Helicopter fitted with cameras for aerial mapping. The cameras are in the gray box mounted to the underside of the cockpit in front of the landing skids. Credit: Atlantic Salmon Federation/Valerie Ouellet

Where Do Atlantic Salmon Go to Beat the Heat?

11/25/2024 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. As a key river habitat warms, researchers race to protect cold water patches critical to salmon survival. Researchers have successfully used cameras operated from a helicopter to map surface water temperatures in Maine’s Narraguagus River. This is an important step toward habitat conservation for endangered Atlantic salmon and… SEE MORE
Image Credits: The Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Marine Weather Forecasts Are Getting an AI Upgrade

11/24/2024 - By Vanessa Minke-Martin Machine learning systems—powered by new data—are taking some of the guesswork out of maritime safety. Jake Spink fished British Columbia’s craggy coast for four decades. Now, as the president of the British Columbia Coast Pilots—an association of highly trained captains that guide thousands of tankers, cruise ships,… SEE MORE
Image Credits: rawpixel.com.

Environmental Protection, with a Side of Small Business

11/20/2024 - By Brian Owens. Conservation takes cash, and philanthropic funding is notoriously fickle. To secure the future of its environmental efforts, this Dominican nonprofit is trying something new: making booze. When Hurricane Maria swept through the Caribbean in 2017, tiny Dominica was hit particularly hard—howling winds and torrential rain damaged or… SEE MORE
Wetlands provide a buffer from wave energy for shorelines and communities behind them. But sea level rise, storms, and other challenges are causing wetlands to erode. We’re working to restore these important habitats. Photo: Chesapeake Bay Program/Will Parson.

Protecting and Restoring Habitat in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula

11/19/2024 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Healthy wetlands and oyster reefs support fish, wildlife, and communities. Virginia’s Middle Peninsula is a beautiful part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed—both on and off the water. But it faces challenges due to climate change, a lack of capacity to restore habitat, and rural coastal economic hardship. While the Middle… SEE MORE
Sardine collected on the 2023 Coastal Pelagic Species Survey. Pacific and Japanese sardine look so similar that they can only be distinguished by genetics. Genomic analysis later revealed that the catch contained both species. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Kelsey James

Surprise! Japanese Sardines Astonish Scientists by Crossing the Pacific to the West Coast

11/18/2024 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Next generation genomic sequencing of Pacific sardine reveals not one, but two species of sardine in the California Current in 2022 and 2023. When research scientist Gary Longo first saw the results of his genomic analysis of sardines, he thought he must have mixed up his samples. Besides… SEE MORE
The annual Seagriculture, USA Conference took place in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Connecting Aquaculture Enthusiasts from Across the World

11/16/2024 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Ketchikan, Alaska hosts the third annual Seagriculture, USA International Seaweed Conference. Members of the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Region Aquaculture team attended the international seaweed growing conference Seagriculture, USA Sept.11-12 in Ketchikan, Alaska. The 2024 conference marks the event’s debut in Alaska, an exciting distinction for the growing Alaska aquaculture industry. Participants… SEE MORE