Public Comments Invited on 2005 Marine Mammal Stock Assessments The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) requires NOAA Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare stock assessments for each stock of marine mammals occurring in waters under the jurisdiction of the United States. These reports contain information regarding the distribution and abundance […]
NOAA Grant Programs to Support Community-based Habitat Efforts in 2006 NOAA has published a Notice advertising the availability of funds for its competitive grant programs. The Community-based Restoration Program is soliciting applications from non-profit organizations, academia, local and state agencies, and community groups wishing to conduct fishery habitat restoration projects. A new program will also […]
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Candidates for 2 Executive Positions NOAA Fisheries Service is currently advertising two senior executive positions – Director, Office of Science and Technology and Director, Office of Habitat Conservation in its Headquarters Office in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Director, Office of Science and Technology is located in NOAA Fisheries Service’s Headquarters Office in […]
Recent Additions to the MPA Virtual LibraryThe spring 2005 issue of the Marine Technology Society Journal (39, 1)focuses on the contribution of acoustic telemetry to the design ofmarine protected areas (MPAs). Papers address key questions such as useof this data to determine whether a reserve is located and sized toprotect species of interest, and whether […]
Federal Advisory Committee Delivers Marine Protected Area Recommendations to Commerce and Interior DepartmentsThe Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee delivered itsfirst set of recommendations for the creation of a national system ofmarine protected areas to the Department of Commerce and the Departmentof the Interior today.The report, which is consistent with the Administration’s U.S. OceanAction Plan, […]
NTSB ISSUES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SMALL PASSENGER VESSEL SAFETY FOLLOWING CAPSIZING OF FISHING VESSEL IN OREGONWASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Transportation Safety Board today recommended that small passenger vessel owners develop and implement go/no go policies, based on risk-management principles, regarding transiting bars and inlets, and that the Coast Guard require passengers of such vessels on […]
LATEST RESCUES PUSH TOTAL U.S. SARSAT SAVES PAST 5,000 MARK U.S. Coast Guard crewsâ€â€ÂÂÂin two incidentsâ€â€ÂÂÂrescued five people from choppy waters off the Florida coast on June 10, and pushed the total lives saved in the United States, from the international Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT) beyond the 5,000 mark. Since SARSAT was […]
NOAA RESEARCH YIELDS NEW TOOLS FOR LIGHTNING PREDICTION June 23, 2005  Forecasters at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., now have additional tools to more accurately predict the occurrence of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes within thunderstorms. The lightning climatology and lightning prediction system helps meteorologists determine areas where these lightning flashes could […]
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Increased NOAA Funding: On June 23, the Senate Appropriations Committee (Chair Thad Cochran, R-MS) approved the FY ‘06 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations (CJS) bill. Approved by the Committee was $4.5 billion for NOAA: $550.8 million above the FY ‘05 level and $894.8 million above the Administration request, according […]
NOAA Fisheries Service Proposes Improved Guidelines to Implement National Standard 1 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act NOAA Fisheries Service is proposing to modify the guidelines that help fishery managers implement National Standard 1 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. National Standard 1 requires fishery managers to prevent overfishing and rebuild stocks in federal waters […]
