Ocean and Coastal Highlights

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Newly Hatched Grass Carp Confirmed in Great Lakes Watershed
Photo of an Asian grass carp
5/30/2019
Through genetic analysis, USGS confirmed that larval, or newly hatched, invasive grass carp are in the Maumee River, a tributary to Lake Erie.
Seabird Die-Offs Becoming More Extreme
Dead seabirds along the Alaska coastline
5/30/2019
Seabirds are good indicators of ocean ecosystem health. Since 2014, U.S. North Pacific and Arctic coastlines have witnessed seven seabird mass mortality rates, with one in the Gulf of Alaska being the largest and most extensive episode ever recorded.
Maps of Offshore Sand—BOEM’s Marine Minerals Information System
Screen capture of BOEM’s online MMIS Viewer
5/30/2019
The Marine Minerals Information System (MMIS) is a state-of-the art tool designed to assist decision makers in planning and managing coastal recovery and coastal resilience projects.
Improving Safety Performance at Offshore Oil and Gas Facilities
BSEE Inspector Daniel Woods (at right) discusses inspection results with a colleague from the U.S. Coast Guard
5/30/2019
In order to drive continual improvement in safety performance and environmental stewardship on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, BSEE is performing both performance-based risk inspections and facility-based risk inspections.
Salt Marsh Species at Risk
Photo of a salt marsh
5/30/2019
Once occupying vast areas along the northeast coast, urban areas and development have reduced salt marshes to 10-20 percent of their original area. While these critical and productive ecosystems are foundational to many species and human economies, they are also being stressed due to rising seas and human development pressure. Learn about the various strategies for saving them.
DEEP SEARCH Explores Deep-Sea Habitats off the Atlantic Coast
Screen capture from DEEP Search Expedition video
5/30/2019
In April, USGS and BOEM scientists headed out with NOAA on their 4th expedition to collect baseline information about coral, canyon and cold seep habitats in offshore areas between Georgia and Virginia. Their discoveries will help inform management of activities in the region.
Learn to Identify Waterfowl (doi.gov)
Photo of two Harlequin ducks
5/30/2019
Improve your knowledge about waterfowl behavior, migration patterns, and even the sounds they make. This on-line guide provides illustrations, full color photos and narrated videos for each species.
Wounded Veterans in Parks: Rock Star Status
Pearl Harbor Wounded Veterans in Parks (WVIP) members were featured during an Eagles concert.
3/12/2019
Pearl Harbor Day (December 7, 2018) was an epic day for the Pearl Harbor Wounded Veterans in Parks (WVIP) program which included a dive on the USS Arizona with veterans invited to the evening Eagles concert where they were featured by the band.
Expanded Hunting and Fishing at National Wildlife Refuges
Two Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata) amongst a flock of American Wigeon (Anas Americana) in San Pablo Bay NWR, CA.
3/12/2019
More than 251,000 acres have been opened to new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities at 30 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) across the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) NWR System in September 2018.
Deepwater Horizon Settlement Funds are Restoring Queen Bess Island
A pelican soars above Queen Bess Island, LA.
3/12/2019
The brown pelican was reintroduced to Queen Bess Island beginning in 1968. To support these nesting birds with the habitat they need, biologists are focused on saving Queen Bess Island from erosion that has reduced it to a small fraction of its former size.
$1.3 Million to Protect Coral Reefs
Butterfly fish at Palmyra Island NWR
3/12/2019
Interior provided $1.3 million in FY 2018 grant funding to the U.S. territories and the freely associated states to help protect coral reefs and marine resources. Funds support rehabilitation of corals, outreach, restoration, and removal of invasive species and pests.
Imaging Gas Hydrates-New Seismic Data on the US Mid-Atlantic Margin
Coastal map depicting seismic lines and locations of likely undersea gas-hydrate accumulations
3/12/2019
USGS led the MATRIX cruise to delineate the distribution of gas hydrates along the U.S. Atlantic margin along with partners at BOEM and Department of Energy.
DEEP SEARCH Discovers Deep Sea Coral Reefs
An underwater robot collects a sample of Lophelia pertusa from an extensive mound of both dead and live coral.
3/12/2019
Together, BOEM, USGS, and NOAA explored and mapped deep-sea coral, canyon, and gas seep ecosystems and examined fish distribution and relation to localized features. The team collected water, sediment, benthic faunal samples, and imagery of benthic habitats to increase knowledge of the U.S. continental margin geology, the types of communities found on the seafloor, and the mid-water communities that interact with those seafloor communities in unexplored areas offshore from Florida to North Carolina.
Nuisance Algae in the Great Lakes
USGS divers collect algae samples in Lake Huron
3/12/2019
The Great Lakes Integrated Cladophora Assessment Project is a Great Lakes-wide, bi-nationally coordinated, multijurisdictional effort meeting the challenge of managing nuisance Cladophora algae.
Doggie Detectives Sniff for Science
Three of the Conservation Canines who do their sniffing for science
3/12/2019
Known as conservation canines, these dogs are trained and motivated to accurately locate scent and samples to help provide expert biologists with a multitude of information—without having to trap and take samples from wildlife.

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