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Fall 2020
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Volume 9| Issue 4
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 Thank you for joining the NOAA in the Caribbean Community
2020 Webinar!
Thank you to all who joined our NOAA in the Caribbean Community Webinar on September 23, 2020! We had over 175 people attend and over 250 registered for the event.
We had a total of 10 presentations among three sessions - Marine Ecosystems, Hazards & Climate Resilience, and Broader Caribbean Engagement. NOAA in the Caribbean Executive Committee also provided an overview of NOAA in the Caribbean's history as well as some recent initiatives including the 2019 Stakeholder Workshop that was held in San Juan, PR and St. Croix, USVI. To view the webinar recording and view each speaker's bio and presentation, check out our event webpage here.
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Feature Stories |
The Caribbean Fishery Management Council Sustainable Seafood Campaign |
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Fact Sheet on Responsible Consumer = Sustainable Fishery
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Management measures, such as closed fishing seasons, size and number of fish caught are
imposed to secure fisheries sustainability. These regulations are directed mainly to the fishers, and most of the outreach and education efforts related to fisheries have been targeted to the fishers. Along with these species demands, the fishers catch other species that are considered bycatch. These are edible and good quality meat that may substitute the species under management regulations. However, the consumer's high demand for particular species of groupers, snappers, queen conch and spiny lobster, based on gastronomical culture and habits puts pressure on the fishers, and ultimately on the marine fishery ecosystem.
Responsible fishers will not catch species that are in closed seasons, instead, offer other species which are not prohibited. For this action to be accepted, the consumer must learn to recognize other species that may substitute their preferred one.
The CFMC, with collaboration from The Nature Conservancy and the UPR Sea Grant Program has been conducting the outreach and education initiative Responsible Consumer = Sustainable Fishery Campaign. This isdirected to consumers at the fishing villages, markets and restaurants to promote consumer's awareness on the importance of responsible fish and seafood consumption. The main goal of the Campaign is to develop awareness among consumers of the importance of their choice and how it can help to achieve sustainability of the fisheries.
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Webinar For tourism Guides |
An easy-to-understand short book: Know the marine fishery ecosystem of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, posters, calendars, placemats and short videos describing edible and underutilized species of fishes and seafood and cooking methods have been produced. These have been distributed to fishing villages and restaurants. These products can also be accessed through the CFMC social media: Facebook and YouTube. At this moment, a Recipe Book using those species, is being developed by a group of well-known chefs from the region which includes local recipes as well as information on the ecosystem where these underutilized species are caught. With these outreach and education products, consumers are guided to avoid consumption of managed species when they are prohibited and to consume abundant, but less known species, which are delicious and healthy.
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4th Meeting of the Spawning Aggregations Working Group (SAWG)
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On November 9 and 10, 2020, delegates and stakeholders met for the 4th meeting of the SAWG created under the auspice of the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) in partnership with other sub-regional organizations including the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC). The SAWG was established in 2012 after a series of regional workshops focusing on the decline of spawning aggregations in much of the Wider Caribbean region and in particular, the plummeting decline of Nassau grouper (Epinepheuls striatus). Spawning aggregations are essential to conserve as they are the only known means of reproduction of some reef fish and are essential for the long-term replenishment and productivity of their natural populations.
The CFMC, has been leading the efforts to strengthen the SAWG, with the expertise and financial support of NOAA Fisheries, and in partnership with WECAFC and other sub-regional organizations, towards ensuring the sustainability of fish aggregating species. NOAA Fisheries uses many management tools to protect species that aggregate to spawn as well as the habitat that supports those aggregations, such as seasonal and year-round species and area closures, size limits and bag limits, among others. In particular, all harvest of Nassau grouper (listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act) and the goliath grouper (E. itajara) is prohibited year-round in the U.S. Caribbean due to their low numbers.
NOAA Fisheries conducted a survey prior to the 2nd SAWG meeting in 2018 geared toward fishery managers across the Caribbean regarding regulatory mechanisms and challenges to protect fish spawning aggregations and Nassau grouper. As a result of this work, the SAWG was able to compare management actions and other measures taken by countries across the Caribbean region to protect fish spawning aggregations, including regulations and no-take areas that range from large year-round marine protected areas to small areas closed for several weeks. Tables summarizing the information were created and are maintained to help the SAWG identify inconsistencies in protections for both the Nassau grouper and the mutton snapper (Lutjanus analis). The mutton snapper is another important species that aggregates to spawn throughout the Caribbean region and along with the Nassau grouper is a focal species selected by the SAWG.
A harmonized regional approach is necessary for the management of these aggregating species given the transboundary nature of adult and egg/larval movements and the shared nature of these stocks. The SAWG has developed and adopted the Regional Fish Spawning Aggregation Fishery Management Plan: Focus on Nassau Grouper and Mutton Snapper (FSAMP). The proposed FSAMP concentrates on protecting a critical and highly specific aspect of the life cycle of the two focal species, with particular attention to active engagement by and involvement of fishers, especially small-scale and artisanal fishers, as well as governments, academics and non-governmental organizations, among other key stakeholders. The plan calls for 16 actions over the next decade to build support for management and to apply positive lessons already learnt from successful management initiatives to date. These fishery management actions are needed to reverse declines associated with uncontrolled exploitation of vulnerable fish spawning aggregations. One of its key provisions is a recommended regional four-month seasonal closure for all commercial and recreational fishing and prohibiting export or commercial sale of the species or its products to protect spawners: annually from December 1 -March 31 for Nassau grouper and from April 1-July 31 for mutton snapper. This regional management plan also recognizes the importance for the region to move towards integrating community-based solutions, develop alternative livelihoods and increase public understanding and engagement for effective fish spawning aggregation management. In addition to offering a regional framework for the conservation of other important aggregating species, the FSAMP also serves as a template to guide the management of other fish species that aggregate to spawn as information becomes available. The WECAFC Commission will consider the FSAMP for adoption at their next meeting in 2021. The CFMC provided support to the FSAMP writing team to draft the plan.
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A Nassau grouper (Epinepheuls striatus). Distinguishing characteristics include five dark brown vertical bars, a large black saddle blotch on top of the base of the tail (caudal peduncle), and a row of black spots below and behind each eye. Juveniles exhibit a color pattern similar to adults. Nassau grouper are listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Annex III of the SPAW Protocol. Photo by SKBolden.
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To achieve greater public awareness of the need to sustainably manage and protect fish spawning aggregations, a communications strategy was developed and adopted by the SAWG to connect and engage the FSAMP with scientists, managers and fishers titled, "Recovering Big Fish". This is a three-year trilingual public engagement campaign designed to help protect fish spawning aggregations initially focusing on Nassau grouper and mutton snapper. Materials have been and will continue to be developed to support fish spawning aggregations conservation, including an international film, several short films, posters, radio bits, among others. Collectively, a digital hub and a citizen science program will distribute materials to implement, integrate, and synchronize the conservation messages and efforts developed by the SAWG.
Upon the request of WECAFC, a survey of parrotfish biology, governance, socioeconomics, and outreach and education in the Wider Caribbean region was undertaken by the CFMC with the support of the SAWG. After reviewing the results, the SAWG determined that management and conservation of parrotfishes would be best addressed through improved coordination and information sharing with an existing regional species working group under the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol of the Cartagena Convention. The SAWG could potentially consider parrotfish species that aggregate to spawn for management recommendations if and when appropriate data become available.
Key meeting outcomes of the November 2020, 4th SAWG meeting included the endorsement of the FSAMP and the communications strategy. Next steps include: 1) conducting a gap analysis and risk assessment at a sub-regional level to identify which of the 16 priority actions in the FSAMP to initiate first, and 2) seeking funding to support monitoring, data collection, the public engagement campaign and the digital hub.
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NOAA Launches New Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Strategy at 73rd Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
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Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, PhD, U.S. Navy (Ret.) presents the keynote address at
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For the first time in its 73-year history, the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) took its annual meeting fully online in 2020. The keynote opening address was delivered by Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, PhD, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy Administrator of NOAA. The keynote marked the launch of the new NOAA strategy to respond to and prevent stony coral tissue loss disease. Since 2014, Florida's coral reefs have been severely impacted by a newly documented coral disease. Called stony coral tissue loss disease because it affects only hard corals and is characterized by the rapid loss of live coral tissue, the disease has now been reported in 16 Caribbean countries and territories.
"GCFI's mission is to provide a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information on marine natural resource issues. Increasingly, we're providing a forum for communications about emerging issues - like invasive lionfish, the pelagic sargassum influx and now stony coral tissue loss disease," commented Acting Chair of GCFI and Coordinator of MPAConnect, Ms. Emma Doyle. "Responding to a need to share information about stony coral tissue loss disease with managers in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region, last year's GCFI72 meeting was the first time that a GCFI technical session was dedicated to this emerging issue. This year, GCFI was honored to have a keynote address from NOAA about stony coral tissue loss disease that is so relevant and up to the minute in applying science, technology, cooperation and communications to save coral reefs".
The new strategy presented by Rear Admiral Gallaudet is an agency-wide effort to develop a fiveyear implementation plan for responding to stony coral tissue loss disease in U.S. waters. He explained how the strategy aligns with NOAA's strategic objectives, and highlighted the need for research and the important role of partnerships in implementation of the strategy. "The strategy matches agency capacity with disease response needs and complements the efforts of our disease response partners in the U.S. and broader Caribbean region. It identifies how NOAA can apply its expertise to this response effort and determines actions that fall within capabilities to support both our mission and the goals outlined in the strategy," explained the Admiral. "The new strategy brings together goals related to research and data collection on stony coral tissue loss disease, goals to preserve the genetic diversity of corals for future coral restoration efforts, goals to raise awareness and understanding of the coral disease, to support citizen science and for strengthening and expanding partnerships. It also considers preventing the spread of the coral disease to other regions, including other U.S. coral reef jurisdictions, such as the Freely Associated States in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. Rear Admiral Gallaudet took questions from the audience including on potential partnerships with divers, fishers, citizen scientists and the tourism sector, about ongoing research into causes and impacts of the disease, and plans for the execution and funding of the strategy. The Q&A session highlighted existing materials and best practice protocols that are available at www.gcfi.org and https://www.agrra.org/coral-disease-outbreak/
The live keynote address was attended by an audience of some 150 participants from the Caribbean region and around the world. A full recording of the opening ceremony and keynote address is now available online at the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute's YouTube channel, please click here. "GCFI is pleased to share this recording of the new NOAA strategy as a resource for coral reef managers in other countries and territories in the Caribbean region as they plan their own response to stony coral tissue loss disease. We can't emphasize enough the importance of strategically approaching local response to this new coral disease," commented Ms. Doyle. "A planned response enables managers to coordinate outreach among partners in order to help prevent, detect and correctly identify stony coral tissues loss disease. Local action plans prioritize coral reefs for monitoring, treatment and rescue so that effort can be targeted where it will bring greatest benefit for coral reef conservation. And locally tailored response strategies are all the more important given limited funding for conservation and the reality of finite technical resources that agencies can dedicate to this new threat," she added.
The MPAConnect network, a partnership initiative between GCFI, NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and 32 Caribbean marine protected areas, has taken a regional lead in building management capacity for the detection of and response to stony coral tissues loss disease. MPAConnect is working to bring additional new resources to help support proactive monitoring and outreach in the Caribbean region.
About GCFI: The Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) was founded in 1947 to promote the exchange of current information on the use and management of marine resources in the Gulf and Caribbean region. From its beginning, GCFI has endeavored to involve scientific, governmental, non-governmental, academic, and commercial sectors to provide a broad perspective on relevant issues, and to encourage dialogue among groups that often operate in relative isolation from one another. GCFI is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors elected by and from its membership. All Officers and Board members serve GCFI on a volunteer basis.
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21st Meeting of the MACHC Hosted Virtually by the U.S.
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The U.S. (NOAA Office of Coast Survey, U.S. Navy, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) hosted the first ever virtual 21st meeting of the Meso American-Caribbean Sea Hydrographic Commission (MACHC) from November 30 to December 3, 2020. The meeting gathered approximately 90 participants each day, representing 22 Caribbean region nations. Due to the virtual nature of MACHC-21, a streamlined agenda was created with Member and Observer country input. The U.S. organizers engaged participants by using an interactive webinar platform, Interactio, which allowed for breakout sessions and simultaneous translation during the meeting. MACHC-21 focused on ensuring seamless regional electronic navigational chart coverage, increasing capacity to provide the best quality navigation products and services, and making invaluable, authoritative charting data available for many other non-navigation purposes, as reflected in the opening video.
Industry support presentations related to these focal areas were included throughout the meeting. Other major topics included IHO and MACHC developments and policies, disaster response, and Seabed 2030 and Crowdsourced Bathymetry, including regional contributions to Seabed 2030, which seeks to map the world's entire ocean floor by 2030 as part of the United Nations Decade for Ocean Science. The MACHC-IOCARIBE Seabed 2030 Strategy and 2021 Implementation Work Plan were officially unveiled and approved, making the MACHC the first regional hydrographic commission to have a plan for completing a bathymetric map by 2030 that informs the sustainable, multi-purpose use of the regional ocean. Katie Ries (NOAA OCS) has served as the MACHC chair since 2018 and completed her term at the closing of MACHC-21, passing along the chairmanship to Rear-Admiral Edgar Luiz Siqueira Barbosa of Brazil. The U.S. hopes that circumstances will allow the hosting of an in-person 22nd Meeting of the MACHC in one of two potential major port and cultural areas in the U.S. in 2021: either Miami, FL or New Orleans, LA.
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| | Virtual group photo of the 21st meeting of the MACHC. |
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Recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands: Progress, Challenges, and Options for the Future
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Original publication of this article can be found here.
Soon after Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) in September 2017, recovery activities began. But more than three years after the hurricanes, the territory still has substantial recovery needs. The USVI government estimates that, to fully recover from the damage, it will need to execute $11.25 billion in recovery work-nearly three times its annual gross domestic product. Project timing, complexity, and scale add to the challenge. The recovery process is also a chance for the USVI to reenvision its future, leveraging recovery funding to create a more modern, resilient, and equitable territory.
The authors of this report aim to help the USVI accelerate its recovery by identifying key recovery goals and accomplishments to date, assessing roadblocks and challenges, and suggesting actionable recommendations to more efficiently implement recovery. They reviewed the USVI's prior recovery plans, analyzed available data, considered good practice in other disaster recovery settings, and held more than 170 group discussions with stakeholders. They provide 76 recommendations to enhance recovery efforts, each including steps to support implementation. The report covers multiple recovery needs: a set of crosscutting capacities required for progress in multiple sectors (management, fiscal, workforce, and supply chain), the rebuilding of physical infrastructure (infrastructure services, energy, housing, and natural and cultural resources), and the development of key aspects of the economy and public services (the tourism economy, education, and health).
Key Findings:
The USVI has increased its management, fiscal, workforce, and supply-chain capacity
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It has started permanent improvements to infrastructure, public buildings, and housing and restored education and critical health care services.
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Key accomplishments include creating the Office of Disaster Recovery to oversee recovery, designating federal block grant funds for public projects, training staff, using contractors to boost territory government management capacity, making plans to upgrade existing infrastructure, identifying funding options to restore housing, and working to restore natural and cultural Key accomplishments include creating the Office of Disaster Recovery to oversee recovery, designating federal block grant funds for public projects, training staff, using contractors to boost territory government management capacity, making plans to upgrade existing infrastructure, identifying funding options to restore housing, and working to restore natural and cultural resources.
The USVI faces multiple barriers and challenges to recovery
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Crosscutting structural issues have impeded the USVI's ability to manage, finance, and execute recovery efforts. Improving capacity is therefore foundational to implementing recovery. If these are not addressed, recovery will likely continue to be significantly delayed. Particular capacity challenges include complex government management staffing and coordination needs; difficulty in navigating the financing of recovery; a shortage of more than 5,000 workers to support recovery; and constraints on supply-chain capacity, especially in acquisition and distribution.
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Multiple barriers delay recovery of physical infrastructure. These include the sheer amount of damage requiring restoration and long-standing financial, institutional, and technical issues associated with aging infrastructure. Interdependencies among reconstruction projects call for coordination and prioritization among projects.
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Recovery of the tourism economy, education, and health faces constraints related to infrastructure, workforce, regulatory, and other factors. Other challenges related to these include ongoing pressures on individuals' well-being after the storms, gaps in services for vulnerable populations, and difficulty in adapting infrastructure, institutions, and plans to future needs.
Recommendations
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Focus on improving crosscutting management, fiscal, supply-chain, and workforce capacities because these are foundational to recovery in all sectors.
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Create clear recovery governance by adequately resourcing recovery agencies, enhancing coordination mechanisms across the USVI government, and creating metrics for recovery progress.
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Expand liquidity and financing options by developing a central recovery spending budget with sequenced spending plans and considering additional private-sector and FEMA financing mechanisms.
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Streamline contracting by developing templates and additional approval contracting mechanisms.
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Support the capacity of territory agencies by enabling hiring of additional staff and targeting technical assistance to agencies making slower progress.
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Build the recovery workforce by expanding temporary housing for off-island workers and providing additional training for USVI residents.
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Enhance supply-chain efficiency by increasing berth capacity and stockyard storage in ports.
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Improve the management of infrastructure services by prioritizing projects that address both hurricane damage and legacy challenges, coordinating infrastructure interdependencies during reconstruction, consolidating recovery funding management under a lead agency, conducting land and water use planning, and raising awareness of risks to natural and cultural resources.
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Increase affordable housing by speeding up repairs on damaged homes, clarifying property ownership, expanding temporary housing, and preventing displacement of residents.
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Improve service provision by streamlining business approvals, expanding the use of telemedicine, improving access to mental health resources, continuing quality initiatives in education and health, and expanding services for vulnerable populations.
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Establish a vision of the future of USVI's service sectors by developing plans to adapt to evolving population needs, labor market requirements, and tourist preferences.
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National Coastal Resilience Fund Announces Awards for 2020
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Ten southeast and two Caribbean projects were funded by the National Coastal Resilience Fund for 2020, with a total funding from NCRF of over $8.6 million. The 2020 grant slate is here. This is a positive trend for this region, compared to 2019 NCRF, when this region received just over $3M for 3 projects in the Caribbean and 4 projects in the Southeast, and 2018, when it received $3M for 2 projects in the Caribbean and 3 projects in the Southeast.
In general, the 2020 round of funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) includes 46 new coastal resilience grants totaling more than $37 million. The awards announced generated $55 million in match from the grantees, providing a total conservation impact of $92 million. In this latest round of grant-making from the fund, NFWF and NOAA were joined by partners Shell, TransRe, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and AT&T; with additional funding from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The National Coastal Resilience Fund restores, increases, and strengthens natural infrastructure to protect coastal communities while also enhancing habitats for fish and wildlife. Established in 2018, the National Coastal Resilience Fund invests in conservation projects that restore or expand natural features such as coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers, and floodplains, and barrier islands that minimize the impacts of storms and other naturally occurring events on nearby communities
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NOAA Proposes Critical Habitat for 5 Threatened Caribbean Corals under the ESA
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NOAA Fisheries is proposing to designate critical habitat for five Caribbean reef-building coral species currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) within U.S. waters in Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Island, Navassa Island, and Flower Garden Banks. The five species are: Orbicella annularis, O. faveolata, O. franksi, Dendrogyra cylindrus, and Mycetophyllia ferox.
Proposed coral critical habitat consists of substrate and water column habitat characteristics essential for the reproduction, recruitment, growth, and maturation of the listed corals. In this case, critical habitat is being proposed for most of the geographic area occupied by the threatened corals in US Southeast and Caribbean waters, including a total of 28, mostly overlapping, specific areas, based on where the species occur. In Florida, NOAA Fisheries is proposing to exclude only one particular area, the Navy's South Florida Ocean Measuring Facility, on the basis of national security impacts.
Critical habitat protections apply only to Federal actions under Section 7 of the ESA; activities that are not funded, authorized, or carried out by a Federal agency are not subject to these protections.
We are accepting public comments for the proposed rule for 60 days through January 26, 2021. Thank you for your attention to this important rulemaking and for your continued cooperation in the conservation of corals.
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Announcements |
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Hydromet Caribbean Virtual Conference - December 15-17, 2020. For more information, visit their website here.
Grants:
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The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national and regional partnership working to produce, integrate, and communicate high quality ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes data that meets the safety, economic, and stewardship needs of the nation. NOAA is requesting proposals for coordinated regional efforts that further the IOOS in two topic areas; Implementation and Development of Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (Topic Area 1), and Advancing the National Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure System Architecture (Topic Area 2).
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The U.S. IOOS Office, in conjunction with the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), is seeking to fund projects, subject to the availability of funds, which meet the following criteria in each topic area. The NOPP was established by Congress via Title II, subtitle E, of Public Law 104-201 to promote the national goals of ensuring national security, advancing economic development, protecting quality of life, and strengthening science education and communication by improving knowledge of the ocean. There are over twenty agencies participating in the NOPP. They are identified on the NOPP website: www.nopp.org.
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The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support.
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Projects include a variety of ecological improvements along with targeted community outreach, education and stewardship. Ecological improvements may include one or more of the following: wetland, riparian, forest and coastal habitat restoration; wildlife conservation, community tree canopy enhancement, water quality monitoring and green infrastructure best management practices for managing run-off.
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Projects should increase access to the benefits of nature, reduce the impact of environmental hazards and engage local communities, particularly underserved communities, in project planning, outreach and implementation. This program expects that applicants will represent a mixture of urban and rural communities. NFWF may use a mix of public and private funding sources to support any grant made through this program.
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NOAA in the Caribbean Newsletter
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If you wish to submit any questions, comments, story ideas, artwork or photographs, please e-mail us at [email protected].
NOAA in the Caribbean Newsletter is produced by the NOAA in the Caribbean Steering Committee, including support from NOAA's Office of International Affairs, Southeast And Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team, Office for Coastal Management, National Marine Fisheries Service SE Regional Office, Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
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