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News and Updates

Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) looking to fill gaps in high-priority unmet ocean data needs

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) recently developed a list of high-priority data necessary for spatial planning. The list of unmet data needs include important coastal bird habitat and commercial fishing catch and effort information. You may view the full list of unmet data needs at http://portal.midatlanticocean.org/explore/needs. 

Oregon's ocean interests try to make sense of National Ocean Policy

Via Sustainable Business Oregon

"One month after the While House issued strategies that would coordinate management of the country’s oceans, West Coast interests are preparing to interpret the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan.

The Plan could have big effects on Oregon’s fishing, environmental tourism and wave energy industries. The idea is that several ocean interests will come together to craft ocean management policies."

Link: 
http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2013/05/ocean-advocates-pore-throu...

A sombre milestone for humanity

By Laurence Mee, SAMS, Scottish Marine Institute, laurence [dot] mee [at] sams [dot] ac [dot] uk

Ralph Keeling runs the Mauna Loa observatory where his father began CO2 measurements 55 years ago. He recently had the unenviable responsibility to tell the world that CO2 levels have passed the 400ppm mark for the first time, the highest level for about 4 million years. The news fleetingly passed through the front page of some newspapers; others steadfastly ignored it. Disbelief and overt scepticism maybe, but also the denial of an alcoholic diagnosed with the early stages of cirrhosis.

Capitol Hill Ocean Week: June 4-6, 2013 at Washington, D.C.'s Newseum

Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) 2013, hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, is coming up! You may read the full agenda (subject to change) in the attached PDF below, or on the web at http://nmsfocean.org/chow-2013-agenda. 

Of particular interest in the event from 11 am to noon EDT on Thursday, June 6: Former Speaker pro Tempore, Fred Keeley of the California State Assembly will be moderating the panel, "Did you know? MPAs work and support a vibrant economy." 

Solution: Escape Gaps for Fish Traps

By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Director of Science and Solutions, Waitt Foundation

Bycatch. That’s the fish that fishers didn’t mean to catch but did – baby fish, species people don’t like to eat, fish no one will buy. High levels of bycatch make fishing unsustainable, not to mention it’s a huge waste. So what can be done about it? Well, that depends on the type of fishing gear being used. For fish traps (often called fish pots), I have a solution: put a hole in the corner. No, I’m not being glib. Putting vertical, rectangular holes, aka escape gaps, in opposing corners of fish traps can reduce bycatch by up to 80%, without reducing (and potentially even increasing) the value of the catch. How, you ask? Escape gaps allow the narrow-bodied and juvenile fish (including lots of herbivores) to escape, while retaining the larger, meatier fish that fishers want to catch. It’s that simple.

UK Parliament to discuss MPAs in the Southern Ocean on May 13

Via UK Parliament

"Following its recent Marine Science inquiry the Science and Technology Committee will hold the following evidence session on ‘Marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean’

Monday 13 May 2013
Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Witnesses

At 4.30 pm

Link: 
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/scien...

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