2024 Flatfish Biology Conference

Atlantic Halibut | Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The 18th Flatfish Biology Conference will be held on November 13 and 14, 2024, at Water's Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook, Connecticut.

The Flatfish Biology Conference is a forum where a diverse community of national and international scientists, researchers, and students present research findings, and share their knowledge in a supportive and inclusive environment.

For more information, see: 18th Flatfish Biology Conference - 2024 (NOAA)

Tall Ships America Conference 2020

47th Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships
Tradewinds Island Resorts
St. Pete Beach, Florida
February 17 - 20, 2020
www.tallshipsamerica.org

Tall Ships | credit USCG

The 47th Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships will be held February 17- 20, 2020 at the Tradewinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

At the conference, hundreds of ships’ masters, crew members, program administrators, educators, environmentalists, port representatives, festival managers, and others will gather for an information-packed three day conference.

Conference sessions will address vessel operations, regulatory issues, coast guard licensing, administration and management, educational programming, safety at sea, media relations, marketing, funding, and port event organization.

For more information and to register for the conference, visit:

https://www.tallshipsamerica.org/event/47th-annual-conference-on-sail-training-and-tall-ships/

November is Right Whale Month

North Atlantic right whale | photo credit: NEFSC

In November, 2018, the City of Fernandina Beach Florida, by order of Proclamation, recognized the month of November as "Right Whale Month."

In November of 2019, Fernandina Beach will be the location of the 11th Annual Right Whale Festival.

The Right Whale Festival celebrates the annual return of endangered North Atlantic right whales to the warm coastal water off northeast Florida and Georgia, where they give birth to and nurse their young.

The annual festival raises awareness of the threats to right whales and how to aid in their recovery. The event highlights local efforts to protect these whales from extinction. The festival also features activities and exhibits that emphasize education and environmentally responsible practices.

The 2018 Right Whale Festival was held on Saturday, November 3 along Jacksonville Beach, FL.



Right Whale Facts

In 2017, NOAA confirmed 17 North Atlantic right whale deaths; about 4 percent of a population estimated at about 450 animals.

In August 2017, NOAA Fisheries declared the increase in right whale mortalities an "Unusual Mortality Event," which helps the agency direct additional scientific and financial resources to investigating, understanding, and reducing the mortalities in partnership with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and outside experts from the scientific research community.

In 2018, there have been two confirmed right whale mortalities.

There are currently only about 100 females of breeding age in the population and more females seem to be dying than males.

Births have also been declining in recent years, and no new calves were spotted in the calving grounds off Florida in 2018.

Every winter, many right whales travel more than 1,000 miles from their feeding grounds off Canada and New England to the warm coastal waters of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida's east coast.

Entanglement in fixed commercial fishing gear is a major threat to right whales. There are restrictions on where and how commercial traps, pot gear and gillnet gear can be set. These restrictions include seasonal closures and gear modifications such as sinking groundlines, weak links, and gear markings.

To reduce the risk of harassment or collisions between right whales and boats, federal law requires vessels and aircraft to stay at least 500 yards away from right whales.

Vessels 65 feet and longer are also required to slow to speeds of 10 knots or less in Seasonal Management Areas along the East Coast, including the calving and nursery area.

To report right whale sightings, especially dead, injured, or entangled whales, please contact NOAA Fisheries at (877) WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) or the Coast Guard on marine VHF channel 16.

The public can also identify and help marine mammals in trouble by using their smartphone. Learn more about the Whale 911 app by visiting https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/outreach_and_education/mm_apps/.



Related Information

Whale Smart Phone Apps

2017 North Carolina Coastal Conference

2017 North Carolina Coastal Conference
April 4 - 5, 2017
McKimmon Center
Raleigh, NC

North Carolina Sea Grant will host North Carolina’s Coastal Conference, April 4 - 5, 2017, at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The 2017 Coastal Conference will energize partnerships to develop solutions that can benefit the state’s coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems.

“Many communities from central North Carolina to the coast found their resilience tested in 2016,” notes Susan White, executive director of North Carolina Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina system. “They continue to need information and resources to respond to, recover from and anticipate both urgent and long-term coastal challenges.”

Coastal Conference sessions will include:

weather, storms and climate;

community and ecosystem health;

fisheries and aquaculture; and

planning and economics.

Experts from the fields of economics, transportation, energy, environment, industry, and health will lead interdisciplinary sessions designed to bring together diverse perspectives.

The program includes a networking reception on April 4 at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Research Center in Raleigh.

Registration and other details are available at ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-coastal-conference.

source: North Carolina Sea Grant

2017 Maine - New Hampshire Beaches Conference

The Beaches Conference 2017 (Maine - New Hampshire)
July 14, 2017
Wells High School, Wells, ME
seagrant.umaine.edu/maine-beaches-conference

The Beaches Conference 2017 will be held July 14, 2017 at Wells High School in Wells, Maine. Participant registration will begin in May.

The Beaches Conference works to provide continuing opportunities for exchange of the most current information among beach and coastal stakeholders with diverse interests, and to present the findings from Maine and New Hampshire beach monitoring programs.

Conference Themes:

Management approaches in our coastal habitats
Implementing successful projects in beach communities
Preparing for and adapting to our future
The nature, and culture of our beaches
Monitoring, research, and emerging issues on the coast
Respecting stakeholder needs and values
Coastal development and regulation

The Beaches Conference Steering Committee includes:
Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Kennebec Estuary Land Trust
Maine Coastal Program
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Maine Geological Survey
Maine Healthy Beach Volunteers
Maine Sea Grant
New Hampshire Sea Grant
Rockingham Planning Commission
Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission
Town of Damariscotta
Town of Kennebunkport
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Walsh Engineering
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve


For more information, visit: seagrant.umaine.edu/maine-beaches-conference


source: Maine Sea Grant

2016 Ocean Literacy Summit

Registration is now open for the 2016 Ocean Literacy Summit. Join scientists, informal and formal educators, students, and others at the Ocean Literacy Summit.

This year's Ocean Literacy Summit will take place November 3rd and 4th in Portland, Maine.

The 2016 Ocean Literacy Summit will focus on Ocean Literacy principle #3; The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.

Events will include:

• a climate change workshop led by the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI);
• a keynote address by Dr. Andy Pershing, Chief Scientific Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI);
• talks by scientists and educators, in a redesigned format that will enable participants to hear all presentations;
• an interactive Science an Education Fair to highlight hands-on activities and interpretive ideas on teaching ocean literacy;
• a panel on effective messaging, creative tools, tips and marketing;
• and numerous networking opportunities.

The New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative (NEOSEC) is a diverse networked collaboration of more than forty institutions from across New England, including aquariums, museums, universities, government entities and science and research centers.

NEOSEC’s mission and collective purpose are to leverage New England’s extraordinary assets, to engage the public in understanding the vital connections between people and the ocean.

For more information, visit: www.neosec.org

source: New England Ocean Science Education Collaborative

When Is World Oceans Day?

World Ocean Day (formerly World Oceans Day) is celebrated each year on June 8, as officially declared by the United Nations.

Canada proposed the concept of World Ocean Day in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the day has been celebrated internationally ever since.

Each year, civil society, science centers, research institutions, NGOs, businesses, communities, and governments celebrate World Oceans Day round the world with local and global events.

*2021 UPDATE*

In 2021, worldoceanday.org urged the world to drop the "s" from World Ocean Day

"To strongly emphasize our connectedness on this blue planet, we are officially dropping the ‘S’ from World Ocean(s) Day."

Oceans Facts

The World's oceans produce at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen.

Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.

Approximately 40 million people are expected to be employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

Related Information

worldoceanday.org

World Oceans Day - UN

2016 State of the Coast Conference

2016 State of the Coast
June 1-3, 2016
New Orleans, LA
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
stateofthecoast.org

The 2016 State of the Coast conference is a interdisciplinary forum where participants can exchange timely and relevant information on the dynamic conditions of Louisiana’s coastal communities, environment, and economy.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), The Water Institute of the Gulf, and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA) partner to produce this forum, the need for which grows with every acre of land lost to the Gulf.

SOC16 will consist of three full days of presentations by leading experts in concurrent sessions, keynote presentations, poster sessions, and networking opportunities.

More than 1,000 scientists, landowners/managers, federal and state agency personnel, local officials, industry and business leaders, resource users, and interested citizens will be in attendance at the 4th iteration of this biennial conference.

source: stateofthecoast.org

Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting 2016

Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting 2016
March 29-31, 2016
Baranof Westmark Hotel & Conference Center, Juneau, AK
phone: 1-800-544-0970
 www.westmarkhotels.com/destinations/juneau-hotel/
 
The Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting brings together salmon researchers from the coasts of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

source: Alaska Fisheries Science Center

2016 Shape of the Coast

The 2016 Shape of the Coast is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. This event is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Law Festival of Legal Learning.

The coastal session is co-sponsored by the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center; North Carolina Sea Grant; and the UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Law.

The program for the State of the Coast will include updates from the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission, the legislature and the court.

"This year’s program includes a set of timely and robust coastal law topics. Participants will learn how attorneys can most effectively work with scientists as expert witnesses, and about recent and ongoing litigation related to our public trust beaches," notes Lisa Schiavinato, center co-director and Sea Grant coastal law, policy and community development specialist.

"Whether you’re an attorney, business owner, scientist, regulator or policymaker, you’ll have a chance to learn about coastal law issues that are relevant to you as a professional."

To register, visit www.law.unc.edu/cle/festival.

source: North Carolina Sea Grant

Delaware Wetlands Conference 2016

Delaware Wetlands Conference
February, 3-4, 2016
Chase Center
Wilmington, DE

Delaware's DNREC will host the 2016 Delaware Wetland Conference which focuses on advancing wetland science and conservation through its theme “Educate, Connect, Protect.”

One of the largest gatherings of wetlands professionals on the Atlantic Coast, the conference takes place Feb. 3 and 4 at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. This year's agenda includes two full days of presenting and sharing wetlands expertise.

The conference brings together nearly 300 wetlands professionals, students and environmental policy makers. They will take advantage of 43 diverse presentations, along with interactive workshops, abundant networking opportunities and an exhibition hall with nearly two dozen displays showcasing programs and products available to attendees.

DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program and the Coastal Training Program organized the conference.

Registration closes Jan. 27. Interested parties can access online registration and the conference agenda at http://de.gov/dewetlandsconference. Interested parties may register for one or both days.

2015 National Estuaries Day

National Estuaries Day will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2015.

In celebration of National Estuaries Day, beach clean-ups, hikes, canoe and kayak trips, cruises, workshops, and other special events are organized by Restore America's Estuaries member organizations, NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, and EPA’s National Estuary Program.

National Estuaries Day began in 1988 to promote the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. National Estuaries Day is held annually the last Saturday of September.

2013 Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium

Sea Ice covering the Arctic Ocean melted away to a record low in 2012, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Alaska Sea Grant will convene Responses of Arctic Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change, the 28th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, in Anchorage, Alaska, March 26–29, 2013.

The event will bring scientists from around the world to share their research on how arctic marine ecosystems are responding to climate change.

Symposium topics will include:
* Observed and anticipated environmental changes in the Arctic.

* Lower trophic level productivity of arctic waters in a changing climate.

* Marine fish resources of the Arctic in a changing climate.

* Observed and anticipated responses of arctic birds and marine mammals to environmental changes in the Arctic.

* Effects of changing arctic marine ecosystems on humans.

* Understanding and managing arctic marine ecosystems in a time of change.

A complete description and agenda of the symposium can be found online at www.alaskaseagrant.org

The symposium is organized by Alaska Sea Grant, guided by steering committee members from NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Pew Environment Group, U.S. Arctic Research Commission, Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, North Pacific Fishery Management Council, North Pacific Research Board, and the Institute of Marine Research in Norway.

source: Alaska Sea Grant

ICCAT U.S. Advisory Committee Meeting

In preparation for the 2012 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT will hold its fall meeting in Silver Spring, MD, October 17-18, 2012.

There will be an open session on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, from 9 a.m. through approximately 1:30 p.m. The remainder of the meeting will be closed to the public and is expected to end by 5 p.m. on October 18.

Interested members of the public may present their views during the public comment session on October 17, 2012.
The meeting will be held at the DoubleTree/Hilton Hotel, 8727 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Written comments should be sent via email (Rachel.O'Malley@noaa.gov). Comments may also be sent via mail to:

Rachel O'Malley
NMFS Office of International Affairs
Room 12622
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910.

source: NOAA FishNews

2012 Sea Grant Week - Alaska

Alaska Sea Grant will host the next biennial Sea Grant Week for nationwide Sea Grant programs. The meeting is scheduled for September 15-21, 2012, at the Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.

Every two years Sea Grant Week provides a forum for exchanging information on issues of importance to state Sea Grant programs.

Sea Grant directors, extension leaders, financial officers, educators, and communications specialists will share progress, strategies, and projects in their regions.

About 200 directors, faculty, and staff from all 32 Sea Grant programs are expected to attend Sea Grant Week 2012, the first to be held in Alaska.

Sea Grant Week is organized by the Sea Grant Association.

Fishing People of the North Symposium

An international symposium coming to Anchorage this month will bring together fishery and social scientists, indigenous people, fishermen, community activists, and others to discuss how these changes are affecting fishing-dependent coastal communities, and explore ways fisheries managers can incorporate social and environmental change in resource management decisions.

Fishing People of the North: Cultures, Economies, and Management Responding to Change will explore the human and environmental dimensions of fishery management in a rapidly changing world.

The symposium will be held at the Hilton Downtown Anchorage Hotel, in Anchorage, Alaska, September 14-17, 2011.

source: Alaska Sea Grant

National Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Workshop

The National Ocean Council recently invited the public and stakeholders to join Council members and Federal, tribal, and State representatives in a public session on Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning (CMSP) in Washington, DC on June 21, 2011.

According to the Ocean Council, gathering public feedback through this workshop is a critical step
toward implementing a National Ocean Policy.

Workshop participants will learn about CMSP and help shape how it can be used to help harmonize the often competing uses of these waters, such as national security, energy and economic security, and conservation. This national session will be followed by additional opportunities for public engagement through future regional workshops.

This public session is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, in the Yates Auditorium at the U.S. Department of the Interior, located at 1849 C Street, NW Washington, DC.

2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference

The 2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference will be held from 24-26 May, 2011 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa on Mission Bay in San Diego, California.

The 2011 Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) Conference is being organized by the California Shore and Beach Preservation Association, California Coastal Coalition, Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, Society of Wetland Scientists - Western Chapter and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Program.

The conference will cover a wide spectrum of coast and ocean issues.

2011 Salmonid Restoration Conference

The Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) is hosting its 29th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference from 23 – 26 March 2011, in San Luis Obispo’s Veteran’s Memorial Center. The theme for this year’s conference is “Restoring Salmonids - Holding the Line on Species Decline.”

The conference begins with a poster session and reception on Friday night, and a cabaret and banquet with a Wild Copper River salmon dinner and the fantastic Latin dance band Sambada on Saturday evening.

For more information, visit www.calsalmon.org

2011 Ocean Literacy Award Given

Homer resident and noted marine science educator Beth Trowbridge received the 2011 Ocean Literacy Award, given for the second year by the Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE) to an Alaskan marine educator who has made significant contributions to awareness and sustainability of the state’s marine resources.

The award was presented January 16 at the Alaska Marine Gala at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage. COSEE Alaska is a partnership of science and education groups who receive funding from the National Science Foundation to promote outreach by marine scientists and collaborations between scientist and marine educators.

Partners include the Alaska Sea Grant College Program, the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Fisheries and Ocean Science, the UAF Center for Cross-cultural Studies, the Alaska SeaLife Center, and the Alaska Ocean Observing System.

Trowbridge is the program director of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) in Homer where she directs CACS program development and implementation.

Since 2000, Trowbridge has developed more than 35 outstanding CACS programs and curricula that have been used by some 80,000 people since 2000.

Her online oil spill curriculum, the first of its kind in Alaska, is housed by the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council and was used during the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Another breakthrough is her expansion of the Kachemak Bay CoastWalk program of marine debris removal and beach stewardship to coastal communities statewide.

For more information, visit: http://www.coseealaska.net/

source: Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence