What's in the News . . .

1st Federal Fishery Management Sites Join National System (February)

The first federal fishery management sites will soon be added to the National System of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The sites were nominated by the National Marine Fisheries Service in consultation with the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council. They include four sites under the Fishery Management Gear Restricted Areas (under Tilefish Fishery Management Plan):  Oceanographer Canyon, Lydonia Canoyn, Veatch Canyon and Norfolk Canyon.  The nominations were open for a 30-day public comment period from July 6-August 5, 2010, and no public comments were received.  The nominations have now been accepted and will be added to the List of National System MPAs shortly. More information: (http://www.mpa.gov/nationalsystem/nationalsystemlist/.)

Contact: Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov

(top)

NOAA, NERRS Present Web Training for Science Teachers on Deepwater Spill (February)

On February 2, Atziri Ibanez, Education Coordinator for OCRM’s Estuarine Reserves Division, and education specialists from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Grand Bay, MS, National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), in the Gulf of Mexico, gave a live web seminar for science teachers on possible Deepwater Horizon impacts on estuaries. The seminar was sponsored by NOAA and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and delivered on the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Symposium website.  Forty two teachers signed in to the session, which focused on the Grand Bay NERR and the effect of the oil spill on this rich and sensitive ecological area. The presenters talked about monitoring water quality and steps taken to minimize damage to the Grand Bay area after the spill. 

Contact: Atziri.Ibanez@noaa.gov

(top)

NOAA Administrator Featured Speaker at "Reefs at Risk" News Event (February)

On February 23 at the National Press Club, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco delivered keynote remarks at the World Resources Institute’s announcement of its release of Reefs at Risk Revisited. The report finds that 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs are threatened by local and global pressures. The analysis includes threats from climate change, including warming seas and rising ocean acidification. The report is an update of “Reefs at Risk,” released by WRI in 1998. The new report uses the latest data and satellite information to map coral reefs, including a reef map with a resolution 64 times higher than the original report. Staff from the Coral Reef Conservation Program helped brief Dr. Lubchenco for her remarks.

Contact: Beth.Dieveney@noaa.gov

(top)

NERRS Science Collaborative Funds Nitrogen Study (January)

The NERRS Science Collaborative has funded a three year, $600,000 project to fill a critical gap in the scientific understanding of how nitrogen flows into New Hampshire’s Great Bay. The project’s goal is to give managers a better understanding of which sources of nitrogen in the watershed pose the greatest threats to the Great Bay’s water quality.

Nitrogen loads have jumped 42 percent in the Bay in the last five years, and the impacts are evident.  Water clarity is declining, and increasing nitrogen-fed nuisance algae are becoming more prevalent.  Eelgrass meadows are shrinking, reducing their capacity to stabilize sediment and provide habitat for marine life in the estuary. 

Through this grant, University of New Hampshire researchers are working collaboratively with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and local manager to locate nonpoint nitrogen hot spots within the watershed, indentify sources of that nitrogen, and characterize how streams, rivers, and plant communities drive watershed-scale retention of nitrogen.  They hope their research will show which sources of nitrogen in the watershed pose the greatest threat to the Great Bay’s water quality so that appropriate management actions can be taken.

Contact:  Dwight.Trueblood@noaa.gov

(top)

CELCP Opens FY '12 Competition (January)

The FY 2012 CELCP competition opened on January 7.  The due date for proposals is April 15, 2011, 6PM EST.  The Federal Funding Opportunity notice (FFO) and supplemental application materials and information are available at www.Grants.gov and on the CELCP website. The FY 2012 FFO, which maintains the approaches used for the FY 2010 & 2011 competitions to address changes contained in the 2009 CELCP authorization law, describes eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria in detail.  This year, for the first time, OCRM will be accepting electronic application submissions only; applicants are encouraged to plan their application timelines accordingly. 

Contact: Elaine.Vaudreuil@noaa.gov 

(top)