News

The National Marine Fisheries Service has extended the comment deadline for the draft Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast Coho Recovery Plan. Comments are due May 4. 

2/9/12

Humboldt State University Zoology Professor Dawn Goley will join with colleagues from the Yurok Tribe and a host of other agencies on Monday, Feb. 13 in a detailed backgrounder on last summer’s Klamath River gray whale saga.  

The debriefing will be presented at the Yurok Tribe’s headquarters in Klamath, CA from 6-7:30 p.m. and will address the biological, cultural and veterinary aspects of the multi-agency response.

“For those interested in the details of what happened during the gray whales’ stay, this will be a very informative meeting,” Goley said. “Those who attend will also have an opportunity to meet and talk with the diverse and dedicated team who worked with the cetaceans.”

The Humboldt State University Marine Mammal Education and Research Program, the Yurok Tribe, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal Marine Mammal Stranding Network and the Marine Mammal Center partnered in a coordinated response to monitor the health of the whales, encourage them to return to the sea and to maintain their safety and that of observers. 

The gray whale cow is believed to have died from complications associated with its extended stay in fresh water. The calf left the river in late July, its fate unknown.

Yurok Tribe Headquarters are located at 190 Klamath Boulevard, just off U.S. Highway 101 in Klamath. 

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Adam Brown, White Shark Biologist with Point Reyes Bird Observatory, has been studying white sharks on Southeast Farallon Island since 2000. He will be Beth and Mike's guest on Coastal Currents on Feb. 8 at noon on KHUM, 104.3 and 104.7 FM.

White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are the ocean's largest predatory sharks. The occasional encounter with humans (and movie producers) has made them the most famous. Although they can grow to almost 21 feet (7 meters), the length of an average shark is closer to 15 feet (5 meters); they weigh about 1,500 pounds (700 kg). White sharks, like some other fish such as salmon sharks and tuna, are warm-bodied -- that is, parts of their bodies can be warmer than the cold water in which they swim.

In the eastern Pacific, white sharks can be found from Alaska to Mexico, but you don't often see them north of Washington State. They hang out near haul-out sites for marine mammals, their main food. People used to believe they roamed only along the California coast. But our tags show that they travel regularly from California to Hawaii. Juvenile white sharks are found in the Southern California Bight, which appears to be an important nursery ground.

The World Conservation Union lists white sharks as vulnerable. Concerns for white shark populations have led to their protection in Californian and Mexican waters. To ensure their long-term survival, we need much more information about where they go to feed and breed. The recent tagging results indicate how little is actually known about white sharks. Also, white sharks will also provide a valuable comparison to results from salmon and mako sharks that are also capable of elevating their body temperature.

To view the white shark tagging map by Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP), click HERE.

Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) began in 2000 as one of 17 projects of the Census of Marine Life, an ambitious 10-year, 80-nation endeavor to assess and explain the diversity and abundance of life in the oceans, and where that life has lived, is living, and will live.

2/1/12

Watershed groups and other conservationists expressed concern Tuesday night with terms used to rank salmon population areas in the a long-awaited draft recovery plan in fear it would reduce efforts for populations not listed as a “priority.”

National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration' fish biologist Julie Weeder, the recovery coordinator, said the terminology was not meant to reduce any efforts, but the feedback was exactly the type of information the National Marine Fisheries Service was looking for. She said the agency is required to create the plan, a set of guidelines for the recovery of coho salmon in Southern Oregon and Northern California, but the implementation is voluntary. The coho salmon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1997 after habitat degradation, harvest and water diversion, drought, floods and poor ocean conditions led to its depletion.

”I firmly believe that this plan will not succeed unless it makes sense to people,” Weeder said, adding that she wants as much community input as possible to create a more accurate final draft and encourage community participation.

After 12 years of research, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service released its draft recovery plan in January. Clarence Hostler, a regional supervisor with NOAA, said the service recognizes that the draft still needs to be revised, and it will continue to be revised throughout the years. The plan is scheduled to be updated every five years.

”It's better to have an imperfect plan, rather than no plan at all,” he said.

According to the service, the plan will provide short term solutions and long term solutions to restore habitat, ranging from increasing channel complexity by adding woody debris, to improving the timing or volume of water flow by establishing statewide groundwater permit program. The plan also includes guidelines for monitoring and collecting data.

While several individuals at the meeting thanked the service for creating detailed profiles of each area, they were all concerned about the feasibility of the plan. In addition to wanting clarity on the ranking of areas and threats, concerns included addressing timber practices, including language specifying the ability to reassess areas that have been termed as not a “core” area, and extending the comment period for 30 days or longer. The service is holding several other meetings in the next month in Northern California, and the deadline for the comments is March 5. Weeder said she would be willing to meet with people in addition to the public meetings, and it may even be possible to hold another public forum. 

Electronic copies of the draft plan are available at www.swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery or on a CD by contacting Cynthia Anderson at 825-5162 or by sending an email with “CD ROM request for SONCC coho salmon draft recovery plan” to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, contact Julie Weeder at 825-5168 orThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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