Oceans

August 31, 2009 -- Persistent winds and a weakened current in the Mid-Atlantic contributed to higher than normal sea levels along the Eastern Seaboard in June and July, according to a new NOAA technical report.

After observing water levels six inches to two feet higher than originally predicted, NOAA scientists began analyzing data from select tide stations and buoys from Maine to Florida and found that a weakening of the Florida Current Transport—an oceanic current that feeds into the Gulf Stream—in addition to steady and persistent Northeast winds, contributed to this anomaly.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- In a Senate Commerce Committee hearing examining the role of oceans in our economic future, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today extolled the present and future contributions of oceans to our national economy, from renewable energy to the fishing industry. Currently, the world’s oceans face numerous threats to their productivity and viability, including the looming threat of climate change.    » read more »

June 09,2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, held a hearing on “The Blue Economy: The Role of the Oceans in our Nation’s Economic Future.”

The blue economy is comprised of economic activities that emerge from our ocean, Great Lakes, and coastal resources. The oceans and coasts provide many goods and services to the nation; however, they are rarely recognized as a crucial part of the U.S. economy.    » read more »

Mid-Atlantic Governors' Agreement on Ocean Conservation to help coordinate 5 states’ policies

June 04, 2009 -- RICHMOND – Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced his participation in the Mid-Atlantic Governors' Agreement on Ocean Conservation, a partnership among the Governors of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia to protect the ocean waters of the Mid-Atlantic.

The new regional partnership will protect and improve the health of ocean and coastal resources through improved coordination and minimized jurisdictional barriers, ensuring the resources contribute to our economic vitality and high quality of life well into the future.    » read more »

Agreement will Create Structure for States to Collaborate on Offshore Renewable Energy and Other Pressing Ocean Issues

June 4, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson and New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine today announced an historic interstate agreement committed to improving ocean health by creating the Governors Mid-Atlantic Council on Oceans.

Recognizing that renewable offshore energy can foster a more efficient and sustainable regional economy and improve the quality of life for citizens, the Governors are creating a structure for the States to collaborate on improving energy security and independence in the region through development of offshore renewable energy while accommodating other ocean uses.    » read more »

June 04, 2009 -- NEW YORK - New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed an interstate agreement with other Mid-Atlantic governors to protect the Atlantic Ocean. The goals of the newly formed Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean will continue to advocate for and leverage greater state influence on the management of offshore ocean areas and to direct federal and interstate actions and resources.    » read more »

June 4, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today signed LD 1465, An Act To Facilitate Testing and Demonstration of Renewable Ocean Energy Technology. The Governor’s bill, sponsored by Senator Barry Hobbins, establishes a streamlined permit process for companies that want to test promising new renewable ocean energy technologies in appropriate sites in the Gulf of Maine. Up to five such sites will be selected by Dec. 15, 2009.    » read more »

Agreement will create structure for states to collaborate on offshore renewable energy and other pressing ocean issues; Senior Obama Administration advisors join governors to endorse agreement

June 4, 2009 --    » read more »

June 2, 2009 -- Ocean acidification, one of the world’s most important climate change challenges, may be left off the agenda at the United Nations Copenhagen conference, the world’s science academies warned today (Monday 1 June 2009). Ocean acidification is expected to cause massive corrosion of our coral reefs and dramatic changes in the makeup of the biodiversity of our oceans and to have significant implications for food production and the livelihoods of millions of people.

The warning is made in a joint statement published by the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP). 70 national science academies signed the statement.    » read more »

Washington, DC - 06/01/2009 - The Pew Environment Group today commended the Mid-Atlantic Council on its initial step toward implementing new federal requirements designed to end overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations through the application of annual catch limits and accountability measures.

The 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that fishery management councils develop plans that include new annual catch limits and accountability measures by 2011. By basing these regulations on best available science, the new law aims to eliminate the overfishing and depletion of natural fish populations that have suffered in the past from short-sighted political and economic decisions.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee today passed the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act, legislation introduced by Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein (both D-CA).

The bill will permanently protect the coastal waters and estuaries of Sonoma County and portions of Mendocino County by extending the boundaries of existing marine sanctuaries. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) has reintroduced a companion bill, which the House passed last year.    » read more »

Largest Number of Stocks Rebuilt Since 2001

May 19, 2009 -- NOAA’s Fisheries Service reported to Congress today that four stocks — Atlantic bluefish, Gulf of Mexico king mackerel and two stocks of monkfish in the Atlantic — have been rebuilt to allow for continued sustainable fishing. This is the largest number of stocks to be declared rebuilt in a single year since the fisheries service declared the first stock successfully rebuilt in 2001.    » read more »

Sydney, Australia - 05/19/2009 - Conservation groups today welcomed the announcement by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to establish a Conservation Zone over the entire Coral Sea within Australian waters and called on the Minister to ensure sufficient resources for his Department to carry out a full and prompt assessment of the area.

The conservation groups believe the Minister’s announcement signals a clear intent by the Government to permanently protect this tropical marine jewel in its entirety, a decision that would make the Coral Sea the largest protected area on Earth.    » read more »

The planet’s largest animal may be returning to pre-whaling feeding grounds

May 11, 2009 -- Scientists have documented the first known migration of blue whales from the coast of California to areas off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since the end of commercial whaling in 1965.

In the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science, researchers from Cascadia Research Collective in Washington state, NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in California, and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans identified 15 separate cases where blue whales were seen off British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska. Four of the whales were identified as animals previously observed off the coast of California, suggesting a re-establishment of a historical migration pattern.    » read more »

Plankton blooms do not send atmospheric carbon to the deep ocean

May 06, 2009 -- BERKELEY, CA – Oceanographers Jim Bishop and Todd Wood of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have measured the fate of carbon particles originating in plankton blooms in the Southern Ocean, using data that deep-diving Carbon Explorer floats collected around the clock for well over a year. Their study reveals that most of the carbon from lush plankton blooms never reaches the deep ocean.    » read more »