NOAA Arctic Surveys 2019 (Preliminary Findings)

NOAA Fisheries recently released preliminary findings from its 2019 surveys in the Arctic.

The surveys include:

• Ice Seal and Polar Bear Aerial Survey Test
• Groundfish, Crab, Bottom-Dwelling Species Survey in Southeastern Bering Sea
• Arctic Larval Fish and Plankton Community Survey
• Aerial Survey of Bowhead Abundance
• Groundfish, Crab, Bottom-Dwelling Species Survey in Northern Bering Sea
• Arctic Ecosystem Assessment
• Aerial Survey of Arctic Marine Mammals
• Surface/Mid-water Column Community Survey
• Ecosystem Surveys in Bering Sea
• Passive Acoustic Whale Monitoring

The entire Alaska Fisheries Science Center Surveys in the Arctic: 2019 Preliminary Findings report is available here:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/alaska/science-data/alaska-fisheries-science-center-surveys-arctic-2019-preliminary-findings

source: Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Puget Sound Marine Waters 2017 Report

Chinook Salmon | credit USFWS

A new report finds that Puget Sound’s unusually warm water temperatures that prevailed throughout the West Coast since 2014 finally returned to normal in 2017. Although water temperatures recovered, life within those waters has not.

In general, biological observations within Puget Sound revealed that the abundance of many marine animals throughout the food web are still lower than usual. In addition, the region experienced both the wettest spring and driest summer ever recorded in 2017.

The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program’s Marine Waters Work Group, who authored the report, has been tracking the health of Puget Sound since 2011. This work group includes scientists from federal, tribal, state and local agencies, academia, nonprofits, and private and volunteer groups.

The work group looked at a number of environmental indicators, including plankton, water quality, climate, and marine life that when, considered together, provide both a long-term view and current assessment of the Sound’s health.

The Puget Sound Marine Waters 2017 Report can be accessed at: https://pspwa.box.com/shared/static/xzvxtmxv0lpomphceiotcwmr77ul75q7.pdf

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) supports the conservation and management of living marine resources and their habitats in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

source: Northwest Fisheries Science Center

New Canada Marine Refuges (Nunavut - Newfoundland and Labrador)

Newfoundland and Labrador

In January, 2019, The government of Canada announced the establishment of seven new marine refuges off the coasts of Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The new marine refuges will contribute an additional 145,598 square km of protected ocean area to Canada’s coasts. This represents an additional 2.53% of protected ocean, bringing Canada’s current total to 7.75%.

New Canadian Marine Refuges:

The Davis Strait marine refuge off the coast of Nunavut will conserve significant concentrations of corals, sea pens, and sponges. It will prohibit all bottom-contact fishing activities (where fishing gears are designed to come into contact with the seafloor).

The Disko Fan marine refuge off the coast of Nunavut will conserve significant concentrations of coral and minimize impacts on food sources in a habitat used by Narwhal during the winter. It will prohibit all bottom-contact fishing activities.

The Hatton Basin marine refuge is located off the coasts of Nunavut and Newfoundland and Labrador. It will conserve significant concentrations of corals and sponges. It will prohibit all bottom-contact fishing activities.

The Hopedale Saddle marine refuge off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador will contribute to long-term conservation of biodiversity by protecting corals and sponges. It will prohibit all bottom-contact fishing activities.

The Hawke Channel marine refuge off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador will conserve seafloor habitat important to Atlantic cod. It will prohibit bottom trawl, gillnet and longline fishing activities.

The Funk Island Deep marine refuge off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador will conserve seafloor habitat important to Atlantic cod. It will prohibit bottom trawl, gillnet and longline fishing activities.

The Northeast Newfoundland Slope (formerly known as Tobin’s Point) marine refuge off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador will contribute to long-term conservation of biodiversity by protecting corals and sponges. It will prohibit all bottom contact fishing activities.

Earlier this year, Canada announced plans to establish a national advisory panel that will provide the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard with advice on minimum standards of protection within future Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Canada’s waters.

source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Related Information

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Canada Commercial Fishing

NFWF Atlantic River Restoration Grants 2018

In December 2018, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), along with with numerous federal, state, and local agencies, companies, and organizations announced funding for a variety of upcoming projects to protect and restore rivers, fisheries, and important habitat in the USA.

Funding for the projects originated from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF), Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF), and Bring Back the Natives program.

This summary includes projects that will impact rivers of Long Island Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, and Atlantic Coast. For the full list of NFWF funded projects, visit www.nfwf.org.


Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) Grants:

A Fishway for Pages Millpond Dam (CT)

Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will construct a fishway opening 5.35 river miles and 4.25 lake acres of fish habitat for alewife, blueback herring, and American eel in North Branford, Connecticut. The project will complete the restoration of this riverine migratory corridor to Long Island Sound for the first time in 300 years.

A Fishway for the Railroad Pond Dam (CT)

The Town of Berlin will install a fishway at the Railroad Pond Dam in Berlin, Connecticut. The fishway will remove an impediment to passage and open a 12-acre pond and river for fish to pass to Long Island Sound including alewife, blueback herring, sea lamprey and American eel.

Planning for Two Fish Passage Projects in Southeastern Connecticut (CT)

Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will develop engineered designs for fishways at Whitford Pond Dam in Stonington and at Alewife Cove Dam in Waterford, Connecticut. The project will set the stage to provide 4.2 miles of access to spawning, rearing and refuge habitat along two riverine migratory corridors valuable to Long Island Sound diadromous and freshwater fish such as alewife, blueback herring, brook trout, American eel and American shad.

Shewville Dam Fishway Design Project (CT)

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District will prepare an engineered plan for a fishway on the Shewville Dam and Shewville Brook in Ledyard, Connecticut. The project will set the stage for the installation of a fishway that will reconnect 4.3 river miles and 152 acres of lake for alewife migration to all historic upstream habitat along a river corridor of Long Island Sound.


Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support projects aimed at restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in six U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

The grants were awarded through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF), a partnership between NFWF and the EPA’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program (INSR Program) and Small Watershed Grants Program (SWG Program). Additional support is provided by other government agencies and the private sector.

Increase Collective Impact on the Elizabeth River through Strengthened Partnership (VA)

The Elizabeth River Project will recieve funding to further coordinated stormwater management and ecosystem restoration in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The project will establish a leadership roundtable and summit to formally adopt a new watershed action plan, explore regional financing options, and improve coordination of green infrastructure projects at a variety of scales.

Formalizing and Growing the Middle and Upper James Riparian Consortium (VA)

The James River Association (JRA) will formalize an existing multi-party partnership structure designed to improve coordination and delivery of riparian conservation programs and practices in the middle and upper James River watershed. This project will utilize a consortium model to build individual organizational capacity of partners, coordinate project prioritization, and implement 200 acres of riparian buffers.

Envision the Choptank: Expanding and Scaling-Up Regional Partnership (MD, DE)

Shorerivers will strengthen and expand the Envision the Choptank partnership by identifying specific locations for best management practices on agricultural lands, providing training and education on high impact restoration techniques, and expanding landowner partnerships and technical assistance offerings. Project will continue to build the partnership of 17 regional and state organizations while implementing 250 acres of best management practices in the Choptank watershed.

Stormwater Pollutant Mitigation and Green Infrastructure at the Science Museum of Virginia

The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation will help mitigate sewer overflow events by removing 3 acres of impervious surface, installing an advanced bioretention system, enhancing existing green stormwater infrastructure education and outreach, and developing a predictive model of future green site and stormwater management projects. Project will reduce nutrient and sediment loads discharging into the James River and will demonstrate effective stormwater management practices.

Restoration of the Eastern Oyster in the Lynnhaven River (VA)

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will help establish 2.5 acres of new oyster reef, construct and plant 200 reef balls, and place 5.5 million young oysters in the Lynnhaven River. The project will be conducted in partnership with Lynnhaven River Now oyster reef construction, enhancing the population of native eastern oysters, and engaging approximately 500 volunteers in a wide array of hands-on oyster restoration activities.

Supporting Community-Based Municipality Stormwater Retrofit Plans in Prince George’s County (MD)

The Low Impact Development Center will create partnerships and provide capacity to the 12 municipalities within the Anacostia Watershed to assist in meeting National Pollutant Dischare Elimination System permit requirements. Project will engage elected officials, community leaders, citizens, staff and businesses resulting in the planning, selection, and design of stormwater retrofit best management practices.

Restoration of the Eastern Oyster in the Lynnhaven River Western Branch (VA)

Lynnhaven River Now, in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will construct a 3-acre oyster reef using crushed concrete substrate in the Lynnhaven River. Project supports an overall goal of 60 acres reef habitat in the Lynnhaven River.

Oyster, Shoreline and Stream Retoration in the Rappahannock Tidal Tributaries (VA)

Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) will undertake projects in Carter’s Creek and Urbanna Creek implementing oyster restoration on the river bottom, living shorelines and grasses to reduce shoreline erosion, and green infrastructure to address polluted stormwater runoff. Project will engage schools and community volunteers in restoration work.

Engaging Local Landowners in Living Shorelines and Shoreline Management (VA)

The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission will target landowners with contiguous repetitive loss properties to create a 500 to 700-foot stretch of living shoreline and develop rural coastal flooding resiliency plans utilizing sand from other dredging projects. The project will improve coastal resiliency and mitigation efforts, while simultaneously improving water quality and managing shoreline erosion and marsh loss.

Sustainable Streamside Buffer Establishment in the Upper Susquehanna (NY)

The Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District of New York will provide support to the Upper Susquehanna Coalition Buffer Program to plant additional riparian buffer acreage and facilitate management on riparian buffer practice acres. The project will enable riparian buffer stewards to evaluate and assess buffers throughout the watershed to determine plant survival and management needs and to facilitate management activities.

Stormwater Management in Shenandoah Towns (VA)

The Town of Woodstock will construct two biofiltration projects, incorporate permeable pavers into a retrofit of court square area, and foster broader adoption and better maintenance of stormwater facilities by the localities in the Shenandoah River Friendly Towns collaboration through a series of related outreach and training efforts. Project will demonstrate benefits of green infrastructure in Shenandoah localities.

Stream and Habitat Restoration in Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area (MD)
Grantee: South River Federation

Oyster Reef Restoration in the St. Mary’s River Shellfish Sanctuary (MD)

The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association will construct and install 5 acres of three-dimensional reef structures and traditional oyster restoration structures in the St. Mary’s River Shellfish Sanctuary. The project will engage 200 volunteers on site and an additional 600 STEM and public school students.

Trees for Public Health in the Harris Creek Watershed (MD)

Baltimore Tree Trust (BTT) will expand the urban tree canopy and remove impervious surfaces, focusing on planting trees along streets in neighborhoods identified as concrete-laden, with critically low tree coverage. The project will result in 275 newly planted street trees and the removal of 8,800 square feet of impervious surface.

Mircro-Bioretention at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church (MD)

The St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Congregation will install three micro-bioretention facilities in St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church’s parking lot. The project will capture and treat stormwater and pollutants that run off from the parking lot into Jones Falls River and Baltimore Harbor.

Living Shoreline and Oyster Reef Ball Restoration in the Turnbull Community (MD)

A South River Federation (SRF) project on the the South River will stabilize 748 feet of shoreline through rock sills and oyster reef balls; reef balls will be placed along the bottom of rock sills and set with oyster spat to study oyster population success.

Leveraging Partnership and Data in the Nanticoke for Stormwater Best Management Practices (DE)

The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center will use existing collaborative structures in the watershed to collect and analyze data about demographics and landownership to identify needed changes and gaps. The project will assist Nanticoke Watershed Alliance (NWA) in developing recommendations for stormwater management to increase participation in programs and implementation, meet total maximum daily load goals across regulated and unregulated parts of the region, and fit the communities’ financing capacity.

From Design to Construction: Scaling-Up to Meet Demand for Living Shorelines on the Lower Bay (VA)

Environmental Concern will increase the capacity of the Elizabeth River Project for in-house design and construction of living shorelines, rain gardens, wetlands, and other green infrastructure. The project will address a lack of available and affordable construction firms to meet an increasing demand for this work on the lower bay.

Reconnecting Floodplains and Stream Restoration in the Upper Sassafras (MD)

Shorerivers will produce a fully permitted stream and wetland restoration design that addresses an eroding 4,800 linear foot stretch of forested perennial stream in the headwaters of the Sassafras River. The project will result in designs for a stream that receives runoff from surrounding highways and a weigh station, as well as 370 acres of surrounding agricultural land.

Developing a Privately-Managed Upland Restoration Plan for Gwynns Falls (MD)

CityScape Engineering will perform green infrastructure audits and individual restoration site plans, providing a capital improvement planning tool for individual property owners, including anticipated costs for design, construction and maintenance of best management practices with recommended funding mechanisms.


Bring Back the Natives Program Grants

Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Watershed (VA)

This Piedmont Environmental Council project seeks to improve native eastern brook trout habitat in Virginia’s Upper Rappahannock watershed. In partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) the project will reconnect 2 miles of intact brook trout habitat and restore 200 linear feet of riparian habitat by replacing culvert structures with an open-span bridge.

NOAA Ribbed Mussel Urban Water Quality Study

ribbed mussels

Ribbed mussels can remove nitrogen and other excess nutrients from an urban estuary and could help improve water quality in other urban and coastal locations, according to a study in New York City’s Bronx River.

The findings, published in Environmental Science and Technology, are part of long-term efforts to improve water quality in the Bronx River Estuary.

Researchers at NOAA Fisheries Milford Laboratory in Milford, Connecticut began the two-year pilot project in June 2011.

They used a 20 x 20-foot raft with mussel growing lines hanging below as their field location in an industrial area near Hunt’s Point in the South Bronx, not far from a sewage treatment plant.

The waters were closed to shellfish harvesting because of bacterial contamination. Scientists monitored the condition of the ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) and the water quality over time to see how each responded.

“Ribbed mussels live in estuarine habitats and can filter bacteria, microalgae, nutrients and contaminants from the water,” said Julie Rose, a research ecologist at the Milford Laboratory, part of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and co-author of the study. “They are native to the East Coast so there are no concerns about invasive species disturbing the ecosystem, and they are efficient at filtering a variety of particles from the water. Ribbed mussels are not sold commercially, so whatever they eat will not be eaten by humans.”

Farming and harvesting shellfish to remove nitrogen and other excess nutrients from rivers, estuaries and coastal waters is known as nutrient bioextraction, or bioharvesting.

Mussels and other shellfish are filter feeders, and as the organisms grow, they take up or assimilate nutrients in algae and other microorganisms filtered from the surrounding waters.

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients occur naturally in the environment and are needed by plants and animals to grow, but too much of any of them is harmful.

Excess amounts from human activities often end up in rivers, streams and coastal environments, causing algal blooms, loss of sea grass and low oxygen levels in the water, which can kill large numbers of fish and other organisms.

Researchers found that the Bronx River mussels were generally healthy, and their tissues had high amounts of a local nitrogen isotope, indicating that they removed nitrogen from local waters.

They also had lower amounts of trace metals and organic contaminants than blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) collected from the seafloor nearby.

An estimated 138 pounds of nitrogen was removed from the river when the animals were harvested.

The researchers estimate that a fully populated 20 x 20 foot mussel raft similar to the one used in this study would clean an average of three million gallons of water and remove about 350 pounds of particulate matter, like dust and soot, daily.

The Bronx study is the first to examine the use of ribbed mussels for nutrient bioextraction in a highly urbanized estuarine environment.

source: Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Puget Sound Marine Waters Report 2015

A recent report by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center provides a comprehensive look at marine conditions in Puget Sound in 2015.

The report was produced for the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program's Marine Waters Workgroup.


The Puget Sound Marine Waters 2015 Overview can be found at:

http://www.psp.wa.gov/PSmarinewatersoverview.php

Puget Sound Wastewater Study

A new study of emerging contaminants entering Puget Sound in wastewater plant effluent found some of the nation’s highest concentrations of pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds, and detected many in fish at concentrations that may affect their growth or behavior.

The study by scientists from NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the University of Washington tested for 150 of the contaminants and detected 81 of the compounds in wastewater flowing into Puget Sound estuaries.

They include pharmaceuticals such as the antidepressant Prozac and the diabetes medication metformin, personal care products such as antibacterial compounds from soap and industrial chemicals.

The study also examined juvenile Chinook salmon and Pacific staghorn sculpin, both fish native to Puget Sound, and found 42 of the emerging compounds in their tissue.

Some of the compounds such as fluoxetine (also known as Prozac), the diabetes drug metformin and the antibacterial compound triclosan were present in fish tissues at levels that may be high enough to adversely affect their growth, reproduction, or behavior.

The research did not examine the potential effects on human health of consuming fish from Puget Sound, and it is unknown if these levels of emerging contaminants detected in fish could affect people.

The study funded in large part by the Washington Department of Ecology examined wastewater plant effluent, estuary water, and fish found in the Puyallup River estuary in Tacoma’s Commencement Bay, Sinclair Inlet in Bremerton, and the Nisqually River estuary near Tacoma.

The Nisqually estuary was included as a reference site because it does not have a major wastewater treatment plant and has been used historically as a reference site for toxicity studies.

Unexpectedly, they found that fish and water in the Nisqually estuary also contained high concentrations of some emerging compounds.

The study also noted that the relatively high pH of seawater often makes the contaminants more bioavailable and therefore more likely to be absorbed by marine fish compared to fish in freshwater, Meador said.

source: Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Mississippi Red Tides 2015

Along the Mississippi Coast, unusual red tides (harmful algae blooms) are affecting commercial fishing, outdoor recreation, and other activities.

In December, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued a preemptive closure for all beach segments along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

In addition, officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) closed oyster reefs. The decision was made as a precautionary measure due to the proximity of potentially harmful algae blooms in the Mississippi Sound.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has information for the public about harmful algal blooms, or red tide, on its website, dmr.ms.gov.

source: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources

Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (USFWS)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently released its Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment (GCVA).

The report evaluates the effects of climate change, sea level rise, and urbanization on four Gulf Coast ecosystems and 11 species that depend on them.

The ecosystems are mangrove, oyster reef, tidal emergent marsh and barrier islands. The species are roseate spoonbill, blue crab, clapper rail, mottled duck, spotted seatrout, eastern oyster, American oystercatcher, red drum, black skimmer, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and Wilson’s plover.

The GCVA was initiated by four Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) that cover the Gulf of Mexico: Gulf Coast Prairie, Gulf Coastal Plains & Ozarks, South Atlantic, and Peninsular Florida.

To learn more about the GCVA visit: http://gulfcoastprairielcc.org/science/science-projects/gulf-coast-vulnerability-assessment/.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service