NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) has announced the issuance of a regulation effective Mar. 16, 2023 that removes a section from existing regulations pertaining to the resolution of conflicting federal agency regulations by the ONMS Director. The revision was made in response to concerns from federal agencies that the existing regulations providing that a conflict between [...]
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NOPC Releases First-of-its-Kind U.S. Marine Conservation Assessment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 9, 2023 National Ocean Policy Coalition Releases First-of-its-Kind U.S. Marine Conservation Assessment Report Identifies 4,200+ Conservation Areas Equal to ~500 Percent of U.S. Marine Waters The National Ocean Policy Coalition (NOPC) today released the first-of-its-kind assessment of U.S. federal and state conservation actions throughout the nation’s marine waters. Analyzing actions across [...]
E&E News: Oceans and Other Waters Already Very Protected, Report Says
E&E NEWS PM | As the Biden administration looks to boost conservation, including of the nation’s waters, an organization representing the interests of the oceans’ commercial and recreational users says existing marine conservation actions are already expansive. The National Ocean Policy Coalition released an assessment Thursday that found more than 4,200 sites, spanning more than [...]
FWS Seeks Comments on Draft Revised MMPA Stock Assessment Reports
The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, May 8 on draft revised marine mammal stock assessment reports for the Pacific walrus, the southwest stock of the northern sea otter, southcentral stock of the northern sea otter, and southeast stock of the northern sea otter. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the U.S. Fish and [...]
NMFS Announces Updated Guidance on MMPA Stock Assessment Reports
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced the availability of revised Guidelines for Preparing Stock Assessment Reports Pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (NMFS Procedural Directive). The update follows a determination in 2020 that revisions were warranted, and implements major revisions related to the incorporation of other NMFS Procedural Directives, calculating the minimum population abundance in post-survey [...]
BOEM Announces New Standing Cmte. on Offshore Wind and Fisheries
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s establishment of the Standing Committee for Offshore Wind Energy and Fisheries. The 12-member Committee is tasked with providing ongoing assistance to BOEM regarding agency efforts to engage the fisheries community and serves as a forum for discussion on the state of science [...]
DOI Announces Final Rule Transferring Renewable Energy Authority
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) today announced the availability of a final rule effective immediately that reassigns safety, environmental oversight, and enforcement-related renewable energy regulations from BOEM to BSEE. The rule includes reassignment of the authority to oversee facility design, fabrication, installation, and safety management systems; [...]
NOAA Announces ~$64M in Funding for LA Habitat Restoration Projects
NOAA today announced the approval of over $64 million in funding for two habitat restoration projects in Louisiana. Funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act Program, the projects to be carried out in partnership with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority will restore ~724 acres of wetland habitat in St. Bernard Parish and Terrebonne Parish.
Comments Sought on Draft 2022 MMPA Stock Assessment Reports
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Monday, Apr. 24 on draft 2022 marine mammal stock assessment reports for marine mammals in the Alaska, Atlantic (includes Gulf of Mexico), and Pacific regions. New information is also requested for strategic stocks that were not updated in 2022. The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires NMFS and the [...]
NOAA Announces Ocean & Coastal Resource Mgmt. Funding Award
NOAA today announced the award of ~$20.5 million in Infrastructure Jobs and Investment Act funding for coordinated ocean and coastal resource management, including $15.7 million for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, and West Coast Ocean Alliance; $1.1 million for four federally-recognized tribes/tribal organizations; and $3.7 million for five U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing [...]
