Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary 2008 Condition Report

We are pleased to announce the release of the Condition Report 2008 for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico the sanctuary includes three separate areas, known as East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden and Stetson Banks. The banks support several of the most productive and unique habitats in the Gulf of Mexico, including the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States. This report summarizes the conditions and trends for the sanctuary’s water, habitat, and living resources.

Newly discovered migration routes for critically-endangered bluefin tuna may impact their survival.

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown migratory route for the northern bluefin tuna, proving for the first time that the species' Mediterranean and North American subpopulations interact. According to the paper published in Science the two groups meet as juveniles then return to their birthplace to spawn. For a critically-endangered species that is still heavily fished, the new finding has large conservation and management implications.

1. Major Land Acquisitions Enhance State Parks, Protect Resources, Expand Access
Texas state parks, which recently received a welcome shot in the arm in the form of additional funding from the Texas legislature, made two important acquisitions during 2008. In September, TPWD acquired the approximately 2,900-acre Fortress Cliffs Ranch, protecting some six miles of Palo Duro Canyon rim. In November, the Nature Conservancy of Texas acquired the 7,000-acre Fresno Ranch, with plans to transfer it to TPWD to become part of Big Bend Ranch State Park. Fresno Ranch was the largest remaining inholding in Texas' largest state park.
Nature Conservancy Buys 7,000 Acres to Expand Big Bend Ranch State Park
Fortress Cliffs Ranch Added to Palo Duro Canyon State Park
2. Hurricane Ike Rocks Texas Coast
 

Dec. 30, 2008
January Coastal Scoping Meetings to Cover Flounder, Shark, Reef Fish, Kayak Guide Proposals
DICKINSON, Texas -- The Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will host a series of five public scoping meetings Jan. 6-15 in various communities to discuss potential changes to Texas fishery regulations.
At the meetings TPWD will be scoping several items for the upcoming 2009 statewide hunting and fishing proclamation process. The department is considering changes in the current flounder, shark and reef fish regulations. Also, TPWD will present a new, simpler process to obtain a kayak guide's license.
All interested parties are invited to attend any of the meetings listed below, learn about the proposals and provide public comments. All meetings will begin at 6 p.m.
Anyone may also comment online via the TPWD Public Comment Web page, where brief summaries of the proposals are provided.
After the January coastal scoping meetings to get initial public input, a series of formal statewide public hearings on revised TPWD regulatory proposals involving fisheries, wildlife, state parks and all other topics will be held across Texas in spring 2009. Final decisions about proposed regulations will be made by the TPW Commission at its March 25-26 public meeting.
TPWD Coastal Fisheries Scoping Meetings:
--January 6, 2009, Port Arthur Public Library, Gallery Room, 4615 9th Avenue, Port Arthur, TX
--January 7, 2009, TPWD Dickinson Marine Lab, 1502 Pine Street (FM 517 E), Dickinson, TX
--January 8, 2009, Calhoun County Extension Service, Auditorium, 186 County Road 101, Port Lavaca, TX
--January 14, 2009, Aransas County Courtroom, 301 N. Live Oak, Rockport, TX
--January 15, 2009, Port Isabel High School, Lecture Hall, 101 Port Road, Port Isabel, TX
For more information, contact the following staff members of TPWD's Coastal Fisheries Division:
--Tonya Wiley, Fisheries Outreach Specialist, Upper Texas Coast, Dickinson Marine Lab, 281-534-0131, tonya.wiley@tpwd.state.tx.us
--Art Morris, Fisheries Outreach Specialist, Lower Texas Coast, Corpus Christi Field Station, 361-825-3356, art.morris@tpwd.state.tx.us

Lubchenco Will Helm U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


President-elect Barack Obama has tapped Oregon State University professor Jane Lubchenco, one of the nation's most prominent marine biologists, to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lubchenco, a conservationist who has devoted much of her career to encouraging scientists to become more engaged in public policy debates, is also a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global warming. The transition team could not be reached for comment, but several sources confirmed today that Lubchenco had been picked and was headed to Chicago for the upcoming announcement.

The appointment marks a shift for NOAA, which oversees marine issues as well as much of government's climate work. Lubchenco has criticized the agency in the past for not doing enough to curb overfishing.

Andrew Rosenberg, who served as deputy director of NOAA's Fisheries Service under Clinton and is now University of New Hampshire professor of natural resources and the environment, praised Lubchenco as an "absolutely world class scientist."

"When has NOAA been headed by a member of the National Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society?" he said, referring to America and Britain's most prestigious scientific societies. "That's exactly the right signal. It establishes NOAA as one of those key scientific agencies."

By selecting someone who's both a respected researcher and an active player in national policy discussions, Rosenberg added, "it's saying that science agencies have a role in policy. They need to be tightly connected, and I believe they will be tightly connected under Jane."


Source: Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, 18 December 2008
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/18/lubchenco_will_helm_national_o.html


Jane Lubchenco is a Pew Marine Fellow and Advisor.  Andrew Rosenberg is a member of the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation Advisory Committee.