NOAA/NMFS Developments

"Year of the Ocean"Celebrates Marine Importance

The "Year of the Ocean," from 10March 1984 through 10 March 1985,has been initiated and designed tocelebrate and call attention to the im­portance and value of the ocean tohuman life. Start of the year-long ob­servance was set in honor of the firstanniversary of President RonaldReagan's Proclamation of the ExclusiveEconomic Zone (EEZ).

Education and Stewardship

While that Proclamation extendedU. S. sovereign rights and jurisdictionto the many resources found within 200miles of our shores, Year of the Oceanfestivities are not limited to the EEZ. Itis to celebrate all ocean areas with par­ticular focus on education and steward­ship. Federal organizations with oceanmissions will open their doors at vari­ous times throughout the year to wel­come the public, especially students, toview their facilities and become famil­iar with their many activities. This spe­cial celebration is expected to sparknew interest in the exploration, re­search, development, use, and enjoy­ment of the seas around us.

Purpose and Objectives

The major purpose of the "Year ofthe Ocean" is to increase awareness ofour bond with the ocean-the ocean isour benefactor and continues to offergreat potential. The Ocean Year cele­bration should result in a more in­formed and effective public on oceanissues. Public evaluation of the Na­tion's policy posture will serve the en­tire world well as we approach the 21stCentury.

Stated objectives of the Year of theOcean are to:

I) Foster Federal, State, and indus­try partnership in wise use and man-

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agement of the ocean and its resources.2) Educate and inform Americans

about the products, use, and potentialof the ocean.

3) Encourage ocean users to developa stewardship role in addressing the useand management of our ocean re­sources for present and future Ameri­cans.

4) Provide a neutral forum forpolicy- and decision-makers to raise,examine, and/or recommend resolutionof ocean issues.

5) Initiate and stimulate multiplecelebrations of America's ocean heri­tage and future.

A new organization, the Year of theOcean Foundation (see box), is spon-

Year of theOcean Foundation

Foreseeing the possibility of "anew American heritage," the Year ofthe Ocean Foundation has been estab­lished to sponsor Year of the Oceanactivities. The Pro Tern ExecutiveCommittee for the Foundation in­cluded John V. Byrne, Charles D.Matthews, Cliff McLain, RichardShamp, and Charles H. Bussman.National Coordinator of the Year ofthe Ocean is Diane C. Boratyn atFoundation headquarters, Box 1100,3421 M Street, N.W., Washington,D.C. 20007 (telephone is 202-333­1188).

The Foundation was set up tostimulate publ ic and private partner­ship, provide communication be­tween ocean users, initiate oceanevents, and inform the public aboutthe oceans. It will provide a head­quarters staff to coordinate eventsand expedite the involvement of in­dustry, academia, and otherorganiza­tions in the year-long program of ob­servances.

soring the observance. Composed ofoceanic leaders in government, indus­try, academia, private organizations,and state and local governments, itssole purpose is to increase the Ameri­can public's understanding of the im­portance of the oceans. The new Foun­dation will operate for 2 years.

NOAA's Role

NOAA's ocean organizations plan toconduct a series of events during theOcean Year to reach people across theNation and to give the ocean new mean­ing in their lives. Planning sessionshave been held at national, state, andlocal levels to produce a year-long cal­endar of exciting and educationalevents. And, Congressional resolutionsfor the Ocean Year and a "Day of theOcean" are under consideration.

The National Marine Fisheries Ser­vice will also be an active participant inthe Year of the Ocean celebrations. On9 March, NOAA facilities in at least 12locations were opened to conduct edu­cational programs and facility tours forgrade school science classes. Addi­tional details on upcoming Ocean Yearevents and educational activities areavailable from NOAA and NMFS re­gional offices.

Keynoting the Coastal Zone 83 con­ference on I June last year in San Diego,NOAA Administrator John V. Byrneproposed that 1984 be the "Year of theOceans." In his wide-ranging speech,Byrne called for State governments andprivate interests to exercise leadershipin their areas of interest to provide theNation with strong ocean and coastalprograms, and he pledged that NOAAwould assume its share of leadership.

Define and Clarify Goals

Said Byrne, "We now have an unpar­alleled opportunity to define and clarifythe Nation's ocean and coastal goals,and rally the support needed to achievethem. I propose that we, and all who areinterested in coasts and oceans, makenext year, 1984, the "Year of theOceans" ... I bel ieve that the Year of theOceans will help us achieve a consen­sus about needs to be met and programsto be undertaken. And I bel ieve that itwill enable us to move into the 21st

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NMFS SCIENTISTS HONOREDCentury with our National directionsclear, and with science and technologyon track to meet the challenges that lieahead."

Addressing science, Byrne noted thatNOAA was fortunate to have many ex­cellent scientists whose knowledge andskills "can often be linked to providesolutions to problems broader thanmight be met in their single disci­plines."

Fisheries

On fisheries, Byrne said, "Fishstocks are large or small, in general,depending on how well the juvenilessurvive to become adults. Only recentlyhave scientists discovered how heavilythis survival depends upon physicaloceanographic factors such as currents,turbidity, and salinity, as well as biolog­ical factors such as predation.

"Our oceanographers and fisherybiologists are now pursuing joint re­search on the factors that influencejuvenile survival. Recent advanceshave put us on the threshold of majorpredictive capabilities for several im­portant fish stocks.

"We think the Year of the Oceans willsee important advances toward our goalof increasing the catch of our fishingindustry."

Estuarine Research

Likewise, estuarine research isanother practical and productive area,according to Byrne, citing progress atthe NMFS Galveston and Beaufortfisheries laboratories in learning theimportance of spartina marsh grass forjuvenile shrimp and menhaden.

NOAA participation in the Year ofthe Ocean is coordinated by its NationalOcean Survey (NOS), according toRuth Barritt in NOS' Office of Exter­nal Affairs. Several special scienceprograms for school children to initiatethe Year of the Ocean celebration wereheld on 9 March by NOAA elements inthe following cities: Seattle, Wash.;Miami, Fla.; Charleston, S.c.; SanDiego and La Jolla, Calif.; Boulder,Colo.; Bay St. Louis, Miss.; Norfolk,Va.; Rockville, Md.; Kodiak and An­chorage, Alaska; and Narragansett,R.I., and others.

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Shomura Receives NOAAAdministrator's Award

Richard S. Shomura, Director of theSouthwest Fisheries Center's HonoluluLaboratory si nce 1973, recei vedNOAA's Administrator's Award fromJohn V. Byrne, Administrator ofNOAA, in ceremonies last fall in Wash­ington, D.C. The Award consists of aplaque and stipend of $2,000 and isgiven annually to at most IO NOAAemployees (NOAA employs almost15,000 persons) who have made sig­nificant contributions to NOAA's pro­grams.

Shomura was cited for his efforts inbringing together a diverse group ofscientists at a symposium held at theUniversity of Hawaii in May 1983. Thescientists shared results of studies onthe fish and wildl ife of a group of is-

Reuben Lasker ReceivesExcellence Award forMarine Science Studies

Reuben Lasker, a NOAA Gold MedalWinner and Chief of the CoastalFisheries Resources Division at theNMFS Southwest Fisheries Center,added to his Iist of honors with the an­nouncement that he is the 1983 recipientof the A. G. Huntsman Award for excel­lence in marine science. Lasker wasnotified of the honor by the HuntsmanAward Committee at the Bedford Insti­tute of Oceanography (BIO) inDartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The Huntsman Award was estab­lished in 1980 by BIO and is presentedannually in one of the three divisionsof marine science-biological ocean­ography, physical/chemical ocean­ography, and marine geoscience. Itrecognizes excellence of research,outstanding contributions to science,and influence on the course of marinescientific thought. Recipients are hon­ored not only for their caliber of science

lands and atolls extending over athousand miles northwest of Hawaii.These islands and atolls, especiallyMidway, have strategic military impor­tance and harbor some of the world'smost important seabird colonies as wellas many commercially and recre­ationally valuable fish and shellfish.These islands also provide terrestrialhabitat for the endangered Hawaiianmonk seal and green sea turtles.

Shomura was also commended forhis initiative and leadership in dealingwith problems of assessing fishery re­sources and improving fishery man­agement in underdeveloped areas of thePacific. Shomura holds a Master of Sci­ence degree in zoology from the Uni­versity of Hawaii and is the only locallyborn person to hold the laboratory di­rector's position since the HonoluluLaboratory was established.

and scientific thought, but also for theirimpact and influence on the future ofoceanography.

In a prepared statement the AwardCommittee said: "Dr. Lasker is a highlyregarded teacher and researcher in thefield of biological oceanography whohas a profound influence on our un­derstanding of the nutrition, biochemis­try, and general physiology of marineorganisms. He has pursued a lifetimesearch for the causes of fluctuations inthe abundance of fish populations, con­centrating on the sardines and an­chovies of the Cal ifornia Current, asmodels of fish stocks everywhere.Starting from laboratory studies on thebioenergetics of eggs and larvae in theearly 60's, he developed a mechanismfor spawning anchovies on demand inthe laboratory. This significant break­through in the supply of research mate­rial enabled him to progress rapidlythrough studies of larval feeding behav­ior to critical experiments at sea fordetermining the oceanographic condi­tions necessary to establish sufficient

Marine Fisheries Review

food conditions."The work by Lasker and his col­

leagues at the SWFC La Jolla Labora­tory, the awards committee concluded,"is a most elegant combination oflaboratory physiology and biologicaloceanographic field work ... (which)culminated in the late 1970's with a firstdemonstration of how good and pooryear-classes of fish, in this case, an­chovy, might be formed that has re­solved old questions, and has led to aworldwide resurgence of research inthis important field."

Lasker received the specially de­signed and engraved sterling silvermedal at ceremonies in November inthe BIO auditorium from the Presidentof the Royal Society of Canada,Marc-Adelard Tremblay. Following theceremony the medalist presented a dis­tinguished lecture. The HuntsmanAward is supported jointly by the Cana­dian Departments of Fisheries andOceans; Energy, Mines and Resources;the East Coast Petroleum Operators As­sociation, and the Provincial Depart­ment of Fisheries.

Lasker is a long-time Federal em­ployee who joined the NMFS in 1958 asa research physiologist. He is marriedto the former Carol ine Hayman and hastwo grown children.

Outstanding NMFSAuthors Are Cited

The outstanding papers authored byNational Marine Fisheries Service sci­entists and published in the FisheryBulletin and the Marine Fisheries Re­view in 1982 have been announced bythe NMFS Publications AdvisoryCommittee.

For the Fishery Bulletin, Vol. 80,Thomas Pothoff and Sharon Kellyshared the award for their top-ratedpaper "Development of the vertebralcolumn, fins, and fin supports in theswordfish, Xiphias gladius," 80(2):161-186. Pothoff, a fishery biologist,and Kelly, a research assistant, areboth with the Miami Laboratory ofthe NMFS Southeast Fisheries Center,

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Miami, Fla.Selected as the best paper published

in 1982 in the Marine Fisheries Reviewwas "A review of the offshore shrimpfishery and the 1981 Texas Closure," byEdward F. Klima, Kenneth N. Baxter,and Frank A. Patella, Jf. Klima is Di­rector of the Galveston Laboratory ofthe NMFS Southwest Fisheries Center,Galveston, Tex. Baxter, a supervisoryfishery biologist, and Patella, a fisherybiologist, are also stationed at the Gal­veston Laboratory. The paper was pub­lished in the September-October issue,44(9-10):16-20, and was part of a spe­cial double-size issue devoted to the"Texas Closure."

Developed in 1975, the annual Out­standing Publication Awards programrecognizes NMFS employees who havemade exceptional contributions to theknowledge and understanding of the re­sources, processes, and organismsstudied as a part of the NMFS mission.

Any NMFS employee may recom­mend published papers of the appropri­ate calendar year for award consider­ation to the chairman of the PublicationAwards Committee (the current FisheryBulletin editor). Authors must havebeen employed by the NMFS at thetime the paper was published. Nomina­tions must include the author's name,paper title and number of pages, seriesname and volume number, justificationto support the nomination, and thename and office affiliation of thenominator.

Drilling Mud Effects onPlanktonic Crustaceans

Muds used in drilling offshore oilwells pose little threat to sensitive lar­val stages of several species of shrimpand crabs, according to a study recentlycompleted by Stanley D. Rice andMark Carls at the NMFS Northwest andAlaska Fisheries Center's Auke BayLaboratory in Alaska. This finding isreassuring to those concerned about ef­fects of the mud on fish resources.About I ton of solids (mud mixed withrock chips) is dumped at sea for each 10feet of well drilled. Because both the

number of wells and their depths areincreasing rapidly on the continentalshelf, possible toxic effects of mudshave become an issue.

Effects of six muds-four usedmuds from actual drilling operations,and two unused-were tested on sixspecies of crustacean larvae: King,snow, and Dungeness crab; andcoonstripe, dock, and kelp shrimp.Tests on sensitive planktonic larvae ofcrabs and shrimp had not been con­ducted before this study. Toxicity of themuds varied with the composition ofthe mud and species tested. Concentra­tions of mud-seawater suspensions thatkilled 50 percent of the animals in 144hours of exposure ranged from 0.05 to2.98 percent by volume. Mud toxicitywas much less than that of crude oil­even the most toxic mud was only about1/1,000 as toxic as Prudhoe Bay crude.No harmful effects were evident fromany muds until after at least 4 hours ofcontinuous exposure to these high con­centrations.

Several mud components were alsotested separately for toxicity. Ferro­chrome lignosulfonate, a dispersantcommonly added to mud formulationsin small quantities, was the most toxiccomponent tested. Barite (BaS04) andbentonite clay, which usually make upthe bulk of mud formulations, were rel­atively nontoxic. Effects at the highestmud concentrations were probablycaused by physical interference withlarval behavior rather than chemicaltoxicity.

Under most conditions, drillingmuds discharged into the sea are un­likely to harm planktonic larvae be­cause toxic concentrations are dilutedrapidly within a short distance from thepoint of discharge (thousandfold dilu­tions have been measured in otherstudies within 5 m of the discharge).Drilling muds settling on the bottomnear the point of discharge could affectsome benthic organisms, but this ques­tion was not addressed. Results of thestudy will be published in Marine En­vironmental Research. Additional de­tails concerning the drilling mud toxic­ity study are available from GeorgeSnyder, Director, NMFS Auke BayLaboratory, Auke Bay, AK 99821.

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NMFS Announces NewHabitat Conservation Policy

A new habitat conservation policy toensure that habitat is given greater at­tention in agency programs has beenadopted by the National MarineFisheries Service, agency officials haveannounced. After extensive internaland public scrutiny, the national policywas approved by William G. Gordon,Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,NMFS, Washington, D.C., and pub­lished in the Federal Register late lastyear.

The new policy will:

I) Ensure that habitat is fully consi­dered in all NMFS programs and ac­tivities.

2) Focus NMFS habitat conserva­tion activities on species for which theagency has management or protectionresponsibilities under the MagnusonFishery Conservation and ManagementAct, the Marine Mammal ProtectionAct, and the Endangered Species Act.

3) Lay the foundation for manage­ment and research cooperation onhabitat issues.

4) Strengthen NMFS partnershipswith the states and the Regional FisheryManagement Councils on habitat is­sues.

The Nation's eight Fishery Manage­ment Councils are responsible for pre­paring fishery management plans forfisheries within their jurisdiction.Where appropriate, the Councils rec­ommend habitat conservation measuresin their fishery management plans. Be­cause fish don't recognize boundariesbetween state and federal waters, it isvital for the states, the Councils, andthe Federal government to cooperate onhabitat and fishery issues.

Coastal and estuarine areas and theirassociated wetlands are vitally impor­tant as spawning and nursery groundsfor both commercial and marine recre­ational fishery resources. About two­thirds of the important fishery resources

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depend upon these areas which alsoserve as habitat for many species ofmarine mammals and endangeredspecies. However, human populationshifts to coastal areas and associatedindustrial and municipal expansionhave accelerated competition for use ofthe same habitats. By 1990, about 75percent of the U.S. population is ex­pected to live within 50 miles of thecoastl ines.

Increasing efforts to develop new oralternate sources of energy are furtherstressing important marine resourcehabitats. As a result, these habitats havebeen substantially reduced and con­tinue to suffer the effects of dredging,filling, coastal construction, energydevelopment, pollution, waste dis­posal, and other human-related ac­tivities. In the case of wetlands, from1954 to 1978 there was an average an­nual loss of 104,000 acres, a tenfoldannual increase in acreage lost between1780 and 1954.

The NMFS' habitat conservation ac­tivities will, however, recognize thatmultiple uses of marine areas are neces­sary. The agency's responsibility is tosee that such uses are balanced so thatour important marine resources areminimally affected or, where possible,improved. NMFS is the primary Fed­eral agency charged with conserving,managing, and developing marinefishery resources and protecting certainmarine mammals and endangeredspecies.

Liquid C02 Extractionand Fisheries Research

A new solvent extraction system withpotential for widespread appl ications infishery processing has been developedrecently according to the Northwest andAlaska Fisheries Center's Uti IizationResearch Division (URD). The process

involves high pressure fluid extractionto concentrate and recover useful prod­ucts such as perfume essences, oil fromseeds, active ingredients from plants,and removal of caffeine from coffee.High pressure carbon dioxide has beenevaluated in products such as corn oiland cottonseed oil with good success.Results of this research have been en­couraging to URD scientists who haveprocured the necessary equipment tobegin in-house investigations of the po­tential application to fishery products.

The carbon dioxide extraction pro­cess is quite simple. The carbon dioxideis first liquefied by compression at pres­sures of 4,000-10,000 psi. The highpressure liquid is then passed throughan extraction vessel that may containeither liquid oil or solid material thatcontains the compounds to be sepa­rated. Specific fractions are recoveredfrom the extraction process and can beisolated. Carbon dioxide is nonflam­mable, nontoxic, readily available,cheap, and easily removed from thematerial extracted.

The most promising areas that pre­sent opportunities for innovative re­search include refining fish oils to pre­pare good grade oils and pharmaceuti­cal products, extraction of oils fromfish meal or press cake, and the extrac­tion and concentration of carotenoidpigments from crustacean processingwastes. Fractionation of methyl estersderived from fish oil triglycerideswould yield concentrates of the highlyunsaturated components with possibleuse for the treatment and prevention ofcardiovascular disease. The extractionsystem has been assembled in theURD's Seattle laboratory and will beoperated by Virginia Stout.

Richard W. Nelson

Fishery ProductSafety Research

Fish and shellfish accumulate traceamounts of chemical contaminants tovarying degrees, harbor pathogenicbacteria and viruses, and accumulate

Marine Fisheries Review

naturally occurring marine toxins, allof which are capable of causing humanillness. This is an impediment to ex­panding domestic and export marketsfor U. S. fishery products and can se­verely impact the stability of existingmarkets.

S-K 1983 funds totalling $742,000will support research in the hepatitis Avirus, cleansing mechanisms of Vibriocholerae and V. vulnificus in Floridashellfish, the detection of ciguatera, thedevelopment and field testing of detec­tion kits for paralytic shellfish poison,use of liquid smoke in fishery productsto inhibit C. botulinum, use of con­trolled atmosphere to extend the shelflife of packaged seafood, and the com­mercial heat steril ization of seafoodpacked in retortable pouches. For moreinformation on product safety projectscontact: Betty Hackley, NationalMarine Fisheries Service, Office ofUtilization Research, Washington,D.C. 20235.

U.S. West Coast 1984Groundfish Rules Set

New regulations governing fishingfor certain species of groundfish in thePacific Ocean off Washington, Oregon,and California were put into effect IJanuary 1984. These Federal regula­tions implement the Pacific CoastGroundfish Plan developed by thePacific Fishery Management Counciland have been coordinated with thefishery agencies of the three coastalstates. The regulations apply to widowrockfish, rockfish of the Sebastes com­plex, and sablefish, and are as givenbelow.

Vessels harvesting widow rockfish inthe Pacific Ocean off the three states arelimited to one trip per calendar week(Sunday through Saturday) which landsmore than 3,000 pounds of widowrockfish. No more than 50,000 pounds(round weight) of this species may betaken and retained or landed in anyonetrip. All landings of widow rockfishmust cease when the quota of 9,300metric tons (t), about 20.5 millionpounds, is reached.

Vessels harvesting the Sebastes

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complex in the area north of CapeBlanco, Oreg., are limited to one tripper calendar week above 3,000 poundsof fish of those species. No more than30,000 pounds of fish in the Sebastescomplex may be taken and retained orlanded in anyone trip. There is no har­vest quota for fish of the Sebastes com­plex north of Cape Blanco at this time.

Regulations for the Sebastes com­plex in the area south of Cape Blancolimit each vessel to 40,000 poundslanded per trip. There is no limit on thenumber of landings allowed per weekand there is no quota for the Sebastescomplex south of Cape Blanco at thistime.

Regulations for sablefish continuedthe minimum size limit of 22 inches of1983. Vessels fishing for sablefish northof Point Conception, Calif., will beallowed to take and retain or land 5,000pounds of sablefish under 22 inches inlength per trip. South of Point Concep­tion there are no size restrictions or tripIimits for sablefish. All fishi ng for sa­blefish must stop when the coastwideharvest quota of 17 ,400 t (38.3 millionpounds) is reached.

These regulations were to be re­viewed in April and again in July by thePacific Fishery Management Counciland may be modified if the expectedreduction in total catches is notrealized.

Commercial NewsletterPilot Project

The U.S. Department of Commercehas started a commercial newsletterproject to enable small- and medium­sized U. S. exporters to test new mar­kets on a regional basis with a mini­mum outlay. The project is aimed atnew-to-export and new-to-market firmswho wish to test the Asian or northernEuropean markets, and who do not seekrepresentation at this time.

The market test items will be pub­lished by the U.S. Embassies in Lon­don and Manila in a regional newslet­ter. Each copy of the newsletter willcontain a reader interest card whichmay be marked and returned. Re-

sponses will be forwarded to advertis­ers. The product information insertswill be identified as commercial adver­tising for which the client will becharged an insertion fee of $25.00 perregion. For further detai Is, call or write:U.S. Department of Commerce, Inter­national Trade Administration, DistrictOffice, 441 Stuart Street, Boston, MA02116 (telephone 617-223-2314).

Western PacificFisheries Development

In the Pacific Ocean, priority is givento projects that address tuna harvestingand/or contribute to the fishery devel­opment goals of Hawaii, Guam,American Samoa, the Commonwealthof the Northern Mariana Islands and theTrust Territories of the Pacific Islands.

With $248,000 in S-K funds, thePacific Tuna Development Foundationwill continue its Pacific fisheries devel­opment program. The trochus reef re­seeding program will continue. Reefareas in Palau will be stocked withjuveniles of the giant tridacnid clam. Astudy will determine the feasibility ofusing Palau, Truk, Saipan, Ponapae,and Majuro port facilities for 500-1,000ton transshipments of tuna.

A suitable location will be investi­gated for drydock facilities to repair thelocally based fishing fleet of Truk. Cul­tured Mexican topminnows will betested as live bait for aku, pole and linefishing, and fish aggregating devices.Efforts will be continued to expand theAmerican Samoa fishery fleet, improveon-board and shores ide qual ity control,establish guidelines for air exportshipments, and train local market em­ployees in sales and qual ity control pro­cedures.

Two other projects recommended forfunding include the continuation of thesmall-scale tuna longlining effort cen­tered in Guam, and support of a privateindustry committee in Hawaii to or­ganize local seafood promotion ac­tivities on an industry-wide basis.Further Western Pacific project infor­mation can be obtained from: PeterMilone, NMFS, PO. Box 3870, Hono­lulu, HI 96812.

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