$12 Million For Fish Habitat Conservation Projects in 27 States

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are providing $12 million during the next three years to support 75 fish habitat conservation projects in 27 states, ranging from restoring submerged aquatic vegetation and oyster beds in Florida and New York to restoring degraded stream and estuary habitat for native fish in Hawaii.

“Together with our partners, we identified the 75 projects through the National Fish Habitat Partnership, a diverse coalition of public and private organizations that works to reverse declines in fish habitat through voluntary, non-regulatory actions,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “The projects will benefit aquatic species by protecting, restoring and enhancing stream, lake and coastal habitat as well as anglers by improving recreational fisheries. In doing so, they will also give a boost to local communities that benefit from the outdoor recreation economy.”

 The National Fish Habitat Partnership helps Service biologists prioritize conservation work to get the greatest benefit for fish and other aquatic resources and ultimately for the American people. The partnership recently completed the first nationwide scientific assessment of the status of fish habitats and identified conservation priorities across the country.

To fund the projects, the Service is providing $3.17 million this year, with nongovernmental organizations, state resource agencies and other partners contributing an additional $9.45 million during the next three years.

Through the funded projects, partners will work in priority areas to restore stream banks, remove man-made barriers to fish passage, reduce erosion from farm and ranchlands, and conduct studies to identify conservation needs for fish and their habitats.  Expected results of the projects include more robust fish populations, better fishing and healthier waterways.  Many of the projects also are designed to help fish populations adapt to the effects of climate change and other environmental disruptions.

“Better fishing is a big benefit of these projects,” said Kelly Hepler, Assistant Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Chairman of the National Fish Habitat Board.  “With better fishing come more tourism, tackle sales and other economic activity, as well as a better quality of life in local communities.”

Projects sponsored by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership will restore submerged aquatic vegetation and oyster beds in Florida and New York.  The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture will remove barriers in Maine and Pennsylvania and remediate acid mine drainage in Virginia.  The Western Native Trout Initiative will restore habitat that is crucial to cutthroat trout, Gila trout and bull trout, all of which are imperiled.  Projects sponsored by the Hawaii Fish Habitat Partnership will restore degraded stream and estuary habitat for native fish.

The list of projects can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/whatwedo/NFHAP/documents/2013_FWS_funded_NFHP_projects_listed_by_State.pdf 

For more information about the National Fish Habitat Partnership, visit www.fishhabitat.org and connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NFHAP.

About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
The National Fish Habitat Partnership works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state and private funding sources to achieve the greatest impact on fish populations through priority conservation projects. The national partnership implements the National Fish Habitat Action Plan and supports 18 regional grassroots partner organizations.  For more information visit http://www.fishhabitat.org

Friends of the Upper Delaware River Offer Help to Repair Storm Damaged Public Access Areas

Hancock, N.Y.—Two busy boat launches on the West Branch of the Delaware River are closed after sustaining heavy damage during flooding in late June, and a river advocacy group is urging government officials to repair and reopen the sites as quickly as possible.

 

The public access sites on the Pennsylvania side of the river at Shehawken and Balls Eddy were damaged by flooding from recent relentless rains, including as much as 5 inches in some locales during a deluge on June 27 and 28.

 

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission closed the sites due to the damage to both the parking areas and launch ramps. Friends of the Upper Delaware River has asked the agency to make their restoration a priority.

 

"These sites are critically important for public access and to the local economy,” said Jeff Skelding, executive director of FUDR, a nonprofit conservation group that acts as a river watchdog. “We need these access sites repaired quickly, and FUDR has already offered our assistance to Pennsylvania authorities.”

 

The access points offer parking for both boaters and wading fishermen. They are used frequently by the many commercial guide services that operate in the area, attracting tourists who frequent local restaurants and motels.

 

The Balls Eddy access ramp is located off Penn-York Road just north of Starlight, Penn. The Shehawken access is across the river from Hancock at the intersection of Pennsylvania routes 191 and 370. Shehawken is just upstream from the famous Junction Pool, where the West Branch joins the East Branch to form the Main Stem of the Delaware River.

 

FUDR has assisted in several Delaware River repair projects in recent years, and it is the sponsor of ongoing stream restoration projects near Hancock. 

 

“These sorts of storms are happening with increasing frequency and intensity,” said Skelding. “The recent damage at Balls Eddy and Shehawken illustrates the importance of protecting and restoring our streams and rivers. Smart repairs to these sites and a preventative approach to river management upstream can mitigate damage in the inevitable future flood events."

Fed Looks to Extend Whale Regs on East Coast

NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking comments on its proposal to make permanent the rules it implemented five years ago to reduce the number of collisions between ships and North Atlantic right whales.

Right whales are among the most endangered species in the world, and are highly vulnerable to ship collisions. The rules, part of NOAA’s long-standing efforts to recover right whales, are currently scheduled to expire in December 2013. NOAA’s proposal to make them permanent, which includes a 60-day public comment period, was filed at the Federal Register today.

The existing rules, which reduce an ocean-going vessel’s speed to 10 knots or less during certain times and locations along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, have reduced the number of whales struck by ships since 2008, when the speed limits began. No right whale ship strike deaths have occurred in Seasonal Management Areas since the rule went into place. Modeling studies indicate the measures have reduced the probability of fatal ship strikes of right whales by 80 to 90 percent.

Also, NOAA’s revised estimates indicate that the restrictions cost the shipping industry and other maritime communities about one-third of original 2008 projections. NOAA scientists say that industry participation and compliance is high, and that in most cases vessels have incorporated speed restrictions into their standard operations and voyage planning.

"Reducing ship speeds in areas where there are endangered right whales works,” said NOAA Fisheries’ acting administrator Sam Rauch. “It is a proven method to reduce deaths and serious injury to these incredible creatures. Making these protections permanent will make U.S. East Coast waters safer for right whales, and will allow them to reach full maturity, which is critical to their long-term survival.”

The rule proposes to continue existing speed restrictions during migration periods along three regions of the U.S. East Coast (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast). These measures are implemented during the time of year when right whales occur in each area. Speed restrictions apply to vessels that are 65 feet in length or greater, except federal agency vessels.

The proposed rule also seeks public input on ways to measure the effectiveness of the existing speed restrictions and whether they should be phased out in the future.

This proposed rule is part of a more comprehensive approach to conserve right whales, including consulting on operations of federal ships under the Endangered Species Act, developing an expanded outreach and education program, and modifying shipping routes in waters of Massachusetts, Georgia and Florida. NOAA has also developed a dynamic management program whereby vessel operators are asked to travel less than 10 knots or avoid areas where whales occur in times and places not covered by seasonal speed restriction zones. Scientists expect these actions to significantly reduce the risks to right whales from ships.

The North Atlantic right whale primarily occurs in coastal or shelf waters. Its known range includes winter calving and nursery areas in coastal waters off the southeastern United States, and summer feeding grounds in New England waters and north to the Bay of Fundy and Scotian Shelf.

Historically depleted by commercial whaling, the North Atlantic right whale suffers injury and death from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. These events may continue to contribute to the species decline and inability to recover. Biologists believe that there are approximately 450 right whales in the Northwest Atlantic population, and that the number is growing steadily.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 requires recovery plans to serve as guides to promote the conservation and recovery of listed species. In 2005, NOAA Fisheries released a revised North Atlantic Right Whale Recovery Plan that provides an overall framework for promoting recovery of the whale. Measures to reduce risks posed by entanglement in fishing gear are contained in NOAA Fisheries’ Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.

Written comments on the proposed regulations filed today must be sent to NOAA Fisheries no later than August 6.

After publishing a proposed rule, NOAA’s Fisheries Service considers the public comments and new information that may have been provided.

You may submit public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov or by visiting the comment page on the Office of Protected Resources website at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/comment.htm. NOAA’s Fisheries Service will also accept written comments mailed to: Office of Protected Resources, NOAA Fisheries, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or faxed to 301-713-4060.

Lightning Safety Week: June 23-29, 2013

Of the 152 deaths associated with leisure activities, fishing is followed by camping (15 deaths), boating (14 deaths), soccer (12 deaths) and golf (8 deaths). The remaining 77 people were struck by lightning while participating in a number of other leisure activities like enjoying the beach, swimming, walking and running, riding recreational vehicles, and picnicking or relaxing in their yard. Between 2006 and 2012, 82 percent of people killed by lightning were male.

“When people think of lightning deaths, they usually think of golf,” Jensenius said. “While every outdoor activity is dangerous when a thunderstorm is in the area, outdoor activities other than golf lead to more lightning deaths. NOAA has made a concerted effort to raise lightning awareness in the golf community since we began the campaign in 2001, and we believe our outreach has made a huge difference since lightning-related deaths on golf courses have decreased by 75 percent.”

Jensenius said the large number of fishing, camping and boating lightning deaths may occur because these activities require extra time to get to a safe place. “People often wait far too long to head to safety when a storm is approaching, and that puts them in a dangerous and potentially deadly situation,” he said.

Prior to the lightning safety campaign, lightning killed an average of 73 people each year in the United States. Since the National Weather Service launched the campaign, the average has dropped to 37. Seven people have died from lightning strikes so far this year.

The best way for people to protect themselves against lightning injury or death is to monitor the weather and postpone or cancel outdoor activities when thunderstorms are in the forecast. Lightning can strike from 10 miles away, so if people can hear thunder, they are in danger of being struck by lightning. The only safe places to be during a thunderstorm are in a building with four walls and a roof or in a car. A hut, cabana, tent, or other rain shelter will not protect a person from being struck by lightning.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/index.htm

Marine Recreational Fishing’s Economic Impact Rivals Commercial Sector

Recreational fishing is an economic powerhouse despite overall lower impact on fisheries

A report released by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) makes a powerful case that from an economic perspective, recreational fishing is just as important as commercial fishing, despite a much lower overall impact on the resource. According to the report, anglers landed just two percent of the total saltwater landings compared to ninety-eight percent caught by the commercial fishing industry.

This first-of-its-kind analysis - Comparing NOAA’s Recreational and Commercial Fishing Economic Data, May 2013 - provides an apples-to-apples comparison of recreational and commercial marine fishing from an economic perspective using NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Services (NOAA Fisheries) 2011 economic data. The report was produced for ASA by Southwick Associates. The full report and executive summary are available on ASA’s website.

“It’s something we’ve suspected for some time, but NOAA’s own data clearly shows that recreational saltwater fishing needs to be held in the same regard as commercial fishing,” said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. “The current federal saltwater fisheries management system has historically focused the vast majority of its resources on the commercial sector, when recreational fishing is found to have just as significant an economic impact on jobs and the nation’s economy.”
Among the findings are:

• Anglers landed just two percent of the total saltwater finfish landings compared to ninety-eight percent caught by the commercial fishing industry.
• Saltwater landings by anglers contributed three times more to the national gross domestic product (GDP, or value-added) than commercial landings.
• The recreational sector added $152.24 in value-added, or GDP, for one pound of fish landed, compared to the commercial sector’s $1.57 for a single pound of fish.
• Within the jobs market, the recreational sector made up fifty-four percent of all jobs, both recreational and commercial. This amounts to 455,000 recreational jobs compared to 381,000 on the commercial side.
• For every 100,000 pounds landed there were 210 recreational fishing jobs but only 4.5 jobs in the commercial fishing industry.
• Nussman further noted, “We’re not releasing this report in an effort to demean commercial fishing. Commercial fishing is very important to our nation’s economy! Our goal is to highlight the importance of recreational fishing to the nation. As our coastal populations continue to grow, along with saltwater recreational fishing, significant improvements must be made to shape the nation’s federal fisheries system in a way that recognizes and responds to the needs of the recreational fishing community.”

The Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the primary law governing marine fisheries management in the U.S., was originally passed in 1976 and has been reauthorized several times since. While the MSA has made significant strides to eliminate non-domestic fishing in U.S. waters and end overfishing, many in the recreational fishing community have argued that the law is written primarily to manage commercial fishing and does not adequately acknowledge or respond to the needs of recreational fishing.

“For decades federal management of recreational fishing has been like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,” said Nussman. “Perhaps the MSA was written to focus on the commercial sector because that’s where 98 percent of the overall harvest is taken. But when you consider that the economic impacts of the two sectors are similar, it makes a strong case for revamping the MSA to better meet the needs of the recreational fishing community.”

The MSA expires at the end of fiscal year 2013 (September 30, 2013), though many expect that a full reauthorization will take a year or longer to develop. On March 13, 2013, the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing focusing on the MSA reauthorization, and more hearings are expected this year and beyond.

Nussman concluded, “ASA and our partners in the recreational fishing community look forward to working with Congress to develop reasonable legislative solutions that will produce a federal fisheries management system that finally works for, not against, recreational fishing.”
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry a unified voice, speaking out on behalf of sportfishing and boating industries, state and federal natural resource agencies, conservation organizations, angler advocacy groups and outdoor journalists when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring social, economic and conservation values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America's 60 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation's waterways through KeepAmericaFishing™, our angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate over $48 billion in retail sales with a $115 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for more than 828,000 people.

Split Day Full Day Fishing Trip

  Summer fun without the heat, just the hot fishing action!

The Upper Delaware has enjoyed some of the best Spring fly fishing in recent memory and now conditions have set up for a great Summer.

Some of the best fishing can take place in the early morning and then again in the evening often into the darkness when mayfly spinners take advantage of the cool evenings to begin the next generation of aquatic insects.


Our guide staff is ready to have you on the water for both of these peak fishing periods with our Summer Split Day Full Day Fishing Trip.

You'll be on the water at first light spending the first four or five hours of the day fishing the prime morning activity. Then after a mid day break you'll again connect with your guide for four to five hours of early evening into the nighttime action.

For this extra service we're keeping the price the same as our full day guided trips at just $425 for up to two anglers. Half day, regular Full Day and Magic Hour trips are also still available.

Call us today and get in on the fun!

914-475-6779 or 607-241-7000

email crosscurrent@optonline.net

Capt. Joe Demalderis
2010 Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide of the Year
http://www.flyfishthedelaware.com/

Calling Them Shrimp Just Wouldn't Make Sense

The headline reads like the title of a science fiction move: Giant Prawns Invade Texas. Known to be in the Gulf of Mexico for the last few years, giant Asian tiger prawns have now appeared in Texas waters.

These prawns are speculated to be aquaculture escapes and have taken hold in the gulf coast waters where they threaten the native white shrimp, crabs and shellfish. One theory is that floods washed them out of aquaculture ponds in South Carolina, the Caribbean or one of the gulf states.

The prawns are big and competitive and compete for the same food sources as their native relatives. The tiger prawns also think nothing of dining on their smaller cousins and small crabs too.

The giants are known carries to 16 different diseases that are known to be lethal to native species.

I'm guessing due to their large size, sometimes better than a foot long, these prawns are so named because calling them shrimp just wouldn't make sense.

More information on these alien invaders can be found at ProtectYourWaters.net

Pennsylvania is Looking for Fisheries Biologists

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is seeking individuals interested in a career as a fisheries biologist.

The PFBC currently has one vacancy each for a Fisheries Biologist 1, Fisheries Biologist 2 and Fisheries Biologist 3 in Centre County.

Interested individuals have until Sept. 21 to submit a job application with the State Civil Service Commission, which opened the Fisheries Biologist exam on March 20. Applications must be received or postmarked by Sept. 21. The announcement and exam will be suspended after that date.

Nature of work:

Fisheries Biologist 1 - Work in fisheries research or fisheries management for the PFBC. Conduct studies in fish pathology, fish culture, water chemistry, and fish nutrition; conduct stream and impoundment surveys; compile, analyze, and report technical data used to recommend ways to preserve and enhance the aquatic resources.  Assist state and federal agencies in establishing water quality criteria, conservation education, and joint resource management.

Fisheries Biologist 2 - Perform work described for the Fisheries Biologist 1 level, but with a greater degree of independence, responsibility, and technical proficiency.  Serve as an agency representative on various committees and projects.

Fisheries Biologist 3 - Supervise fisheries management or fisheries research; design, coordinate, oversee, and participate in surveys and scientific studies; analyze collected data and prepare technical reports containing specific conclusions and recommendations.  May serve as an agency representative on various committees and projects; respond to inquiries from professionals, government agencies, special interest groups, and the general public; and develop and conduct workshops, training sessions, and presentations.

How to apply:

Please use the link below to view the test announcement for this position. Scroll to the heading “Engineering and Environmental Control.”

• http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/jobseekers/11372

Interested individuals can print the civil service application from the following location:

• http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/
  general_information/14274/civil_service_application/590494

For general employment information, visit the State Civil Service Commission’s website at www.scsc.state.pa.us.
Contact
PFBC Human Resources
ra-pfbchr@pa.gov
717-705-7820

$882.4 Million in User-Generated Funding goes to State Wildlife Agencies

Hunters, Anglers, and Other Recreational Users Provide
Support for Critical Conservation Projects

More than $882.4 million in excise tax revenues generated in 2012 by sportsmen and sportswomen will be distributed to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to fund fish and wildlife conservation and recreation projects across the nation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.

These funds are made available to all 50 states and territories through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration programs. Revenues come from excise taxes generated by the sale of sporting firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment and tackle, and electric outboard motors. Recreational boaters also contribute to the program through fuel taxes on motorboats and small engines.

“The sporting community has provided the financial and spiritual foundation for wildlife conservation in America for more than 75 years,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “Through these programs, hunters, anglers, recreational boaters and target shooters continue to fund vital fish and wildlife management and conservation, recreational boating access, and hunter and aquatic education programs.”

“The financial support from America’s hunting, shooting sports, fishing and boating community through their purchases of excise taxable equipment and hunting and fishing licenses is the lifeblood for funding fish and wildlife conservation; supporting public safety education; and opening access for outdoor recreation that benefits everyone,” said Jeff Vonk, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. “Fish and wildlife can be conserved, protected and restored through science-based management and it is critical that all these taxes collected be apportioned to advance conservation efforts in the field.”

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program apportionment for 2013 totals $522.5 million. The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Program apportionment for 2013 totals $359.9 million. As a result of the statutorily required sequester, these apportionments have been reduced by 5.1 percent, or approximately $39.2 million. Additional Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration grant funding to the states has also been reduced, for a total sequestration-related reduction of approximately $44 million.

The Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost of each eligible project while state fish and wildlife agencies contribute a minimum of 25 percent, generally using hunting and fishing license revenues as the required non-Federal match.

Funding is paid by manufacturers, producers, and importers, and distributed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program to each state and territory. For information on funding for each state, visit http://www.fws.gov/home/feature/2013/pdf/Master_apport_table_Final_2013.pdf.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs have generated a total of more than $15.3 billion since their inception – in 1937 in the case of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Program, and 1950 for the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Program – to conserve fish and wildlife resources. The recipient fish and wildlife agencies have matched these program funds with more than $5.1 billion. This funding is critical to sustaining healthy fish and wildlife populations and providing opportunities for all to connect with nature.

Please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program website at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/ for more information on the goals and accomplishments of these programs and for individual state, commonwealth, and territorial funding allocations.

Midway Journey

Midway Island is more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent and more than 1200 miles form any other coast line. Yet on this atoll there is a devastation occurring. Watch this trailer for Chris Jordan's The MIDWAY media project and you will be amazed that this island can be the home of a 62 year old Albatross, one of the oldest wild birds to ever hatch young. But be prepared as this film is a journey through a devastating environmental tragedy.

Learn and see more at http://www.midwayjourney.com/