability to the fishermen, seafood dealers, and researchers and fishery managers who help provide the data and rely on our products.  

The review was conducted early this year by IC Independent Consulting. 

The final report and a memo outlining our planned actions in response to the findings are available on our website.

Woods Hole Science Stroll Sunday, August 9 Offers Free Family Science Activities

August 6, 2015 — Interested in touring a research vessel, seeing the submersible ALVIN and other ocean robots, or learning about research on whales and sea turtles, squid, plastics in the ocean, and climate change?

These activities are just a few of the many exhibits, demonstrations and displays to be featured by Woods Hole science organizations during the Woods Hole Science Stroll.

The free public event will be held Sunday, August 9 from 11 am to 3 pm on Water Street in Woods Hole. 

The NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow will be open for tours at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock, with the submersible ALVIN and other WHOI ocean robots on display nearby. The WHOI Ocean Science Exhibit Center, featuring interactive ocean exhibits, will be open on School Street. Visitors can see squid and other aquatic organisms in research tanks at the Marine Biological Laboratory’s Marine Resources Center, and learn about biology, biomedicine, and environmental science research at their Visitors Center on Water Street.

Get all the details about the day’s events or get directions and more information.

Questions? 

Contact Shelley Dawicki, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, at 508-289-2252 or Shelley.Dawicki@noaa.gov.

NEW TIMES AND LOCATIONS: JULY 22 MEETINGS FOR FISHERMEN ON GROUNDFISH OPERATIONAL ASSESSMENTS

July 20, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

Northeast Fisheries Science Center Hosting Outreach Meetings on July 22 on Groundfish Operational Assessments. The NEFSC is holding outreach meetings on July 22 in Portland, Gloucester, Woods Hole, New Bedford, and Hampton, NH for fishermen interested in the upcoming operational assessments for 20 stocks of Northeast groundfish.

Information on meeting times and locations has been updated, with New Bedford and Woods Hole meetings from 10am-12noon, Gloucester and Portland meetings from 2-4pm, and a meeting added in Hampton, NH from 6-8pm.

Assessment analysts will be on hand to meet with interested fishermen, and to learn more about recent observations from the fleet that might help focus future research to improve assessments. 

There will also be a short webinar on the timeline for the assessments, what new information will be considered, and how the results will be reviewed before they are sent into the fishery management process.

Questions? Contact Teri Frady at 508-495-2239 or email teri.frady@noaa.gov.