NOAA's 2023 Status of Stocks

Yellowfin tuna. Photo courtesy of Bryan Gregson

NOAA Fisheries has released its Annual Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries. This report highlights some examples of successful management of U.S. fisheries and the broad economic impact of commercial and recreational fisheries on the U.S. economy. NOAA Fisheries’ 2023 Status of Stocks shows continued progress in science and management for U.S. fisheries. Key takeaways including:

• The number of stocks on the overfishing list decreased by three stocks, reaching an all-time low number of 21 stocks on the overfishing list.

• The number of stocks on the overfished list decreased by one stock, to 47.

• 94 percent of stocks were not subject to overfishing, an all-time high.

• 82 percent were not overfished.

• Since 2000, 50 stocks have been rebuilt

At the same time, while this snapshot shows progress in some fisheries, long-term trends reveal that many fish stocks aren’t rebuilding.

The report underscores the urgent need to address climate change which is fundamentally changing our ocean. From warming waters to acidification, climate-related impacts are jeopardizing the ability of fish to grow and thrive. Climate change makes the task of rebuilding stocks harder—but it is also more important than ever as abundant fish populations are more resilient to climate pressures.

Read the report. Celebrate the good news but pay attention to the need to rebuild all stocks.

A Mend in the Line

Effective May 31st, Whitney Tilt will step down as Executive Director of the AFFTA Fisheries Fund but will continue to work with AFFTA to integrate a strong stewardship and conservation core within AFFTA. This is part of an ongoing strategic planning process that AFFTA’s leadership is undertaking.

“I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to work with the fly fishing industry and help drive their commitment to protecting the fishery resources the industry depends on. Our continuing small grants program supporting on-the-ground projects and the launch of the “For Tomorrow’s Fish” campaign are two good examples of that work.”

In addition to continuing to assist AFFTA, Whitney will continue his conservation work in Bozeman, Montana. He can be reached at whitneytilt@gmail.com.

Menhaden Conservation Win in Louisiana!

Image courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Foundation

From The Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP)

In the most significant Gulf menhaden conservation outcome to date, Louisiana’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved a half-mile coast-wide buffer prohibiting pogy boats from netting, and also increased fish spill penalties. This comes after a compromise was reached last week by conservation organizations and industrial menhaden companies.

Conserving and protecting Louisiana’s vast but diminishing coastal fisheries and critical barrier islands, beaches, and marshes has been the goal of TRCP’s Gulf Menhaden Coalition for the last five years. This coalition of recreational fishing, wildlife/habitat conservation, and boating organizations has worked to expand public awareness about the impacts of the Gulf of Mexico’s industrial menhaden fishery and advocate for some basic conservation measures, such as the ones now being implemented.

TRCP has consistently worked with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, concerned anglers, charter captains, conservationists, lawmakers at every level, and the menhaden industry itself to enact meaningful regulations. The commission deserves a lot of credit for recognizing the validity of the coalition’s concerns and taking a big step forward in protecting Louisiana’s coast.

 The commission voted to allow the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to implement the new regulations immediately, ahead of the menhaden season’s start on April 15, 2024. While this decision is technically still a Notice of Intent, which must go through a 30-day oversight period where Legislative Oversight Committees may choose to review it and make alternative recommendations, it already has support from both sides and also from policymakers.

Map courtesy of TRCP

Artificial intelligence excels at counting fish

A female, buck, and jack coho salmon pass an underwater video camera on the Kitwanga River. (Still courtesy Gitanyow Fisheries Authority.)

It turns out that AI excels at the humble pursuit of counting fish

Drawing on cutting-edge technology, two research groups have independently demonstrated the potential for tracking salmon with AI in one case and DNA floating in the water in the other.

Warren Cornwall, Anthropocene, October 25, 2023

Anyone who has tried their hand at fishing knows how elusive their prey is. Obscured by the water, it’s nearly impossible to catch sight of fish in most circumstances.

Now imagine being an ecologist trying to count them. Scientists have relied on all manner of methods to track fish populations, many of them relatively crude: applying an electric shock to a stream and counting the stunned fish; hauling a large net through the ocean, then calculating entire populations based on the catch; snorkeling down a river; standing at a fish ladder on a dam and ticking off the fish as they swim past.

The results can be vital, helping fisheries managers determine whether to open a fishing season, conservationists gauge the health of a species, and scientists figure out if a restoration project made a difference. But the work is time consuming and plagued with uncertainty.

But some of the latest technological innovations are starting to trickle down to such humble pursuits as counting fish. In the last two months, researchers have independently announced the potential for tracking salmon populations with artificial intelligence (in one case), and DNA floating in the water (in the other).

The results are encouraging, and they could help scientists track their quarry far more easily.

Hatchery vs. Wild Salmon: What the Science Says

Winter-run juvenile Chinook salmon being prepared for release at Coleman National Fish Hatchery on Friday, March 2. Approximately 29,000 endangered winter-run were released that morning into the North Fork of Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River where they once thrived. The fish are from the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery captive broodstock program. USFWS Photo/Steve Martarano

The debate around the efficacy and impact of fish hatcheries has been ongoing for decades. On the one hand, hatcheries have played a role in commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries. On the other, there's growing concern about their impact on wild fish populations.

Established worldwide, hatcheries have aimed to mitigate habitat loss, counteract overfishing, and rejuvenate dwindling wild salmonid populations. While there are reputed benefits, such as replenishing fisheries that vanished due to dam constructions and habitat degradation, hatcheries also have a darker side. They've been linked to genetic impacts, reducing fitness and diversity among wild salmonid populations. Ecological effects that lead to increased predation, resource competition, and heightened susceptibility to diseases. And documented lower survival rates, with hatchery fish being less resilient in natural environments than their wild counterparts.

Thanks to a recently published literature review led by Trout Unlimited, with financial support from the Wild Steelhead Coalition and others, we now have comprehensive data that shines more light on this issue.

This review is not just another study. It's a culmination of four years of dedicated work initiated by fisheries scientist John McMillan during his tenure as the Science Director for Trout Unlimited's Wild Steelheaders United initiative and Dr. Helen Neville, TU's senior scientist.

Building on the groundwork by fisheries biologist Brian Morrison, McMillan, and Neville assembled a team of American and Canadian fisheries scientists. This team sifted through over 50 years of peer-reviewed scientific literature to understand the real impact of hatcheries on wild salmonid populations. Their findings? A staggering 80% of global, peer-reviewed research points to adverse effects on wild salmonids in freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Their publication, "A Global Synthesis of Peer-Reviewed Research on the Effects of Hatchery Salmonids on Wild Salmonids," offers an exhaustive look at these findings. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Fisheries Management and Ecology, the paper is a resource for anyone interested in this critical debate. Moreover, Trout Unlimited has made this resource publicly available, ensuring the data is accessible to decision-makers, resource managers, and the public. 

In a first, researchers have engineered marine bacteria to destroy plastics in seawater

Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash

By combining key traits of two bacterial species, the team created a novel bug that can break down plastics in salty conditions—at room temperature.

 By Prachi Patel, Anthropocene, September 21, 2023

Over 14 million tons of plastic litter ends up in the ocean every year, killing thousands of animals and birds that ingest it. Much of it ends up amassing in giant garbage patches and over time breaking down into smaller microscopic pieces that are harmful to marine life. 

A new study offers a glimmer of hope in addressing this marine plastic pollution problem. Researchers at North Carolina State University report they have genetically engineered a marine microorganism to break down a commonly used plastic in salt water.

 Some microbes have been found to have the ability to break down plastic. Researchers have genetically engineered bacteria, or even just the enzymes they produce, to convert plastic waste into valuable chemicals. A key limitation with these previously modified organisms is that “their growth is inhibited by high concentrations of salt,” the NCSU team writes. That means microplastics would have to be collected and washed off using large quantities of water before they can be broken down.

 So the researchers took a different approach, harnessing two different species of bacteria. The first, Vibrio natriegens, lives in saltwater and reproduces very quickly, doubling in number in under 10 minutes in ideal conditions. The second bacteria, Ideonella sakaiensis, produces enzymes that can deconstruct PET.

Utah Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Landowners on Stream Access.

Photo courtesy of Francisco Kjolseth, The Salt Lake Tribune

In May 2023, the Utah Supreme Court ruled the 2010 Public Waters Access Act remains as law. The ruling is a set-back for anglers and other recreationalists hoping to gain wider access to many of Utah’s waterways.

In 2010, the Utah Legislature passed the Public Waters Access Act restricting the public’s ability to access privately-owned steams. The law prohibited recreational water users (including anglers, kayakers, tubers, hunters and others) from walking on the private bed of a public waterbody. Shortly after the bill was passed in 2010, the Utah Stream Access Coalition filed suit against a real estate development company that was excluding people from areas of the Provo River it owned. The recent Utah Supreme Court ruling keep the 2010 law in place and effectively prevents future loosening of rules concerning access without legislative relief. A November 2017 Utah Supreme Court ruling granted public recreational access on a segment of the upper Weber River, based on the river's historic navigability.

So for anglers fishing in Utah the law means that you, whether fishing or recreating in public water that flows over private property that is closed to trespass, may not walk on the land beneath the water without obtaining landowner permission. The current law allows you to float or fish on the surface of the water, even if you're floating over private property that is closed to trespass, under the following conditions:

• Water volume. The water must have sufficient width, depth and flow to float your vessel.

• Stopping prohibited. You and your vessel must move with the current and not anchor or stop.

• Public water. The water must flow in a natural channel, or it must collect in a natural lake, pond or reservoir on a natural channel.

·         Excluded water. The public easement to float does not apply to any of the following waters on private property: A jurisdictional wetland (as defined in 33 C.F.R. 328.3); An impounded wetland, which means a shallow body of water formed or controlled by a dike, berm or headgate; or a migratory bird production area (as defined in Utah Code Section 23-28-102).

Landowners close their property to trespass by posting a notice or otherwise communicating that access is prohibited. Irrigated pastures, cultivated lands and certain fenced areas are presumed closed to trespass.

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For more on the court’s recent action: Utah Supreme Court upholds law making it more difficult to access waterways, much to the dismay of outdoor enthusiasts, Salt Lake Tribune, May 25, 2023.

To learn more about the work of the Utah Stream Access Coalition.

For more on current regulations: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

There’s a massive multi-billion dollar ecosystem just beneath the waves

Emma Bryce, Anthropocene, May 5, 2023

Until now, there have been no thorough estimates of the value of kelp forests. When researchers recently tallied it up, the figured they came up with was $500 billion a year.

Lush kelp forests that line long stretches of the world’s coastlines provide huge ecosystem services that benefit humanity to the tune of $500 billion a year.  

This striking figure comes from the first ever global economic assessment of these macroalgae, finding that especially when it comes to providing habitat that supports fisheries and slurping up nitrogen pollution, these ecosystems have an enormously under-appreciated value in our lives. 

There are over 100 kelp species, some of which grow as tall as the tallest rainforest trees, and fringe 25% of global coastlines. Yet until now there have been no thorough estimates of its value—which matters because we have no sense therefore of what the hidden costs of losing these underwater forests might be.

 The researchers hope that putting a financial value on these services—building on top of kelp’s intrinsic cultural, recreational, and social value—will increase the momentum to protect these forests. “As governments and businesses around the world look to expand the ‘blue economy‘, I think now there’s a nice opportunity to value nature,” Eger says. “When we have these sort of evaluation figures, we can start to invest in and protect nature—kelp forests, in this case.”

 Eger et. al. “The value of ecosystem services in global marine kelp forests.” Nature Communications. 2023.

Deepwater Horizon- 13 years of restoration

GulfCorps monitoring restored oyster reefs. (photo courtesy of NOAA)

Strong restoration progress continues in the Gulf of Mexico 13 years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which occurred on April 20, 2010 through the cooperation and coordination of five states, four federal agencies, numerous partners, and thousands of deeply committed individuals. 

Every April, the Trustees receive an annual payout of $489,655,172 funds from the $8.8 billion Natural Resource Damage Assessment portion of the settlement with BP, which helps restoration continue to make strong progress.

As of the end of 2022, the Trustee Implementation Groups have allocated over $4 billion to more than 280 projects across the Gulf—roughly half of the settlement funds have been paid out by BP.   

 Snapshot of Restoration  

In the last year, the Trustees have been hard at work finalizing new plans and implementing projects to restore natural resources, habitat, and lost recreational use. Here’s a snapshot of restoration activities that advanced in 2022.   

• In Alabama, Trustees completed the Fort Morgan Pier Rehabilitation Restoration project, acquired approximately 60 acres along the Waterhole Branch and the Green Branch of the Fish River (Lloyd Tract), and released a Supplemental Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment for the Swift Tract Living Shorelines project.  

• Florida Trustees sought public input for its third Restoration Plan, focusing on water quality, and approved a plan to enhance public access to coastal habitats at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.   

• In Louisiana, Trustees released the final plan for the $2.4 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, and began construction on the 2,800-acre Lake Borgne marsh creation project, the largest project by acreage the Louisiana Trustees have approved to date.  

• Mississippi Trustees released a third Restoration Plan in June 2022, with projects benefiting habitat, sea turtles, marine mammals, birds and recreation. Mississippi Trustees also began planning for their fourth Restoration Plan.  

• In the Open Ocean restoration area, Trustees initiated their third draft Restoration Plan (to restore seabirds), released a Restoration Strategy for fish and water column invertebrates, conducted 8 cruises to restore deep-sea corals, and worked with fishing industries to reduce bycatch of sea turtles and fish species harmed by the spill.   

• In Texas, Trustees released a $39 million restoration plan to benefit birds, oysters, sea turtles, coastal habitat, and reduce nutrient runoff. Besides initiating several new restoration projects, Trustees completed restoration of an important bird nesting island in Galveston Bay, began work on the 17-mile McFaddin beach and dune restoration project, began monitoring the Bahia Grande hydrologic improvement project, and used dredged sediments to increase elevation and restore marsh. 

• The Regionwide Trustees continued developing the projects approved in their first restoration plan to benefit marine mammals, oysters, birds, and sea turtles, and in particular made progress in developing a Marine Debris Hotspot Plan to reduce marine debris impacts to birds and sea turtles.   

WNTI Small Grants RFP

The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) and partners have announced their 2023 Small Grants Program Request for Proposals. Approximately $25,000 in funding is available for projects that catalyze or accelerate smaller, high-impact efforts to restore or recover western native trout in the 12 western states that are WNTI's focus. Individual projects can be funded at a maximum of $5,000. The deadline to submit a project application is May 22, 2023. To learn more and apply.  

WNTI is an initiative of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a recognized National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) that seeks to cooperatively restore and recover 21 western native trout and char species and subspecies across their historic range by funding efforts that raise awareness for the importance of native trout and focus limited financial and human resources toward the highest-impact, locally led, on-the-ground projects.

Advocacy chalks two wins for anglers

Sugar Industry's attempt to sue Army Corps over use of EAA Reservoir denied

Captains for Clean Water, March 29, 2023

A lawsuit filed in federal court by the sugar industry over the use of a critical Everglades restoration project—the EAA Reservoir—was DENIED last week. If it had been granted, it would have been devastating for Everglades restoration.  

This was a huge win for the Everglades and the future of restoration efforts. Shoutout to Everglades Law Center for leading our community's charge in the effort to fight this desperate attempt by the sugar industry.

 For more on what the lawsuit was about, what it could have done to restoration, and why this final result is such a big deal, read our full report.

U.S. Supreme Court sides with New Mexico anglers over access.  

Chris Hunt, Hatch, March 3, 2023

The high court's refusal to hear challenging arguments blocks attempts by landowners to limit access by anglers and other recreational users. the U.S. Supreme Court declined to overturn a New Mexico Supreme Court ruling that allows anglers to walk stream beds and banks within historic high-water marks. It’s a big deal for anglers and access advocates in New Mexico, and it will likely resonate with access groups in other states, like Colorado, where legal imbroglios over access to rivers and streams are ongoing. It could be precedent-setting.

Reopening Rivers to Migratory Fish in the Northeast

Removal of Holmes Dam on Town Brook in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Credit: Hawk Visuals)

NOAA Fisheries’ new story map, Reopening Rivers to Migratory Fish in the Northeast, highlights the many benefits that opening rivers and streams to fish passage provides. These projects help to recover threatened and endangered species and build sustainable fish populations. They provide opportunities for recreation, like fishing and boating. They can also eliminate or lessen public safety hazards and risk, improve climate resilience, and build stewardship in local communities.

Think adding more fish to a lake makes for better fishing? Think again.

Photo: ErikaMitchell/iStock

Scientists turned 20 lakes into little laboratories. Fish stocking didn't make a dent in the fish population. Creating better habitat did.

 Warren Cornwall, Anthropocene, March 8, 2023

 Every year, wildlife agencies around the world pour millions of young fish into lakes, streams and rivers. The work is usually done with the twin goals of propping up fish populations and giving anglers something to catch.

While the actions might seem like a straightforward equation (add more fish, get more fish), an elaborate study suggests that the math doesn’t work that way. Just adding more fish has little long-term effect. It’s the habitat that matters.

“Restoring central ecological processes and habitats—ecosystem-based management—is likely to have stronger long-term effects for rebuilding fish species and populations than narrow, species-focused conservation actions,” said Johannes Radinger, a scientist at Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, who helped lead the research.

The new findings raise questions not just about the benefits of artificially supplementing fish populations, but about the potential pitfalls of any initiative aimed at boosting wildlife numbers by raising and releasing more animals.

Cited Research: Radinger, et. al. “Ecosystem-based management outperforms species-focused stocking for enhancing fish populations.” Science. March 2, 2023.

Discovery of a new beaver benefit is a happy accident

A beaver lives here (photo: W. Tilt)

In a happy accident, a beaver dam built in the middle of a river research project illuminated how their presence improved water quality.

Warren Cornwall. Anthropocene, November 9, 2022

In recent years, the beaver has enjoyed a reversal in its reputation. Once, the bucktoothed rodent was viewed as a fashion accessory or a pest. They were wiped out in much of North America as their pelts were turned into top hats worn by 19th century gentlemen. Ranchers and farmers cursed the surviving beavers for their tireless penchant for damming creeks and flooding low-lying areas.

Today, however, beavers are increasingly hailed as ecological saviors, engineering ecosystems in ways that create more bird habitat, counter wildfire damage and build green oases in a drying world, among other things. Now, scientists are adding another beaver benefit: Their presence can help counter stream pollution worsened by climate change.

More on the positive impact of beavers. The tremendous benefits provided by just one beaver family. Beavers can “deliver significant geomorphic modifications that result in changes to nutrient and sediment fluxes,” write researchers, “limiting negative downstream impact” of agricultural pollution. To put it another way: beavers help clean up our messes. Brandon Keim, Anthropocene, May 30, 2018

High levels of toxic forever chemicals in freshwater fish

Fishermen try their luck in Lake Michigan near The Bush neighborhood in Chicago on Dec. 25, 2021. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2023

Eating just one freshwater fish a year can dramatically increase the amount of toxic forever chemicals coursing through a person’s blood, according to a new study that reflects more than a half century of pollution contaminating the Great Lakes and rivers nationwide.

The alarming finding is based on an analysis of hundreds of fish caught by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2013. Though the EPA has concluded some of the chemicals are harmful at any level, the agency hasn’t drawn attention to its fish sampling or warned Americans they could be in danger.

Nearly every fish tested by the EPA was tainted with perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS, a forever chemical used for decades in Scotchgard stain-resistant fabrics, firefighting foam and food packaging manufactured by Minnesota-based 3M.

Graphic courtesy of Earth Justice

PFOS builds up in human blood, doesn’t break down in the environment and triggers health problems such as liver damage, impaired fertility, immune system disorders, thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels and reduced vaccine effectiveness. Long-term exposure also might cause cancer.

“These findings point to the urgent need to eliminate more releases of these chemicals into the environment,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group and one of the authors of the new study. “We don’t want this problem to get any worse, especially knowing how long it’s going to take for it to get better.”

Continue reading at the Chicago Tribune:

Access the full report: “Locally caught freshwater fish across the United States are likely a significant source of exposure to PFOS and other perfluorinated compounds,” Nadia Barbo et al, Environmental Research (2022).

Hemphill Dam removal puts California Salmon in cold water

Hemphill Dam after rehabilitation. Image courtesy ECORP Consulting, Inc.

Collaborative efforts reopen six additional miles of habitat to migrating and resident fish.

California salmon are now traversing a rocky stretch of river northeast of Sacramento for the first time in a century. Until a few months ago, an 8-foot concrete dam in Auburn Ravine stopped most of them from reaching miles of cool spawning habitat. NOAA Fisheries supported the planning and removal by partners of 8-foot Hemphill Dam. It had been installed in the early 1900s to divert water into the Hemphill Canal but lacked passage for native salmon and federally listed steelhead. 

“This is a true win for the native fish stocks in Auburn Ravine and the people who live in Placer County,” says Neal McIntosh, Natural Resources Management Specialist for NOAA Fisheries California Central Valley Office. “The Placer County Conservation Program has helped focus the community and partnering agencies by highlighting important projects like this one.” 

According to recent stream surveys by Friends of Auburn Ravine, “Before the dam was removed no more than 10 percent of the salmon that tried to get past the dam succeeded. Now that the dam is gone, 79 percent of the fish are getting past the old dam site.” 

Nevada Irrigation District owns the diversion and was instrumental in designing and bringing this project to fruition. Westcon was awarded the construction project and worked in tandem with the natural resource agencies to design a project that meets fish passage criteria. They replaced the aging dam with a roughened rock ramp that resembles a natural river. This structure maintains adequate water depth for fish to swim through while also diverting water into the Hemphill Canal. In addition, a cone fish screen was also added to prevent juvenile fish from being trapped in the canal. 

The Placer County Conservation Program, Nevada Irrigation District, and many other partners took action to plan, remove the dam, and construct the upgraded Hemphill diversion. Now, six additional miles of habitat are available to migrating and resident fish. 

The Program, which began in 2021, has three components: habitat conservation, aquatic resources, and a fee program to generate funds for environmental projects. Partial funds generated from projects support the development of a reserve system on the valley floor and foothills of Placer County. Local, state, and federal agencies, private industry, community members, and landholders all contributed to the development of the program, which has a 50-year permit term. 

Programs like these allow local authorities and communities to steward the land in partnership with federal agencies. The habitat conservation plan is a component of the Program. It establishes a framework for compliance with state and federal endangered species laws and regulations that accommodates future growth in the plan area. By doing the planning and scientific consultation at the beginning, federal and state agencies are able to take a step back and act in an advisory capacity. Local entities then move ahead with implementation and maintenance of environmental projects to suit the needs of their community. Proponents of private and public development activities benefit from this comprehensive, streamlined permitting approach. 

Hemphill Dam before rehabilitation. Image courtesy ECORP Consulting, Inc.

Read the full article.

No tie found between whale deaths and offshore wind development

Humpback whale, Stellwagen Bank (photo: Whitney Tilt)

Federal regulators see no tie between whale deaths and offshore wind development

Kirk Moore, National Fisherman, January 19, 2023

U.S. fisheries and offshore energy officials said there is no evidence to support allegations that offshore survey work for wind power development might be a factor in more than a dozen dead whales washing up on East Coast beaches in the last six weeks.

The discovery of 14 dead whales, mostly humpbacks, since Dec.1 may be part of a larger “unusual mortality event” among Atlantic humpbacks that started in January 2016, and to date counts 178 animals, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said in a Jan. 18 briefing with reporters.

The strandings of two dead humpback whales at Atlantic City, N.J., in December brought protests from groups opposed to offshore wind energy projects, who contend the animals could have been harmed by vessels that tow survey equipment and sample the sea floor for developers planning to install wind turbines and power cables off New Jersey.

Agency representatives said there is no evidence to support those claims. “I want to be unambiguous: There is no information supporting that any of the equipment used in support of offshore wind development could directly lead to the death of a whale,” said Benjamin Laws, deputy chief for permits and conservation with NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.

Offshore wind critics question if sounds from survey equipment could be harming whales. BOEM officials – who oversee offshore oil and gas development as well in the Gulf of Mexico – said the survey tools used for wind projects off the East Coast are akin to sonar rather than the loud acoustic signals used for oil exploration.

Seismic “air guns” towed behind survey vessels during oil and gas exploration “are very high energy” intended to penetrate kilometers under the seabed to chart geologic formations, said Erica Staaterman of BOEM's Center for Marine Acoustics.

By contrast high resolution geophysical survey systems used for wind power surveys generate sound in short bursts of milliseconds, at longer intervals around 15 seconds, in narrow beams of sound that affect much smaller areas in the ocean than air guns, said Staaterman.

Baleen whales like humpbacks – named for the filter-feeding structures in their mouths – are sensitive to lower sound frequencies. Most survey systems generate sound in mid- to higher frequencies, said Staaterman.

“It’s important to keep that in mind,” she added. “It’s one of the first things we look at.”

Most of the survey work is looking at the sea floor and underlying “sub-bottom” to help evaluate conditions for building turbine foundations and cable corridors, said Brian Hooker, biology team lead for BOEM’s Office of Renewable Energy Programs.

Such surveys “are commonly used around the world” and there is no history of them causing whale deaths, said Laws of NOAA.

Necropsies on one of the whales found at Atlantic City and another just north in Brigantine, N.J., found evidence the animals had been struck by vessels. Hooker said BOEM requires workboats on offshore wind projects to adhere to speed limits to protect marine mammals. “We have a pretty rigorous reporting requirement for these vessels,” he said. That includes maintaining observers on board to watch out for whales.

Read on at National Fisherman

An oyster's siren call

Oyster cluster (Dominic McAfee)

Playing sea soundscapes can summon thousands of baby oysters, and help regrow oyster reefs

Dominic McAfee, Brittany Williams, Lachlan McLeod and Sean Connell, Phys.org 

Imagine you're in a food court and spoilt for choice. How will you choose where to eat? It might be the look of the food, the smell, or even the chatter of satisfied customers. 

Marine animals do the same thing when choosing a good place to live. Even seemingly simple creatures such as marine larvae use sight, smell and sound as navigational cues. Once we understand these cues, we can use them to help nature recover faster than it would on its own. 

In new research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, the authors amplified the natural sounds of the sea through underwater speakers. They were testing if sound cues would draw baby oysters to swim to the locations where they are trying to regrow oyster reefs. It worked better than the researchers had hoped. Many thousands more larvae swam to the study locations than control areas and settled on the bare rocks.

Pacific lamprey’s ancient agreement with Tribes

©Photo courtesy of Mason Trinca/High Country News

B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster, High Country News, October 1, 2022

The Columbia River’s annual rotation of anadromous fish included steelhead trout, sturgeon, coho, chinook and sockeye salmon, chum or dog salmon and the otherworldly Pacific lamprey —  a glossy-gray, eel-like fish with seven round gills bored into its sides like the tone holes of a cedar flute.

The Indigenous people of the Columbia Basin have an agreement with salmon. It’s the most honored animal, the first to sacrifice itself in a contract of reciprocal care: The people would care for the salmon and its waters, and the salmon would feed the people. There’s a similar agreement with the oldest inhabitant of the watershed — and one of the oldest creatures in the world — the Pacific lamprey. Or, as most Northwest Natives call them, eels.

Lamprey have lived on Earth for 450 million years. To them, dinosaurs were a passing fad, and the North American continent is a fairly recent development. Lamprey swim out to sea as juveniles, looking for hosts like salmon to parasitize until they are mature enough to swim up some other river to spawn. Adult lamprey are calorie-dense and slow, protecting their hosts and cousins, the salmon, by acting as a predation buffer in another gesture of reciprocal care.

Though lamprey play a key role in Pacific watershed ecosystems, they remain understudied outside of tribal fisheries. They’re the target of misplaced disdain, in part because they’re easily confused with sea lamprey, an Atlantic species that caused ecological havoc in the Great Lakes after a 19th century shipping canal allowed them to invade. Pacific lamprey are a different species, in a different ecosystem; they belong here, just like the people they sustain.

Western Native Trout Initiative call for proposals

WNTI Image

The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) and its partners are soliciting proposals for 2024 National Fish Habitat Partnership program funding. WNTI anticipates receiving between $150,000 and $230,000 in NFHP funds for FY2024 projects. WNTI’s #1 priority is the protection and restoration of habitat for western native trout and char species. Under this broad priority, actions that provide long-term protection of intact and healthy aquatic ecosystems that support priority populations and restoration projects are the highest priority for funding consideration. To learn more and to submit an application, go to the WNTI web portal. Applications are due by January 23, 2023.