| Highlights  NOAA Fisheries shared its first-ever draft Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy and invited public comments through August 19. In addition to accepting written comments, we will host four webinars on the strategy, during which we will accept comments. Additional in-person meetings and opportunities to comment via phone will be announced on a rolling basis, once we finalize those plans. |  The U.S.-Japan Natural Resources Aquaculture Panel meets annually to discuss new methods to support the growth of sustainable domestic aquaculture. Beginning in 1971, scientists from NOAA's Office of Aquaculture and the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency have collaborated through the annual panel. They share research results, new technology, and innovative approaches to sustainable seafood farming. | | | West Coast  A study finds vaquitas are unlikely to be heavily impacted by inbreeding depression that can often undermine the survival of small populations, and they have a high probability to recover if deaths in gillnets are immediately halted. |  In October 2020, Ocean Exploration Trust's E/V Nautilus crew discovered something extraordinary—a potential deep-sea sponge reef within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The vast mounds of glass sponges and their skeletons are rarely seen anywhere in the world. The discovery is even more unexpected considering the area is generally well explored. | | | Pacific Islands  The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the world's most endangered seal species. For almost 40 years, NOAA has monitored the seal's population trend, researched threats, and taken many actions to save seals. Hawaiian monk seals are also one of NOAA's nine Species in the Spotlight. After decades of declining numbers in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the total population of monk seals began to increase gradually in 2013 in both the Northwestern and main Hawaiian Islands. |  NOAA biologists aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette departed Oʻahu for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to study Hawaiian green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. |  Have you ever heard someone refer to a Hawaiian monk seal by a name and wondered, "where did that name come from?" Wonder no more! Here's how Hawaiian monk seals get their names. | | | Southeast  Have you caught and released reef fish, only to see them float away on the surface? The Return 'Em Right project is now providing recreational anglers with the knowledge and tools to improve reef fish survival in the Gulf of Mexico. | | | New England/Mid-Atlantic  Dive into the diverse science collected in the Northeast region and learn about the historic origins of Woods Hole, which today is an epicenter of oceanography and home to several institutions, including the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. |  NOAA has announced the Middle Peninsula, an area on Virginia's Western Shore, as the 11th NOAA Habitat Focus Area. The area provides important habitat for economically and ecologically important fish and wildlife, but it is experiencing significant effects from climate change. NOAA Habitat Focus Areas are places where NOAA brings partners and communities together to work on mutual habitat conservation goals. | | | Upcoming Deadlines USDA DEADLINES May 16: Applications due for Farmers Market Promotion Program grants. May 16: Applications due for Local Food Promotion Program grants. May 16: Applications due for Regional Food System Partnerships grants. May 16: Public comments due for Competition in Food Retail and Distribution Markets and Access for Agricultural Producers and Small and Mid-sized Food Processors. July 20: Applications due for Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program grants. View more news and announcements. | | Upcoming Events June 7–9: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Riverhead, New York. June 8–14: Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Vancouver, Washington. June 13–17: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting in Key West. June 21–24: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Fort Myers, Florida. June 21-24: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Meeting (virtual) June 28–30: New England Fishery Management Council meeting in Portland, Maine. Oct 23–27, 2023: ICES PICES Science Conference View more events. | | | |
