The State Department today announced the appointment of Jim DeHart as U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region. DeHart will be the principal advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of State on all Arctic matters and lead and coordinate policymaking and diplomatic engagement on Arctic issues. DeHart has been a member of the Senior Foreign Service for 28 years [...]
Archive | July, 2020
NOAA Highlights New Data on U.S. Fisheries Population, Economics
NOAA today announced the availability of the 2019 Status of U.S. Fisheries Report and 2017 Fisheries Economics of the United States. The 2019 Status report outlines the status of 461 managed U.S. stocks or stock complexes, with the overfishing list reaching a record low in 2019, with 93% of stocks for which a determination can be made found [...]
NMFS Declines to List Dwarf Seahorse under ESA
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced its conclusion that the dwarf seahorse is not currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range and is not likely to become so within the foreseeable future. Dwarf seahorses have been reported in the southeastern U.S. including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, as [...]
POTUS Appoints Arctic Research Commissioners
President Trump today announced his intent to appoint Jon Harrison to serve as Chairperson of the Arctic Research Commission and Michael Newton to serve as a Member of the Arctic Research Commission. Harrison has been serving as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, while Newton is a [...]
UN Biodiversity Summit Set for September 30
With a theme of “Urgent Action on Biodiversity for Sustainable Development,” the United Nations Biodiversity Summit is set to take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The Summit, which will be convened at the level of Heads of State and Government, will highlight the need for action in support of a global biodiversity framework that contributes to the 2030 [...]
NOAA Announces Partnership with Scripps
NOAA today announced a 10-year agreement with the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography to improve how unmanned systems are used to collect ocean observations and support NOAA’s operational capabilities. NOAA also noted that the agreement will help meet objectives of the Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act of 2018, including coordination of research [...]
W. Coast Ocean Alliance Releases Tribal Engagement Guidance Document
The West Coast Ocean Alliance today announced its Tribal Caucus’ release of “Guidance and Responsibilities for Effective Tribal Consultation, Communication, and Engagement: A Guide for Agencies Working with West Coast Tribes on Ocean & Coastal Issues.” The guidance includes principles for consultation and best practices for consultation that address early and frequent communication, appropriate representation, understanding and respecting [...]
NOAA Announces Cloud and Data Strategies
NOAA today announced the release of Cloud and Data strategies that the agency called “integral to…dramatically expand[ing] emerging science and technology that will drive innovation and guide transformative advancements in NOAA’s science, products and services.” NOAA said that the Data strategy will help improve the management and overall value of the agency’s data, noting that it codifies existing [...]
Coast Guard Reopens Comment Period on Alaskan Arctic Coast PARS
In order to “provide adequate opportunity for public meetings in impacted Arctic communities, given recent COVID–19 impacts to travel,” the Coast Guard today announced that it is reopening the comment period through Sept. 30, 2021 on its preparation of an Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study to evaluate the need for establishing vessel routing measures. The comment [...]
