Celebrating Habitat Month 2022: Healthy Habitat, Resilient Infrastructure
We are excited to kick off Habitat Month at NOAA Fisheries. All month long, we will share NOAA Fisheries’ many habitat conservation efforts through our website and social media. The theme this year is “Healthy Habitat, Resilient Infrastructure”! Learn more about the role of healthy habitat in building coastal resilience.
Highlights
Size Matters: Examining the Effect of Body Size on Birth Rates in North Atlantic Right Whales
In this video, we share recent research that reveals smaller female North Atlantic right whales produce fewer calves. Their body size has been declining in recent decades due to increased entanglements in fishing gear and other factors.
Zero Atlantic Shortfin Mako Shark Retention Limit
No shortfin mako sharks may be landed or retained in any U.S. Atlantic highly migratory species fishery until further notice.
Alaska
Science Blog: Innovation to Learn More About Alaska’s Deep-Sea Corals and the Species that Live There
Fisheries biologist, Sean Rooney, shares his observations as the coral survey team heads to the United States-Canada border in Dixon Entrance. This is the third post of this science blog series.
Science Blog: Winter Observing on a Commercial Longline Vessel
Join fish biologist Rory Morgan as she braves the Arctic winter on a commercial fishing vessel in the Bering Sea to collect valuable scientific information as part of the North Pacific Observer Program. This is the sixth post in the ongoing Winter Observing on a Long-Line Vessel science blog series.
West Coast
Science Blog: Day in the Life of a Phytoplankton Researcher
Notes from our 2022 Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar, Alex Ang. This is the latest post from The Newportal—a blog series following a group of NOAA Fisheries and Oregon State University scientists researching the Newport Line to understand changing ocean conditions.
Southeast
Celebrating 30 Years of Observations on the Water
In 30 years and nearly 40,000 days at sea, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Pelagic Observer Program has worked with crews on 275 fishing vessels to better manage fisheries in the Northwestern Atlantic.
A Dolphin Is Safely Out of Harm’s Way After an Early Morning Rescue Off Texas
NOAA partners—the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Texas State Aquarium, and SeaWorld San Antonio—rescued a habituated dolphin with injuries off North Padre Island, Texas. Our hope was to give this animal every chance to be wild and live safely in her home—intervention is a last resort.
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Woods Hole Science Aquarium Reopens to Public
The NOAA Fisheries Woods Hole Science Aquarium opened to visitors on July 5 with some new exhibits and the return of our harbor seals. The aquarium had been shuttered since March 2020 as part of NOAA’s effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
Recent Increase in Seal Deaths in Maine Linked to Avian Flu
Beginning in June 2022, Marine Mammals of Maine—a NOAA Fisheries-authorized marine mammal stranding network partner—has responded to an elevated number of stranded seals. Four seals have tested positive for the Avian flu. NOAA Fisheries is working with partners to further investigate and assess impacts.
