A new NOAA "smart buoy" deployed near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel will help boaters and fishermen monitor conditions in the Chesapeake Bay.
The highly sophisticated buoy is the newest addition to NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIBS), a network of buoys that transmit multi-use oceanographic and meteorological data from the bay to weather forecasters, maritime safety personnel, coastal decision makers, and recreational boaters and fishermen.
Managed by NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office, CBIBS buoys collect weather, oceanographic and water-quality observations and transmit this data wirelessly in near-real time.
Data and related educational resources can be accessed at http://buoybay.noaa.gov (http://www.buoybay.noaa.gov/m for mobile devices) and by toll-free phone at 877-BUOY-BAY (877-286-9229).
The information is also available via free Android and iPhone applications. CBIBS uses new technology to make information available for a broad range of research, commercial, and recreational purposes, including assessing the progress of bay restoration.
The other nine buoys in the network are located at the mouths of the Susquehanna, Patapsco, Severn, Potomac, and Rappahannock Rivers; in the main stem of the bay near Calvert County, Md.; in the Potomac River near Alexandria, Va.; in the James River near Jamestown; and in the Elizabeth River off Norfolk.
source: NOAA
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Navy Destroyer Sunk off Mid Atlantic Coast as Reef
The U.S. Navy destroyer ex-USS Arthur W. Radford was recently scuttled off Delaware coast, approximately 26 miles southeast of Indian River Inlet (38* 30.750’N - 074* 30.700’W). The decommissioned warship will now serve as an artificial reef.
The Radford, her hull spanning 563 feet and the longest vessel ever reefed in the Atlantic, was sunk at the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef site. The Del-Jersey-Land reef is a collaborative effort of the three states cited in its name - Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland – and lies equidistant from fishing ports in Indian River (Del.), Cape May (N.J.), and Ocean City (Md.).
After the Navy’s announcement of the Radford’s availability for reefing in January 2008 and a 2½ -year application process, the ship underwent 14 months of preparation by American Marine Group, a Virginia-based marine towing, salvage and reefing contractor.
The company, which has extensive experience reefing ships in the Atlantic, cleaned and prepared the Radford to EPA specifications. Much of her armored hull and other nautical equipment were recycled for reuse.
Funding for the ship’s transportation, cleanup, preparation, sinking and monitoring was shared among the three states and the Navy. Delaware’s portion came from the Sportfish Restoration Program that includes federal excise taxes on fishing and boating equipment in the state.
The destroyer, named for Navy admiral Arthur W. Radford who served as the commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command and chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was commissioned in 1977 and decommissioned in 2003.
The Radford, her hull spanning 563 feet and the longest vessel ever reefed in the Atlantic, was sunk at the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Reef site. The Del-Jersey-Land reef is a collaborative effort of the three states cited in its name - Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland – and lies equidistant from fishing ports in Indian River (Del.), Cape May (N.J.), and Ocean City (Md.).
After the Navy’s announcement of the Radford’s availability for reefing in January 2008 and a 2½ -year application process, the ship underwent 14 months of preparation by American Marine Group, a Virginia-based marine towing, salvage and reefing contractor.
The company, which has extensive experience reefing ships in the Atlantic, cleaned and prepared the Radford to EPA specifications. Much of her armored hull and other nautical equipment were recycled for reuse.
Funding for the ship’s transportation, cleanup, preparation, sinking and monitoring was shared among the three states and the Navy. Delaware’s portion came from the Sportfish Restoration Program that includes federal excise taxes on fishing and boating equipment in the state.
The destroyer, named for Navy admiral Arthur W. Radford who served as the commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command and chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was commissioned in 1977 and decommissioned in 2003.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
2011 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Assessment
A new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientific assessment of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock has been released, setting higher abundance thresholds and crab population targets.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assessment, the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab population indicates significantly more work needs to be done to fully rebuild the stock to sustainable levels.
The study concludes that although the stock has increased substantially in response to three years of rebuilding efforts by Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the stock was more depleted than originally believed and will take longer to rebuild than had been expected.
The assessment sets a new overfishing threshold as well as a new safe abundance level for female crabs. According to NOAA, the project took three years to complete and represents the best available science on the stock’s reproductive capabilities, lifespan, gender and size distributions.
Until now, fishery managers used an interim target of 200 million total adult crabs in the bay as the threshold of a healthy stock and considered overfishing to occur if 53 percent of adult (age 1+) crabs were harvested in a year. Regulations were established to meet these benchmarks, which were based on 2005 bay-wide crab assessment data.
The new stock assessment sets a new healthy-species abundance level of 215 million female crabs, with overfishing occurring if 34 percent of the female crabs are harvested in a year.
Put into context, this means that fishery managers have only come close to achieving this level of female abundance three times over the past 22 years, in 2010, 1993 and 1991.
These more stringent assessments of the stock’s health will allow fishery managers to set more precise female harvest limits in order to fully rebuild the stock. Virginia, Maryland and the PRFC remain committed to working together to rebuild the bay’s crab population to meet the new female population threshold and abundance target.
In September the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee will meet to consider the new assessment, examine data from the past two years and provide management recommendations to Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.
The bay-wide crab harvest in 2010 was in the 90 million-pound range, confirming that a healthy harvesting industry can coexist with regulations designed to rebuild a self-sustaining, healthy blue crab population.
Through a historic collaboration in 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took strong, coordinated action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.
Dr. Tom Miller, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, lead author of the stock assessment commented on the assessment, stating: "Overall, crabs in the bay are doing well. Implementing recommendations developed in the stock assessment, like focusing fishing regulations on female crabs, will help even more,"
The stock assessment can be viewed in its entirety at: http://hjort.cbl.umces.edu/crabs/Assessment.html
source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission/Maryland Department of Natural Resources
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assessment, the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab population indicates significantly more work needs to be done to fully rebuild the stock to sustainable levels.
The study concludes that although the stock has increased substantially in response to three years of rebuilding efforts by Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the stock was more depleted than originally believed and will take longer to rebuild than had been expected.
The assessment sets a new overfishing threshold as well as a new safe abundance level for female crabs. According to NOAA, the project took three years to complete and represents the best available science on the stock’s reproductive capabilities, lifespan, gender and size distributions.
Until now, fishery managers used an interim target of 200 million total adult crabs in the bay as the threshold of a healthy stock and considered overfishing to occur if 53 percent of adult (age 1+) crabs were harvested in a year. Regulations were established to meet these benchmarks, which were based on 2005 bay-wide crab assessment data.
The new stock assessment sets a new healthy-species abundance level of 215 million female crabs, with overfishing occurring if 34 percent of the female crabs are harvested in a year.
Put into context, this means that fishery managers have only come close to achieving this level of female abundance three times over the past 22 years, in 2010, 1993 and 1991.
These more stringent assessments of the stock’s health will allow fishery managers to set more precise female harvest limits in order to fully rebuild the stock. Virginia, Maryland and the PRFC remain committed to working together to rebuild the bay’s crab population to meet the new female population threshold and abundance target.
In September the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee will meet to consider the new assessment, examine data from the past two years and provide management recommendations to Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.
The bay-wide crab harvest in 2010 was in the 90 million-pound range, confirming that a healthy harvesting industry can coexist with regulations designed to rebuild a self-sustaining, healthy blue crab population.
Through a historic collaboration in 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took strong, coordinated action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.
Dr. Tom Miller, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, lead author of the stock assessment commented on the assessment, stating: "Overall, crabs in the bay are doing well. Implementing recommendations developed in the stock assessment, like focusing fishing regulations on female crabs, will help even more,"
The stock assessment can be viewed in its entirety at: http://hjort.cbl.umces.edu/crabs/Assessment.html
source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission/Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Fires in Great Dismal Swamp
Two wildfires were burning at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in early August, 2011. The fires were started by recent lightning strikes.
Due to the fire, access to Railroad Ditch Road and trail was disrupted, and bus tours to Lake Drummond were cancelled.
The Refuge was notified of the wildfires around 7:00 p.m. on Thursday August 4, 2011. There are two wildfires, located southwest of Lake Drummond off Interior Ditch Road. As of August 5th, the larger fire (Lateral West) was estimated at 15 acres and the smaller fire (Lateral West 2) was a single tree fire.
Initially, the Refuge had two bulldozers and a helicopter working the fires in an effort to stop the fire's movement and spread rate. Additional resources, including both people and equipment, were expected to arrive to contain the fires.
For up-to-date information on the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge wildfires, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/greatdismalswamp/
Due to the fire, access to Railroad Ditch Road and trail was disrupted, and bus tours to Lake Drummond were cancelled.
The Refuge was notified of the wildfires around 7:00 p.m. on Thursday August 4, 2011. There are two wildfires, located southwest of Lake Drummond off Interior Ditch Road. As of August 5th, the larger fire (Lateral West) was estimated at 15 acres and the smaller fire (Lateral West 2) was a single tree fire.
Initially, the Refuge had two bulldozers and a helicopter working the fires in an effort to stop the fire's movement and spread rate. Additional resources, including both people and equipment, were expected to arrive to contain the fires.
For up-to-date information on the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge wildfires, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/greatdismalswamp/
Monday, August 8, 2011
Boaters Prepare for Mid Atlantic Hurricanes
With hurricane season bearing down on the Mid Atlantic region, state and federal agencies are warning boaters to be prepared for storms.
When deciding on storm preparation plans, mariners need to consider size, type of boat and location.
Many boat locations may not offer protection from high winds or tides.
Boaters should consider the following when making arrangement for their vessels:
Remove valuable equipment from a boat to protect it from damage.
Consider removing a boat from the water to reduce damage from storm surge.
Boats on land should be properly stored or tied down to prevent being damaged by winds.
Small open boats can be filled with water to lessen the effect of the wind.
Boats remaining in the water should be moored in safe areas or berths. Lines should be doubled and high on pilings.
Boaters should remember that storm surges can cause tides over the pilings.
Install fenders to protect boats from pilings, piers or other vessels.
Ensure bilge pumps work properly and batteries that run the pumps are fully charged.
Seal all openings to make the vessel watertight.
Collect all documents, including insurance policies. Take photographs of boats and equipment for insurance
Do not stay aboard boats during storms. Safeguard human life.
Boaters should take these actions at least 48-72 hours prior to the event to accommodate unforeseen problems. During the storm, occupants should be off the water and in safe shelters.
Storm conditions can delay or prevent response from emergency personnel.
Hurricane Preparedness Links:
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/prepared_week.shtml
source: MD DNR
When deciding on storm preparation plans, mariners need to consider size, type of boat and location.
Many boat locations may not offer protection from high winds or tides.
Boaters should consider the following when making arrangement for their vessels:
Remove valuable equipment from a boat to protect it from damage.
Consider removing a boat from the water to reduce damage from storm surge.
Boats on land should be properly stored or tied down to prevent being damaged by winds.
Small open boats can be filled with water to lessen the effect of the wind.
Boats remaining in the water should be moored in safe areas or berths. Lines should be doubled and high on pilings.
Boaters should remember that storm surges can cause tides over the pilings.
Install fenders to protect boats from pilings, piers or other vessels.
Ensure bilge pumps work properly and batteries that run the pumps are fully charged.
Seal all openings to make the vessel watertight.
Collect all documents, including insurance policies. Take photographs of boats and equipment for insurance
Do not stay aboard boats during storms. Safeguard human life.
Boaters should take these actions at least 48-72 hours prior to the event to accommodate unforeseen problems. During the storm, occupants should be off the water and in safe shelters.
Storm conditions can delay or prevent response from emergency personnel.
Hurricane Preparedness Links:
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/prepared_week.shtml
source: MD DNR
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