News Releases

Nov. 26, 2004--Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary today announced the appointment of one new member and one alternate to serve on the site’s advisory council in a newly created recreational fishing seat. The sanctuary is managed by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nov. 26, 2004--Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants to fill open seats on its sanctuary advisory council. The positions including a primary and alternate member for education, diving, tourism and at-large and alternates for commercial fishing and research. The sanctuary is managed by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nov. 23, 2004--Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants to fill eight open sanctuary advisory council positions.  The sanctuary advisory council was established to advise the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on management of the sanctuary, including public education, research, monitoring and the protection of natural and maritime heritage resources.  NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Nov. 4, 2004--Three previously unknown sea creatures have been found at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary by Georgia Southern University scientists working there to document all the invertebrates living at the sanctuary. The sanctuary is managed by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Oct. 7, 2004--The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, today announced the availability of permits allowing fishermen to use hook and line to catch ballyhoo in three Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPA). NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department Commerce.

Aug. 19, 2004--Using high-tech underwater search and survey tools, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with support from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), will hunt next week for the Alligator, the U.S. Navy’s first submarine. The NOAA-ONR expedition will take place Aug. 22-31 off Cape Hatteras, N.C., where the Civil War-era vessel was lost during a fierce storm in 1863.

Aug. 18, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials joined Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, and navigator Nainoa Thompson at a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday to announce plans for a new sanctuary community education and learning center at the NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary office in Kihei. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Aug. 9, 2004--Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary will sponsor the Savannah Ocean Film Festival Sept. 10-12 at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Trustees Theater and the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration manages the sanctuary.

Jun. 23, 2004--Continuing the partnership that resulted in the successful recovery of the USS Monitor's famous gun turret in 2002, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy have returned to NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary off the North Carolina coast to assess the current condition of the wreck of the Civil War ironclad and recover artifacts that may have been exposed by Hurricane Isabel. Recovered items will be transported to The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va. for conservation.

Jun. 17, 2004--Scuba divers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration placed the nation’s first underwater geodetic marker today at a coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

May. 27, 2004--More than 50 volunteers and professional naturalists will take to local waters this summer to greet and interact with fellow kayakers. These Monterey Bay Sanctuary docents, known as "TeamOCEAN Naturalists, " serve as on-the-water educators who interpret the sanctuary's resources, promote respectful wildlife viewing and protect marine mammals from human disturbance. This is the fourth summer season for the TeamOCEAN Kayaker Outreach Program operated by the NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. NOAA is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce.

May. 10, 2004--Beginning this week in Newport News, Va., The Mariners’ Museum and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will work with the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) to map the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor’s turret and steam engine using advanced laser scanning equipment. The documentation is part of the ongoing treatment process for these and hundreds of other USS Monitor artifacts undergoing conservation at The Mariners’ Museum.

Apr. 22, 2004--Seven dedicated individuals and one organization were presented with the 2004 NOAA Environmental Hero Awards on Earth Day 2004 in recognition of their “tireless efforts to preserve and protect our nation’s environment,” by the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Ocean Service (NOS).

Apr. 22, 2004--Two local citizens are among a distinguished group of individuals and organizations chosen to receive the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2004 Environmental Hero Award.  The award honors NOAA volunteers for their “tireless efforts to preserve and protect our nation's environment.”

Apr. 22, 2004--One Monterey Bay area business and one local citizen are among a distinguished group of individuals and organizations chosen to receive the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2004 Environmental Hero Award.

Apr. 22, 2004--Distinguished marine educator Hugh Robert Williams received the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Environmental Hero Award on Thursday, April 22 on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Ga.  Williams was honored for his work bringing coastal Georgia and the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) into classrooms all over the nation.  GRNMS is managed by NOAA.  The award was presented by Department of Commerce, General Counsel and Deputy Secretary Designate Ted Kassinger, a Georgia native, during a dockside ceremony for Williams.

Apr. 19, 2004--The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS) today announced that Patty Miller has been named Maui program coordinator.

Apr. 14, 2004--The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) today marked the transfer of a 29-foot research vessel from NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to the university during a special ceremony in Elizabeth City, N.C. The R/V Hawk will be used for hands-on, student-based coastal and estuarine research projects. NOAA has partnered with ECSU through the Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions.

Mar. 27, 2004--Four hundred volunteers gathered data from the shores of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and the Big Island at Saturday’s ninth annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count to tally sightings and document surface behaviors of the endangered humpback whales. The sanctuary, which is managed by Commerce Department’s NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, monitors the status of the whales that migrate in the winter to Hawaiian waters to breed, calve and nurse.

Mar. 25, 2004--Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) will offer a special award for the best underwater marine environment scene drawn for Savannah, Georgia’s popular Sidewalk Arts Festival April 24. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the GRNMS.

Mar. 24, 2004--The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) today announced the appointment of one member and two alternates to serve on the site’s Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Mar.18, 2004--The final draft of the Reserve Operations Plan for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve is now available for public comment. The Reserve Operations Plan (ROP), prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), contains the recommendations of the Reserve Advisory Council, a 25-member advisory body representing local and national interests. The ROP was prepared in consultation with the State of Hawai’i and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mar. 8, 2004--Recently released results from two annual water quality events are providing valuable information on water quality trends within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its watersheds. Summary reports for “First Flush 2003” and “Snapshot Day 2003,” made available today, show that much of the water flowing into the sanctuary is generally of good quality, although there are pollution hot spots needing attention. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.

Mar. 8, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program announced the availability of up to $475,000 to implement environmental education projects in the following two priority areas: 1) Meaningful Outdoor Experience, and 2) Professional Development in the area of Environmental Education for Teachers. The announced funding represents a federally supported environmental education grant program focused solely on the Monterey Bay. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mar. 3, 2004--The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has obtained a settlement in the case of two men charged with placing debris into the waters of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to attract lobsters for commercial harvest.

Mar. 3, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants to fill seats on its sanctuary advisory council, including a primary and alternate member for business, and alternates for agriculture, recreation and education. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Feb. 19, 2004--National and local leaders joined Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Tim Keeney today at the groundbreaking of the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. President Bush’s chief environmental advisor Jim Connaughton, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau and Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley participated in the event. The groundbreaking was hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF), the nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program.

Feb. 19, 2004--The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is holding a meeting of the chairs of its 11 site-specific Sanctuary Advisory Councils on Feb. 26, 2004, in Savannah, Ga. The meeting is hosted by Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) and is open for public comment.

Feb. 17, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced today the start of an ambitious $3.3 million, three-year project to learn more about the endangered humpback whale. The study is known as “SPLASH”- the Structure of Populations, Level of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks.

Feb. 9, 2004--The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary will hold a public meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council on Feb. 11, 2004, in Honolulu. The sanctuary is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The meeting will be held at the Honolulu International Airport Inter-Island Conference Center, 7th Floor, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Feb. 9, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today that Maria Brown has been selected as manager of NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Brown had served as the assistant manager since February 2002. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Feb. 4, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary announces the appointment of seven members and alternates to serve on the site's Sanctuary Advisory Council. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Feb. 4, 2004--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants to fill the following seats on its sanctuary advisory council including a primary and alternate member for business, and alternates for agriculture, recreation and education. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Feb. 2, 2004--Six hundred volunteers gathered data from the shores of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, the Big Island and Kaho‘olawe at Saturday’s eighth annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count to tally sightings and document surface behaviors of the endangered humpback whales. The sanctuary, which is managed by Commerce Department’s NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, monitor the status of the whales that migrate in the winter to Hawaiian waters to breed, calve and nurse.

Jan. 29, 2004--Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) welcomed three new members to its advisory council at the council’s January 28th meeting---William Berson II, Daniel Gleason and Leslie Sautter. GRNMS is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Jan. 23, 2004--Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) will hold a public meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council on Jan. 28, 2004 in Midway, Ga. The sanctuary is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Jan. 15, 2004--Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), is seeking applicants to fill several member and alternate Sanctuary Advisory Council seats. The Council brings together members of a diverse community to provide advice to the sanctuary manager on the management and protection of the sanctuary

Jan. 15, 2004--A Mayoral Proclamation by the City of Savannah, Ga., has recognized Jan. 16 as Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Day in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the sanctuary’s designation. The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the sanctuary.