Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)’s Post

Happy World Fisheries Day! <*(((><   Today, I want to highlight some incredible content developed by the Climate Resilient Fisheries Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) Working Group. This working group was established to identify how climate resilience attributes may or may not confer resilience across diverse global fisheries and to help define pathways for improved resilience across these fisheries.   Fisheries worldwide provide income and nutrition for billions of people and climate change is rapidly altering productivity, distribution, and stock health across global fisheries, threatening livelihoods everywhere. That’s why this working group created The Climate-Resilient Fisheries Planning Tool (https://lnkd.in/g6KdC6xi) to assist fisheries managers, practitioners, and community leaders in better preparing to enhance their fisheries’ resilience in the face of climate change. This new tool integrates scientific research and expert knowledge to guide users through a six-step process to aid these stakeholders in developing a fishery climate-resilience plan.   Background: Attributes of climate resilience in fisheries: From theory to practice (https://lnkd.in/gZFEHCuc) Diverse pathways for climate resilience in marine fishery systems (https://lnkd.in/gvWTTN-7)

Knowledge exchange between fishers and research scientists is essential. Our commercial fishers hold valuable local ecological knowledge that can contribute to scientific understanding in fisheries and marine management, and yet majority of fishers are disinterested or have minimal opportunities to engage with researchers. #UWACEEP members, Natasha Pauli and Matt Navarro, were part of a study that critically explored fishers’ engagement experiences, preferences, and the factors influencing these. The study reveals the barriers in place for effective knowledge exchange, and discusses strategies likely to succeed in improving knowledge exchange. Download the journal paper now for details 🔽 https://lnkd.in/gc9mJ8c7

Via David Shiffman - Reflecting on the recent history of coastal Maine fisheries and marine resource monitoring: the value of collaborative research, changing ecosystems, and thoughts on preparing for the future - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) via OUP Academic: The Maine Department of Marine Resources (MEDMR) is a state agency tasked with developing, conserving, researching, and promoting commercial and recreational marine fisheries across Maine's vast coastline. Close collaborations with industry members in each of the 30 or more fisheries that support Maine's coastal economy are central to MEDMR's efforts to address this suite of tasks. Here we reflect on recent decades of MEDMR's work and demonstrate how MEDMR fisheries research programmes are preparing for an uncertain future through the lens of three broadly applicable climate-driven challenges: (1) a rapidly changing marine ecosystem; (2) recommendations driven by state and federal climate initiatives; and (3) the need to share institutional knowledge with a new generation of marine resource scientists. We do this by highlighting our scientific and co-management approach to coastal Maine fisheries that have prospered, declined, or followed a unique trend over the last 25 years. We use these examples to illustrate our lessons learned when studying a diverse array of fisheries, highlight the importance of collaborations with academia and the commercial fishing industry, and share our recommendations to marine resource scientists for addressing the climate-driven challenges that motivated this work. https://lnkd.in/eUWBEn3q

Today, we are reaching out to initiate a conversation on a topic that demands our attention and to tap into the collective wisdom of this incredible network regarding a critical issue in marine conservation; Bycatch in California fisheries. On December 14th, the California Fish and Game Commission is set to receive management recommendations from the Marine Resources Committee (MRC) to address bycatch in the California set gillnet fishery. Our oceans are facing challenges, and on December 14th, the California Fish and Game Commission will receive crucial management recommendations from the Marine Resources Committee (MRC) regarding the set gillnet fishery. The concern is that many proposed measures may not be sufficient to reduce bycatch effectively. The focus of our inquiry lies in understanding the nuances between bycatch in Set Gill Nets and Drifting Gill Nets. As we are all aware, bycatch poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, and effective management strategies are crucial. Moreover, it has come to our attention that many of the proposed management recommendations may not effectively reduce bycatch. We are curious to hear your opinions on this matter. What do you believe are the key differences in the bycatch associated with Set Gill Nets and Drifting Gill Nets? Additionally, what are your thoughts on the proposed recommendations and their potential impact? Should we ban Gill Nets all together or have better regulations? Thank you in advance for your thoughtful contributions, and feel free to share this post with others who may have valuable insights. Please comment below. "Together, We Make Oceans of Difference."

In 2022 emergency regulations called for summer minimum flows of 30-50 cubic feet per second in the Scott River. Such minimums were not achieved. These flows were necessary to maintain connectivity between spawning and rearing areas in the valleys and the Klamath River, and to sustain over-summering rearing habitat of salmon and steelhead. Without adequate summer flows, salmon fry become trapped in upstream spawning areas without access to productive spring-fed Valley rearing habitat. Maintaining flow in Valley spring-fed habitats provides connectivity and rearing refuges. Late summer and fall minimum flows are necessary to provide access to the valleys from the Klamath River canyon for salmon and steelhead adult spawners. Read more from CSPA's advisory board member, Tom Cannon. Tom Cannon is an estuarine fisheries ecologist and biostatistician and has been involved in Delta fishery issues for more than 35 years. https://lnkd.in/dDNf5rNh 📸 Chinook salmon NOAA fisheries, public domain.

🌊 How can the unevenness of marine habitats affect fishery management? 💎 Our latest Hidden Gems interview from ICES Journal of Marine Science explores how variations in marine habitats influence fishery yields and the sustainability of species like abalone. The study highlights the need for precise habitat-based quotas in fisheries management. ▶ https://lnkd.in/eV2eqxzb Dive into the research ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ev6rVquv

NORTHWEST, SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTERS GET $27 MILLION FOR NEW SCIENCE, RESEARCH TO ADVANCE PACIFIC SALMON RECOVERY The Department of Commerce and NOAA has announced plans for $27 million to recover threatened and endangered Pacific salmon in the face of climate change. The Biden Administration says the funds come from the Infrastructure Bill and “will support informed management actions as a component of NOAA’s comprehensive strategy for Pacific salmon recovery.” The $27 million in funding will be distributed through 2026 to NOAA’s Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers to conduct science and research to advance salmon recovery. https://lnkd.in/gJN-Ggj4

New research, led by Dawn Noren of our Northwest Fisheries Science Center, shows that bottlenose dolphins transfer toxic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT, to their calves through milk. The newborns get the highest concentrations soon after birth when they are still developing neurologically and are most vulnerable. Toxins such as PCBs and DDT are known as persistent organic pollutants because they spread through the environment and break down very slowly. That allows them to collect over time in wildlife. Read more about the results of this new study and the concern for killer whales, the largest species in the dolphin family: https://bit.ly/47duqos Image: Bottlenose dolphins. Image collected under MMPA research permit #17355. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jessica Aschettino NOAA Fisheries West Coast U.S. Navy #BottlenoseDolphin #KillerWhale #Research #EndangeredSpecies

Fishery management agencies often lack the capacity and resources to collect enough data on small-scale fisheries to build sophisticated stock-assessment models. However, managers still need to establish regulations to protect these fisheries and their economic benefits. The FishPath Tool (https://lnkd.in/eY4RzHaq) guides fishery managers through a stakeholder-engaged process to understand and evaluate the breadth of potential options for assessing and managing data-limited fisheries. The FishPath tool was originally developed for marine fisheries by The Nature Conservancy, the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Through a Science Transfer Project, FishPath experts from these organizations trained staff from Michigan State University's Quantitative Fisheries Center and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to use the FishPath tool and process. FishPath was piloted on two small-scale fisheries in the Great Lakes during workshops in December 2022 and proved useful in identifying future options for management of these fisheries. #2024LakeCmtes