JANUARY 2012

ACZISC COASTAL UPDATE - JANUARY 2012

NEW FORMAT FOR THE COASTAL UPDATE
The ACZISC Secretariat has made several changes to the format of the ACZISC Coastal Update as a result of the subscriber survey. The Coastal Update is now being sent in html format, matching the look that it is displayed in on the COINAtlantic website. Also subscribers are now directed to the complete list of upcoming conferences, workshops and deadlines available on the COINAtlantic website. Please send feedback regarding the format change to the ACZISC Secretariat at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

UPCOMING ACZISC MEETINGS

- 25-26 January 2012: ACZISC Meeting #65, Charlottetown, PEI

- 16-17 May 2012: ACZISC Meeting #66, St. John's, NL

- 19-20 September 2012: ACZISC Meeting #67, Fredericton, NB

- 16-17 January 2013: ACZISC Meeting #68, Halifax, NS

For information on the meetings, email the ACZISC Secretariat at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS: COASTAL ZONE CANADA 2012
The Coastal Zone Canada Association will hold the 10th biennial International Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) Conference on 9-14 June 2012 in Rimouski, Québec. The conference theme is “Time for Action!” CZC 2012 will review the progress made in recent decades, examine promising approaches for addressing new challenges and explore a dynamic, proactive and participatory vision of integrated coastal and ocean management. 31 January 2012 is the extended deadline for submitting abstracts and proposals for sessions - http://www.czc2012-zcc2012.org.

RIGHT WHALES IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE

The North Atlantic right whale was designated Endangered in 2005 under Canada's Species at Risk Act. Fisheries and Oceans Canada then began a program to re-establish the species, as required by the Act. In the context of this program, researchers at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute in Mont-Joli, Quebec have launched a project to explain the right whale’s return to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The team is using acoustic detection, which involves recording the regular vocalizations of these whales to verify their presence in the area - http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/publications/article/2011/12-22-11-eng.html.

DEEPWATER HORIZON: LESSONS FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING SAFETY

The report titled “Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Offshore Drilling Safety” examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators. The lessons and recommendations are intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling - http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13273&utm_source.

RIO+20 “ZERO DRAFT”

The Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Committee of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development have circulated the “zero draft” of the conference outcome document titled “The Future We Want”. The draft is intended to serve as the basis for negotiations between now and the Conference, scheduled for 20-22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Oceans and Seas, SIDS” are discussed in Section V, paragraphs 78-86 - http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/content/documents/370The%20Future%20We%20Want%2010Jan%20clean.pdf. Other pertinent documents are available at http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?menu=44.

US DRAFT NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The US National Ocean Council has released the draft National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan for public comment. The draft Plan focuses on public-private partnerships, promoting efficiency and collaboration across sectors, managing resources with an integrated approach, and making available and using the best science and information on ocean health. 27 February is the deadline for comments - http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/oceans/implementationplan.

ECOSYSTEM CHANGE RESULTING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE

Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology have found that climate change will alter plant communities on a global scale, disrupt the ecological balance between interdependent and often endangered plant and animal species, reduce biodiversity and adversely affect Earth's water, energy, carbon and other element cycles - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-387.

CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION

A new report titled “Climate Change Education: Goals, Audiences, and Strategies: A Workshop Summary” focuses on two primary topics: public understanding and decision maker support. The report is a summary of the discussions and presentations from a workshop held on 21-22 October 2010 and convened by the US Climate Change Education Roundtable - http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13224.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION

In a new report titled “Assessment of the potential of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation in Europe”, the Ecologic Institute and the Environmental Change Institute examine the success factors leading to and obstacles hindering the implementation and integration of ecosystem-based approaches in climate change strategies - http://ecologic.eu/3931.

OCEAN OBSERVING CAPABILITIES

The report titled “Turning Data into Information: Making Better Use of California’s Ocean Observing Capabilities” focuses on five topics: discharges and water quality, salmon recovery, ocean renewable energy, harmful algal blooms, and oil spills. It recommends how management questions and decisions can be better informed by ocean observing information - http://www.opc.ca.gov/2012/01/new-report-released-to-better-inform-uses-of-ocean-observing-capabilities.

OTHER DOCUMENTS, NEWSLETTERS AND WEB RESOURCES

- A new Prince Edward Island Seafood Guide has been released. The guide is aimed at regional, national and international buyers. It provides comprehensive information on species harvested, products processed, the location of seafood plants and contact information - http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/FARD_SFGuide.pdf.

- The final version of the Nova Scotia Coastal Strategy is targeted for release in the summer of 2012. Feedback received online on the Draft Strategy is now available - http://www.gov.ns.ca/coast/consultation.asp.

- The Fall 2011 issue of “Hook, Line and Thinker”, the newsletter of the Fishermen and Scientists Research Society (FSRS), provides information on its activities and the upcoming FSRS 19th Annual Conference (24-25 February in Truro, Nova Scotia) - http://www.fsrs.ns.ca.

- The Off the Hook Community Supported Fishery, based in Nova Scotia, has been awarded runner up in the National Geographic/Rare Planet Solution Search: “Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries”. Off the Hook supports “Fresh. Fair. Fish”, empowers coastal communities and contributes to protecting marine diversity - http://www.offthehookcsf.ca.

- The “Ship to Shore” initiative in Nova Scotia aims to teach commercial fishers on the importance of returning their waste to shore for proper disposal as well as to highlight the importance of having proper waste disposal infrastructure at fishing harbours - http://clean.ns.ca/programs/waste/ship-to-shore. See a two minute video trailer: http://vimeo.com/30830050.

- The 2012 Edition of “The Fisheries of North America” is now available. The volume includes an overview of North America's commercial fisheries covering almost all species indexed and referenced to the latest scientific and market name conventions. A preview of the book is available at http://www.cmpPublications.com/na_fisheries.

- Science Atlantic (formerly Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences - APICS) is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012. Science Atlantic is an association of 18 post-secondary and research institutes in Atlantic Canada with a mandate to advance science education and research at the undergraduate level - http://scienceatlantic.ca.

- The January 2012 issue of the “Gulf of Maine Times”, published by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, includes the article titled “ESIP Workshop Tests Web Tools”. The workshop introduced potential users to the webtools and the information they may gain by their use - http://www.gulfofmaine.org/gomt.

- CZ-Mail is the newsletter of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. “CZ-Mail Year in Review 2011” provides news and information about the Office's programs and regions, and discusses the notable achievements of 2011 - http://www.mass.gov/czm/czmail/currentczmail.htm.

- “Marine Ecosystems and Management” (MEAM) is the quarterly information service on marine ecosystem-based management (EBM). The current edition of MEAM (December 2011/January 2012) focuses on “How Detailed Mapping of the Sea Floor Is Informing Ecosystem-Based Management” - http://depts.washington.edu/meam/issues.html.

- An article titled “Chemical data quantify Deepwater Horizon hydrocarbon flow rate and environmental distribution” was recently published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences - http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/01/04/1110564109.abstract.

- Presentations are now available from the “3rd Annual New England Marine Renewable Energy Center Technical Conference”, held on 7-8 November 2011 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA - http://www.mrec.umassd.edu/agendasandpresentations/3rdannualconference.

- Presentations and video segments are now available from the “State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit 2011”, held on 4-8 December 2011 in Houston, Texas, USA - http://www.sgmsummit.org.

- Presentations are now available from the conference “Transforming coastal economies: challenges in coastal regeneration”, held on 5 December 2011 in London, UK - http://www.coastnet.org.uk/CoastNet%20Conferences/conference-transforming-coastal-economies.

- Presentations are now available from the “Shoreline and Nearshore Data Systems (SANDS) User Conference”, held on 8 November 2011 in London, UK - http://www.halcrow.com/sands/user_community.asp#user.

- NOAA’s Marine Debris website includes information and FAQs on the debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011. Debris could reach Hawaii as early as this winter and approach the US west coast in 2013, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. Watch a short video and learn how to report debris: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/japanfaqs.html.

- A database produced under the EU-funded IMCORE project (Innovative Management for Europe’s Changing Coastal Resource) references a number of initiatives that aim to manage coastal risks linked to climate change - http://www.imcore.eu/tagazan/index.php.

- The GeoHAB Atlas of Seafloor Geomorphic Features and Benthic Habitats is the featured project in the December 2011 edition of UNEP/GRID-Arendal's “Marine Newsletter” - http://www.grida.no/marine/news.aspx?id=4992.

- The FAO Global Capture Fisheries Production Database includes data series extending for 60 years, catch data for almost 1850 species items, and reflects geo-political, historical and natural events - http://www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/global-capture-production/en.

- Volcanic activity in the Red Sea during December 2011 has resulted in a new island. See the satellite images at NASA’s Earth Observatory website: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=76801&src=nha.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES, EVENTS AND ASSOCIATED DEADLINES

- For a complete list of upcoming conferences, workshops and deadlines, go to http://coinatlantic.ca/index.php/conference-listing.

DEADLINES

- 16 January is the deadline for public comment on the revised draft Ocean Protection Council Strategic Plan, released by the US Ocean Protection Council - http://www.opc.ca.gov/2011/12/revised-draft-ocean-protection-council-strategic-action-plan-available-for-public-comment.

- 31 January is the application deadline for the Sobey Fund for Oceans Graduate Scholarships. The competition is open to potential graduate students at Dalhousie University. Two awards of id="mce_marker"0,000 each are available for the 2012-2013 academic year - http://marineaffairsprogram.dal.ca/Prospective%20Students/Scholarship%20Information/Graduate_Scholarship.php.

- 14 February is the deadline for public comment on the “Deepwater Horizon Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment” - http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration/early-restoration.

- 25 February is the deadline to comment on Louisiana’s Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan, released by the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority - http://www.coastalmasterplan.la.gov.

- 28 February is the deadline to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released by NOAA to analyze the impacts of oil and gas offshore exploration activities in federal and state waters of the US Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/eis/arctic.htm.

- 1 March is the deadline to submit papers for a special issue of the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management (IJRAM) on ‘Assessing the Risks of Climate Change for Water Resources and Coastal Environments’ - http://www.inderscience.com/browse/callpaper.php?callID=1737.

- 31 March is the deadline to submit articles for publication in the Ocean Yearbook Volume 27 - http://law.dal.ca/Files/MEL_Institute/OYB/Call_for_Papers_Vol_27.pdf.

The ACZISC Secretariat

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