NOAA Fisheries Releases National Bycatch Report

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NOAA Signs Bi-National Recovery Plan for Endangered Sea Turtles; Releases National Bycatch Report




It has been a busy day here at NOAA Fisheries making two announcements I want to draw your attention to. First, NOAA's Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mexican environmental officials signed an updated plan to guide and strengthen the conservation and recovery of the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle. The Bi-National Recovery Plan will guide the implementation of research programs that improve understanding of how human activities and natural processes affect the species. The plan, which updates the conservation efforts that have proved successful for the Kemp's ridley, also provides criteria for delisting the species. If population growth and recruitment maintain their current rates of increase, scientists estimate Kemp's ridleys may attain an important delisting criterion of 40,000 nesting females per season over a 6-year period by 2024. For more information, go to the NOAA Fisheries home page: . http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=ogo4pudab&et=1107770312626&s=3841&e=001O9ohH_Bs-OTjVyT01X5kPGlnUNSWh-DhQ7HDwhTpfudkQOaholZfS7KI_uetpArnHAVX2D2TG0Uj9gagJMeTPQW3zciIm_7QxMSbbDslpeybgjq0YBCRZadB_XYpefcACzWG41AkVlExPk6pH2W_NHgL_bWpv-GLUQDeKvqwXSA=


Also today, NOAA Fisheries released the National Bycatch Report, the agency's first comprehensive effort to collect regional data for a nationwide report on bycatch in federal U.S. commercial fisheries. The report provides a baseline for measuring bycatch and establishes a consistent, comprehensive methodology for future studies. Now available on the NOAA Fisheries website( http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=ogo4pudab ... bagH60V3o= ) , the report provides bycatch estimates for 481 species, including marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and fish. It also presents bycatch estimates for 81 fisheries, which are defined by a combination of area, species, and fishing gear. Moving forward, the agency will continue to collect data on bycatch in preparation for the next edition of the national bycatch report scheduled for 2013. Future editions in the report will be used to monitor changes and trends in bycatch, including as a result of new regulations, bycatch reduction devices, changes in fishing patterns, and population fluctuations in both targeted and bycatch species.




Warm Regards,
Laurel Bryant
NOAA Fisheries Communications and External Affairs
Laurel.Bryant@noaa.gov