NOAA

Council Tackles Trade Barriers to US Tuna Fisheries at Meeting 

July 1, 2024 Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council

The Council recommended convening a group of experts, inviting federal agencies and the fishing industry, to address these regional unfair trade issues. Regarding U.S. labeling regulations, the members requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NOAA, State of Hawai‘i, Territories of Guam and American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) agencies to enforce Country of Origin Labeling and other local requirements. …

NOAA Forecasts Above-Average Summer ‘Dead Zone’ in Gulf of Mexico

June 19, 2024 National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NOAA is forecasting an above-average summer “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico covering approximately 5,827 square miles — an area roughly the size of Connecticut. The dead zone, or hypoxic area, is an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and other marine life. It occurs every summer and is primarily a result of excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas throughout the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed. The average dead zone measurement is 5,205 square miles over the 37-year period of record. …

Court Finds Federal Government’s Plan to Rebuild Sardine Population off U.S. West Coast is Unlawful 

May 7, 2024 Oceana

Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi ruled that the Fisheries Service’s rebuilding plan for Pacific sardines failed to prevent overfishing and did not ensure the population would rebuild within the legally required timeframe. To address these legal flaws, the Fisheries Service must develop a new rebuilding plan and ensure that their catch limits are set at a level that prevents overfishing and ensures rebuilding.   …

The Federal Government is Assuming Management of Salmon Fishing in Parts of Alaska’s Cook Inlet

May 6, 2024 Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, is taking over what had been state management of salmon in inlet waters designated as the federal exclusive economic zone, located more than 3 miles offshore. …

Recreational Closure of Red Grouper Harvest in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico

May 1, 2024 NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region

Recreational harvest of red grouper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will close at 12:01 am, local time, on July 1, 2024. The seasonal closure is expected to be effective through the end of the red grouper fishing year on December 31, 2024. …