oceanpolicy.com

In remarks delivered at the One Ocean Summit in France this week, U.S. Asst. Sec. for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina provided brief remarks at the conclusion of a session on “Ocean Governance Responding to Change.” Medina called it a critical moment for the ocean and a “time of great urgency where we need [...]

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today highlighted efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale (NARW) by studying impacts of offshore wind development, including through partnerships with other federal and state agencies. BOEM cited its engagement with NOAA to develop a science and management strategy to promote NARW protection and recovery that will include [...]

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Wednesday, May 4 on the agency’s initiation of a 5-year review for the North Atlantic right whales.  The review will assess the best scientific and commercial data available to determine whether the species should be delisted or reclassified from endangered to threatened.

NOAA today announced its plan for hydrographic surveys in 2022.  The plan includes two projects in the Gulf of Mexico (approaches to Calcasieu, LA and an ~770 sq. nautical mile area in the Northern Gulf of Mexico), four in the Atlantic (Onslow Bay, NC, approaches to Chesapeake Bay and Newport, RI, and Southern Virginia rivers), four [...]

NOAA today announced the approval $53.5 million in funding for two agency-sponsored habitat restoration projects in Louisiana.  NOAA said that the projects will restore ~1,100 acres of wetland habitat and “help support resilient coastal communities and sustainable fisheries along the Louisiana coast.  The projects will specifically restore areas in Plaquemines Parish and Cameron Parish.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today highlighted a “successful” Southeast Deep Coral Initiative, which involved a multi-year study of deep sea corals and sponges in the U.S. South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. NMFS noted that the study resulted in a 450% increase in coral and sponge observations in the West Florida Wall, revealed that the central Blake [...]

The White House Council on Environmental Quality today highlighted the administration’s efforts in areas including land and water conservation.  CEQ specifically noted the preliminary report with recommendations for “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” establishment of an America the Beautiful Interagency Working Group, and release of a progress report on implementation of the administration’s 30×30 conservation initiative. CEQ also noted [...]

NOAA and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to “responsibly advance offshore wind energy” through the coordination of resources, input, and responsibilities related to offshore wind activities in federal waters. The MOU cites potential areas of cooperation including the identification and use of best available science and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge [...]

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the release of the FY 2023-2027 Strategic Science Plan for the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Priorities included in the Plan include monitoring and assessing Alaska fish, crab, and marine mammal populations, fisheries, and marine ecosystems; monitoring and predicting climate impacts on Alaska marine life; and advancing new initiatives including aquaculture and ‘omics [...]

The U.S. Interior Dept. today launched a 60-day comment period on the development of the “American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas,” which is intended to reflect baseline information on U.S. lands and waters already conserved or restored and serve as a tool to measure progress toward achieving conservation and restoration of at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters [...]