WaterSMART Program is Stretching Water Supplies, Making Progress toward Sustainable Balance of Supply & Demand

Program provides scientific, financial and collaborative tools that will enable Interior to meet its water savings goal of 730,000 acre-feet per year by 2013

 

WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program is saving water, finding better ways to stretch existing supplies and helping partners plan to meet future water demands, according to a three-year progress report on the program released today. The program was launched by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in 2010.

Combining new initiatives with existing programs as part of a comprehensive strategy for sustainable management of water supplies in the United States, WaterSMART projects, along with other conservation activities, are expected to save an estimated 587,839 acre-feet of water a year – enough water for more than 2.3 million people. These water conservation results put Interior well on the way toward achieving its high priority goal of saving 730,000 acre-feet per year by the end of 2013.

"WaterSMART allows us to manage water in a more sustainable manner to achieve balance between the water we have and the water we need for humans and ecosystems," said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle. "Using the best available science, WaterSMART provides relief for immediate water shortages while planning for long-term needs through collaborative processes."

The water savings and other accomplishments are detailed in the report, WaterSMART: A Three-Year Progress Report. "SMART" stands for "Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow."
In addition to saving water, the WaterSMART Program has conserved 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – enough power for 3,400 households.

"Water and energy are linked," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael L. Connor said. "Water is necessary to generate power, while energy is required to store, move and treat water. Water saved is energy earned, and energy saved is water earned."

"The WaterSMART initiative has given a big jumpstart to our work on a National Water Census," said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. "This is the first survey in more than 30 years to determine the quantity, quality, and use of the nation’s water supply. Our hope is that this information will enable water resource managers and other stakeholders to optimize how water is used for future human, economic, energy production and environmental purposes."

Other accomplishments identified in the WaterSMART three-year progress report include:

• Since 2009, about $94 million in federal funding was awarded through Reclamation’s WaterSMART Grants for 158 projects, leveraging more than $280 million in water management improvements across the West.
• Reclamation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service began a new partnership in 2011 to leverage funding for water delivery agencies and agricultural producers in California. Reclamation made $4.1 million in competitive WaterSMART Grants available to five irrigation districts for water management improvements within the delivery systems used by farmers. NRCS committed $7 million to farmers who receive water from those districts so on-farm conservation improvements can be made.
• About $231 million in federal funding was provided for Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Projects since 2009. Eight projects have finished construction since that time, and eight others are expected to be completed in 2013. Project sponsors delivered about 262,000 acre-feet of recycled water in 2011, providing a drought-resistant supply and new flexibility for water managers.
• Reclamation provided cost-shared funding for 129 smaller-scale efficiency projects through the Water Conservation Field Services Program. 69 of those projects are now completed.
• Reclamation has also provided more than $2.6 million in funding for 18 System Optimization Reviews since 2009, assisting project sponsors in their assessments of the potential for water management improvements in the future.
• As part of the National Water Census, the USGS has begun Geographic Focus Areas Studies – comprehensive technical assessments of water availability and use – in the Colorado, Delaware, and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basins.
• Interior agencies are also taking steps to conserve water at more than 2,400 of their own facilities across the Nation.
• Reclamation contributed more than $12 million toward 17 Basin Studies in states across the West, assisting partners plan for the long-term challenges of water scarcity, supply and demand imbalances, and the impacts of climate change.
• Launched in 2012, the Cooperative Watershed Management Program provided eight entities $333,500 in grants during the first year. Its purpose is to improve water quality and ecological resilience and to reduce conflicts over water through collaborative conservation efforts in the management of local watersheds.

WaterSMART: A Three-Year Progress Report is available online at http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART.

Sea Surface Temperatures Reach Record Highs on Northeast Continental Shelf

During the first six months of 2012, sea surface temperatures in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem were the highest ever recorded, according to the latest Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Above-average temperatures were found in all parts of the ecosystem, from the ocean bottom to the sea surface and across the region, and the above average temperatures extended beyond the shelf break front to the Gulf Stream.

The annual 2012 spring plankton bloom was intense, started earlier and lasted longer than average. This has implications for marine life from the smallest creatures to the largest marine mammals like whales. Atlantic cod continued to shift northeastward from its historic distribution center.

The Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The NEFSC has monitored this ecosystem with comprehensive sampling programs from 1977 onward; prior to 1977, this ecosystem was also monitored by the NEFSC through a series of separate but coordinated programs dating back decades.

"A pronounced warming event occurred on the Northeast Shelf this spring, and this will have a profound impact throughout the ecosystem," said Kevin Friedland, a scientist in the NEFSC's Ecosystem Assessment Program. "Changes in ocean temperatures and the timing of the spring plankton bloom could affect the biological clocks of many marine species, which spawn at specific times of the year based on environmental cues like water temperature."

Friedland said the average sea surface temperature (SST) exceeded 10.5 degrees C (51°F) during the first half of 2012, exceeding the previous record high in 1951. Average SST has typically been lower than 9 degrees C (48°F) over the past three decades. Sea surface temperature in the region is based on both contemporary satellite remote-sensing data and long-term ship-board measurements, with historical SST conditions based on ship-board measurements dating back to 1854.

In some nearshore locations like Delaware and Chesapeake Bays in the Middle Atlantic Bight region, temperatures were more than 6 degrees C (11°F) above historical average at the surface and more than 5 degrees C (9°F) above average at the bottom. In deeper offshore waters to the north, bottom waters were 1 degree C (2°F) warmer in the eastern Gulf of Maine and greater than 2 degrees C (3.6°F) warmer in the western Gulf of Maine.

Ocean bottom temperature data cited in the advisory posted today came from a variety of sources, including eMOLT, a cooperative research program between the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and lobstermen who deploy temperature probes attached to lobster traps. While some of the temperature probes from the eMOLT program are still in the water and have not yet been returned, those that have been returned indicate that bottom water temperatures in 2012 were the warmest since the eMOLT program began in 2001.

Atlantic cod distribution in the Gulf of Maine continues a northeasterly shift, with the spring 2012 data consistent with a response to ecosystem warming. Warming ocean temperatures and the resulting impact on the distribution of 36 fish stocks was reported by the Center in a 2009 study published in Marine Ecology Progress Series. That study analyzed annual NEFSC spring survey data from 1968 to 2007 and other information and found that about half of the 36 fish stocks studied in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the past four decades, with some disappearing from US waters as they move farther offshore.

Friedland notes that although cod didn't shift as much as other species like hake in the 2009 study, the effects of warming water on ocean currents and other ocean circulation patterns could change that. "Cod distribution continues to be dynamic, with northerly shifts detected in the spring 2012 data, consistent with a response to ecosystem warming," Friedland said. "The big question is whether or not these changes will continue, or are they a short-term anomaly?"

Mike Fogarty, who heads the Ecosystem Assessment Program, says the abundance of cod and other finfish is controlled by a complex set of factors, and that increasing temperatures in the ecosystem make it essential to monitor the distribution of many species, some of them migratory and others not.

"A complex combination of factors influence ocean conditions, and it isn't always easy to understand the big picture when you are looking at one specific part of it at one specific point in time, "Fogarty said, a comparison similar to not seeing the forest when looking at a single tree in it. "We now have information from a variety of sources collected over a long period of time on the ecosystem, and are continually adding more data to clarify specific details. The data clearly show a relationship between all of these factors."

The 2012 spring plankton bloom, one of the longest duration and most intense in recent history, started at the earliest date recorded since the ocean color remote sensing data series began in 1998. In some locations, the spring bloom began in February, and was fully developed by March in all areas except Georges Bank, which had an average although variable spring bloom. The 2012 spring bloom in the Gulf of Maine began in early March, the earliest recorded bloom in that area.

"What this early start means for the Northeast Shelf ecosystem and its marine life is unknown," Fogarty said. "What is known is that things are changing, and we need to continue monitoring and adapting to these changes."

Intensive surveys of environmental conditions on the Northeast Shelf from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Nova Scotia were conducted from 1977 to 1987 as part of the Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment & Prediction (MARMAP) program. The efforts continued at reduced levels through the 1990s and are ongoing today as part of the Center's Ecosystems Monitoring (EcoMon) program.

Plankton samples are collected six times a year in each of the four subareas of the Northeast Shelf: the Middle Atlantic Bight, Southern New England, Georges Bank, and the Gulf of Maine. EcoMon scientists also collect water samples and other oceanographic data about conditions during each season in each of the four areas to provide a long-term view of changing conditions on the Shelf.

Ecosystem advisories have been issued twice a year by the NEFSC's Ecosystems Assessment Program since 2006 as a way to routinely summarize overall conditions in the region. The reports show the effects of changing coastal and ocean temperatures on fisheries from Cape Hatteras to the Canadian border. The advisories provide a snapshot of the ecosystem for the fishery management councils and also a broad range of stakeholders from fishermen to researchers.The Spring 2012 Ecosystem Advisory with supporting information is available online. To access, click here.

Click on photo to launch Atlantic cod distribution slide show

Orvis & Trout Unlimited to open 1,000 miles of water

The 1,000 Miles Campaign will help fund culvert removal projects on trout streams located all over America

Orvis and Trout Unlimited this week announced the first two streams that will be improved to allow better passage for wild and native trout as part of the new Orvis / Trout Unlimited "1,000 Miles Campaign."

Murphy Brook in Vermont and Tabor Brook in New Hampshire—both tributaries of the Connecticut River system—will be the first beneficiaries of funding raised by Orvis and its customers, and TU will oversee construction and reconnection projects on both streams. Migration-halting culverts will be replaced, and dozens of new miles of habitat will be available to brook trout and brown trout that need intact coldwater habitat to spawn and to escape the worst of summer's heat.

Thanks in part to an Orvis grant and matching funds from the company's customers, the two entities hope to open up 1,000 miles of new coldwater habitat to trout and salmon all over America. Many streams with spawning and rearing potential—and fishing potential—are now blocked by faulty culverts and other man-made barriers. The campaign's goals include not only increasing overall trout habitat from coast to coast, but improving fishing opportunity resulting from stream improvements.

"Opening up 1,000 miles of new habitat for trout and salmon over the next 10 years is an ambitious goal, but we think we can do it," said Elizabeth Maclin, TU's vice president for eastern conservation. "We're lucky to have dedicated partners like the people at Orvis—they've always been very supportive of the work we do, and their commitment to this project means the world to us."

By opening up habitat in Murphy Brook and Tabor Brook to migrating fish, anglers will likely see improved fish numbers in downstream stretches of water, and enjoy more fishable water in the coming years. Two culverts will be replaced on Tabor Brook this fall, and work to remove a culvert that blocks upstream migration on Murphy Brook will begin later in the year.

The 1,000 Miles Campaign will help fund culvert removal projects on several other trout streams located all over America. These streams are:

• Kinne Brook, a tributary to the Westfield River in Massachusetts
• Coyner Springs, a tributary to the South River near Waynesboro, Va.
• Crazy Creek, a tributary to the Crooked River in the Upper Deshutes River drainage in Oregon
• Aldrich Brook, a tributary to Azizchos Lake and the Magalloway River in Maine
• Yellow Creek, a tributary to the Bear River in southwest Wyoming
• Big Slough Creek, a Driftless Areas stream in Jackson County, Wisc.

"Culverts are significant impediments to fish passage and survival — just as significant as a major dam — but the solution is dramatically simpler, costs less, and the overall benefits to many watersheds is profound," said Dave Perkins, Vice Chairman of Orvis. "By removing these impediments, we not only add vital habitat for fish, but we also open many miles of fishable waters for anglers. We're proud to partner with TU in this effort to engage the fly-fishing community in support of this often overlooked opportunity to dramatically improve fish habitat across the country."

Countries Agree New Plan for Global Shark Conservation

Renewed Efforts to Tackle Over-fishing and Raise Awareness of Other Threats

Government representatives from 50 countries have gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the first meeting of signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks concluded under the UN Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) 

Participants adopted a new conservation plan, which aims to catalyze regional initiatives to reduce threats to migratory sharks. Signatory states also agreed to involve fishing industry representatives, NGOs, and scientists in implementing the conservation plan.

Under the agreement, countries agreed to exchange information among government bodies, scientific institutions, international organizations and NGOs. Improved monitoring and data collection will help assess the structure, trends and distribution of shark populations necessary to design targeted conservation measures.

The MoU on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks (2010) is the first global instrument dedicated to migratory sharks and complements a suite of existing wildlife and fisheries agreements.

Since migratory sharks cross the high seas and national waters of different states, closer collaboration between countries is needed to tackle over-fishing and other threats.

“The Convention on Migratory Species welcomes the continued cooperation among governments and partners and challenges participants to take meaningful actions to promote shark conservation within their waters and on the high seas,” said CMS Acting Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.

Sharks are under serious threat around the globe. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified 17 percent of more than 1000 assessed species as threatened, according its ‘Red List’ criteria. Sharks are caught intentionally or as accidental “by-catch” in virtually all types of fisheries worldwide.

The new conservation plan will encourage fisheries-related research on incidental and direct shark catches with the aim to ensure that all shark catch is sustainable.

In particular, governments will work with fishing industries, regional fisheries management organizations, scientists and NGOs to avoid the capture of two of the largest sharks in the world: the basking shark and great white shark. These shark species are considered endangered migratory species and are listed in Appendix I of CMS.

Other species targeted by the conservation plan include mako, spiny dogfish, porbeagle, basking, white, and whale sharks.

Countries also stressed that the accidental capture of sharks in fishing gear needs to be more closely regulated. Participants at the Bonn meeting agreed to encourage catch quotas to ensure sustainable use of targeted sharks and stricter limits on endangered shark species. No international fishing quotas have been established to date for the short and long fin mako sharks, which traverse ocean basins, are fished by multiple countries, and are covered by the CMS agreement.

The conservation plan also suggests that sharks should be landed with their fins still attached in order to prevent shark “finning” (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the body at sea). The high value of fins has created an economic incentive for shark finning , but to date, more than 60 fishing nations, including the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), have banned the practice.

However, in the EU and some other countries, processing sharks on board vessels is still allowed in some cases. This means that shark fins can be removed from carcasses and stored separately under a fin-to-carcass weight limit that can be difficult to properly enforce. In 2011, the European Commission proposed putting an end to these permits and requiring that sharks be landed with their fins attached. On 19 March 2012, the Council of the European Union endorsed the Commission’s approach. The proposal is
currently being debated by the European Parliament.

It is estimated that 26 to 73 million sharks are killed every year to support the global shark fin market. Shark fins, used in the traditional Asian dish shark fin soup, are among the world’s most valuable fishery products. The price of shark fins reached more than US$ 700 per kilo in 2011, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Sharks are also sought for meat and liver oil and, increasingly, their cartilage skeletons are also marketed.

Most sharks are long-living species that grow slowly, mature late, and produce few young. These biological factors make sharks particularly vulnerable to overfishing and mean that populations can be slow to recover once depleted.

Representatives from other UN bodies such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as INTERPOL also participated at the meeting of signatories, in addition to leading NGO representatives and shark fisheries experts.

CMS is working with Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) to promote the conservation and sustainable use of sharks.

The National Fish Passage Program Helps Restore Streams, While Benefitting People and Local Economies

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and community partners across the nation worked together to remove or bypass 158 dams, culverts and other structures in 2011, opening more than 2,180 miles of streams to native fish populations. These efforts, coordinated through the National Fish Passage Program, have also contributed to improved water quality, provided additional recreational and economic opportunities, and even addressed serious threats to human health and safety. 

“The National Fish Passage Program serves as a vital catalyst for grass-roots community action that not only benefits native species and habitat, but also contributes to local economies and addresses aging and sometimes dangerous infrastructure,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “Everyone wins when rivers and streams are allowed to flow freely again – that’s why this program is so popular and successful.”

Documenting these successful efforts, the Service released its 2011 Annual Report for the National Fish Passage program this week. The report, which can be viewed at http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/facilities/nfpp.html, provides dozens of stories and examples of projects completed in the past year that have provided tremendous benefits to fish, wildlife and local communities.

The National Fish Passage Program, administered by the Service, is a voluntary initiative active in all 50 states.  The non-regulatory program addresses barriers that limit fish movement vital for their survival. Fish passage is gained by removing dams, replacing poorly designed culverts, constructing low-water crossings, and installing fishways.  These projects are done in close cooperation with state and federal agencies, non-government organizations, universities and supporting individuals. Program staff identifies, prioritizes, funds, designs and reviews these conservation projects, while working closely with a wide variety of programs and partners to provide technical support to local communities.

Since the program’s creation in 1999, the Service and more than 700 project partners have removed 1,118 barriers to fish passage, reopening 17,683 stream miles to access by more than 90 native species of fish and freshwater mussels and reconnecting nearly 120,000 acres of wetlands to their historic water sources. In turn, these projects have contributed an estimated $9.7 billion to local economies and supported nearly 220,000 jobs.

From the earliest days of the American colonies, people have sought to harness streams and redirect them to provide valuable services such as irrigation, power production, drinking water, flood control and transportation. As a result, millions of culverts, dikes, water diversions, dams, and other artificial barriers have been constructed to impound and redirect water flowing through every river system and watershed in the nation. While many of these structures continue to serve a purpose, thousands of them are obsolete, abandoned or deteriorating.

An estimated 74,000 dams alone dot the American landscape, thousands of which are small dams built decades ago that no longer serve a purpose. These structures impede the passage of native fish and destroy spawning habitat, as well as degrading water quality by preventing stream flow that flushes sediment and pollutants out of river systems. They also reduce fishing and other river-based recreational and economic opportunities for people. And in some cases, aging dams threaten downstream communities should they fail, or otherwise endanger human life and safety by creating dangerous drowning conditions.

For example, the town of Front Royal, Virginia worked with National Fish Passage Program staff to remove an abandoned low head dam on the Shenandoah River that was the site of multiple drownings. This “drowning machine,” as it was called locally, was removed in October, 2011, enabling residents and visitors to enjoy fishing, canoeing and swimming on a safer river.

And in the Klamath Basin of Northern California, the Service worked with the Karuk Tribe, the Forest Service and local watershed and salmon restoration councils to restore fish passage on ten miles of the Klamath River. Completed in 2011, the project identified and addressed 48 barriers to fish passage in this stretch of the river. And by using tribal youth to do much of the work, it provided summer jobs to dozens of young men and women and introduced them to potential careers in fisheries science.

“As this project and many others like it demonstrate, the National Fish Passage Program is also an avenue for young adults to develop skills and confidence that will help them throughout life, whether they pursue a career in conservation or not,” said Director Ashe. “We are very grateful to the Service employees, partners and communities who have done so much to make the Program a monumental success for both people and wildlife.”

For more information on the National Fish Passage Program and its accomplishments, or for how to apply for funding and technical assistance, visit http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/facilities/nfpp.html.

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Turns 50!

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region marked its annual Pollution Prevention Week by commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, at the newly renovated Rachel Carson Homestead in Springdale, Pa. 

Rachel Carson's 1962 book, which focused on what she saw as the widespread and detrimental use of pesticides, is credited as being the catalyst for the modern environmental movement and helping to lead to the creation of the EPA in 1970.

EPA's events in the Pittsburgh area centered on how one person can make a difference, Carson's pioneering work and its lasting change.

"With the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," average citizens grasped, maybe for the first time, how their choices could harm the environment in which they live," said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. ”Each of us is an engine of change in the choices we make, what we buy and how we live."

The event and tour of the Rachel Carson Homestead was followed by a pollution prevention lesson for approximately 150 9^th and 10^th grade students, and faculty involved in environmental science at nearby Springdale Jr./Sr. High School. Allegheny Valley School Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Griffith and Allegheny Valley School Board Chairman Larry Pollick introduced the EPA regional administrator to the assembly audience.

Garvin spoke of EPA's history and the conditions which led to the agency's creation before responding to questions from the students. 

While pollution can be a complex topic involving pesticides, power plant emissions and groundwater contamination, one of the easiest ways for individuals to make a difference is through recycling and Pollution Prevention Week is an annual opportunity to take stock and renew our efforts.

Recycling began about 25 years ago with just paper. It eventually expanded to include glass and plastic, then electronics. The next expansion is already underway with food recovery, which through donations to hunger-relief organizations and composting, diverts food waste from landfills where it can produce harmful gases that contribute to climate change.

The Rachel Carson Homestead on Marion Avenue in Springdale, Pa. has just completed a year-long renovation. The house is listed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks. 

To learn more about your own community, go to www.epa.gov and click on MyEnvironment on the lower left side of the page. After entering your zip code, the site will provide a snapshot of your environment including air pollutants, and companies with permits to discharge waste water into rivers.

For more information about Rachel Carson and the Rachel Carson Homestead, go to: http://rachel_carson_homestead.myupsite.com/ 

For more information on pollution prevention, go to: www.epa.gov/p2.

New York Finalizes River Herring Regulations

New York adopted the final changes to regulations that will reduce fishing mortality of river herring and create a sustainable fishery, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. River herring (alewife and blueback herring) are anadromous fish that spend most of their life in the ocean but return to their natal rivers to spawn.

"River herring are part of New York's native fauna and need to be more intensively managed to provide long-term, sustainable populations," said Commissioner Martens. "These unique fish are important to New York's waters and many New Yorkers enjoy their return to tidal waters each spring."

In the Hudson River, commercial and recreational anglers primarily use these fish as bait for striped bass, but some are taken for human consumption. Because information on the status of the river herring populations is available for the Hudson River and its tributaries and DEC can assess that status of these populations, a continuing fishery is allowed, though a reduced fishery. Since little data is available on stock status in other New York waters, implementing a moratorium on river herring fishing is required.

The adopted rule restricts the current fishery in the Hudson River, and all tributaries and embayments by:

• Establishing a recreational open season and a daily creel limit.
• Permitting angling only (e.g. no nets) in the tributaries and embayments.
• Reducing the size of allowable nets in the Hudson River proper.
• Requiring charter boats to register with the DEC to be eligible for a special boat creel limit.

The rules for commercial fishers include:

• Increasing restrictions on net use and size.
• Establishing a 36-hour no-fishing escapement period for all fishing gears.
• Increasing monthly reporting requirements for their catches.

The list of waters where the harvest of river herring is prohibited are: the Delaware River and its tributaries, all streams in Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Nassau, Richmond, Suffolk, and Queens counties, and Westchester County streams that are tributary to the East River or Long Island Sound.

The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a cooperative interstate fisheries management organization, of which New York State is a member, recently confirmed that coast- wide river herring stocks are depleted. The blockage of rivers by dams, habitat degradation and overfishing led to the depletion of the river herring stocks along the Atlantic coast.

In 2008, ASMFC adopted an amendment to the ASMFC Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Shad and River Herring requiring states to adopt measures that would reduce fishing mortality and allow the river herring stocks to rebuild. New York State promulgated these regulation changes to comply with the amendment and to protect the local river herring stocks.

For additional information about DEC Marine Resources- Hudson River Fisheries programs, visit DEC's website or contact DEC's Bureau of Marine Resources at 845-256-3071 or by email at r3hrf@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

US and Canada Sign Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

 Agreement will protect the health of the largest freshwater system in the world

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canada’s Minister of the Environment Peter Kent today signed the newly amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement at a formal ceremony in Washington, D.C. First signed in 1972 and last amended in 1987, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is a model of binational cooperation to protect the world’s largest surface freshwater system and the health of the surrounding communities.

“Protecting cherished water bodies like the Great Lakes is not only about environmental conservation. It’s also about protecting the health of the families—and the economies—of the local communities that depend on those water bodies for so much, every day,” said Administrator Jackson. “The amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement we signed today outlines the strong commitment the U.S. and Canada share to safeguard the largest freshwater system in the world. Our collaborative efforts stand to benefit millions of families on both sides of the border.”

“Joint stewardship of the Great Lakes—a treasured natural resource, a critical source of drinking water, essential to transportation, and the foundation for billions of dollars in trade, agriculture, recreation and other sectors—is a cornerstone of the Canada-United States relationship,” said Minister Kent. “The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement supports our shared responsibility to restore and protect this critical resource, and builds on 40 years of binational success.”

The revised agreement will facilitate United States and Canadian action on threats to Great Lakes water quality and includes strengthened measures to anticipate and prevent ecological harm. New provisions address aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and the effects of climate change, and support continued work on existing threats to people’s health and the environment in the Great Lakes Basin such as harmful algae, toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.

The overall purpose of the Agreement is “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters” of the Great Lakes and the portion of the St. Lawrence River that includes the Canada-United States border. Both governments sought extensive input from stakeholders before and throughout the negotiations to amend the Agreement. Additionally, the amended Agreement expands opportunities for public participation on Great Lakes issues.

The amended agreement sets out a shared vision for a healthy and prosperous Great Lakes region, in which the waters of the Great Lakes enhance the livelihoods of present and future generations of Americans and Canadians.

To view the text of the agreement: http://www.binational.net/home_e.html

Eagle Lake Trout May Warrant Protection under the Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife (Service) today announced that they will review the status of the Eagle Lake trout to determine whether listing under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) may be warranted. This announcement follows a finding that a petition, seeking to protect the fish under the ESA, and other information available at the time of the petition, presented substantial information to indicate that listing may be warranted.

In making this finding, the Service relied on the information presented by the petitioner and information in our files at the time we received the petition in 2003.  In the review of the status of the Eagle Lake trout, the Service will be looking at the best scientific and commercial available today and is asking the public for any scientific and commercial information regarding this species.

The Service will accept information from the public until November 5, 2012.  Comments can be submitted online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, (Docket Number FWS-R8-ES-2012-0072) or by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:

Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R8-ES-2012-0072
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM
Arlington, VA 22203

The Eagle Lake trout is a beautiful fish.  It is a subspecies of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and native only to Eagle Lake in Lassen County, California. Eagle Lake trout are known for their ability to withstand high alkalinity and the large size of mature fish. 

The ESA provides a critical safety net for America’s native wildlife.  This landmark conservation law has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species across the nation

Oiled wildlife discovered as pollution assessment teams survey Isaac’s damage

One dead juvenile pelican, 10 oiled dead nurtria and two live oiled pelicans were located in the marshes in the vicinity of Myrtle Grove, Sunday.

Wildlife Response Services is en route and will attempt to recover the live pelicans, collect the dead pelican and nutria, and look for any other impacted wildlife. Necropsies will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Teams located oil in the marshes in the vicinity of two inactive oil production facilities near Myrtle Grove, although there is no sign of an active leak, and it is still unclear if the oil originated from these facilities.

Coast Guard, EPA, and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality ground crews continue to monitor and assess the damage to waterways and oil, gas, and chemical facilities to determine the extent of any pollution impacts left in Hurricane Isaac’s wake.

Responders will collect oil samples from both the animals and the marsh and attempt to identify the source.

On the Lower Mississippi, Coast Guard waterways management teams are assessing and coordinating salvage plans for vessels that grounded along the riverbanks during the storm, to ensure strict safety standards are met before any attempt is made to refloat or move the vessels.

“We are in constant contact with vessel and facility owners and operators, as well as other waterway management organizations to make sure we learn as quickly as possible of any releases,” said Lt. Cmdr. Lushan Hannah, the Coast Guard incident commander for the response.  “Many of them have taken steps on their own to contain and clean up any pollution.”

Coast Guard and state officials are asking residents to avoid any contact with chemicals or pollution they come across, and to report it to the Sector New Orleans Operations Center at 504-365-2200 or the National Response Center at 800-424-8802.

“Our priorities are safeguarding public safety and protecting wildlife and the environment while we work to return the impacted areas to a normal state,” said Hannah.  “We are working with federal and state partners and the marine industry to make sure we locate as much of the pollution as possible and initiate cleanup operations.”