NOAA News Releases

The latest news releases from NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Japan Agrees to Suspend Its Hunt of Humpback Whales - December 21, 2007

After negotiations with the chairman of the International Whaling Commission, Japan has agreed not to target humpback whales during its annual whale hunt that is underway in the seas off Antarctica.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071221_humpback.html

NOAA and VT Halter Marine Launch Third Fisheries Survey Vessel - December 20, 2007

New NOAA fisheries survey vessel, launched on Dec. 19, in Mississippi, will be able to study fish quietly without altering their behavior.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071220_pisces.html

NOAA, NASA Select Contractor for Satellite-Based Lightning Detection Instrument - December 19, 2007

NOAA and NASA today announced Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Palo Alto, Calif., has been selected for a $96.7 million (including options) contract award to design and develop a new instrument on the next generation of weather satellites.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071219_contract.html

Increase in Beluga Population Noted With Caution in NOAA Survey of Cook Inlet - December 18, 2007

NOAA Fisheries Service biologists estimate a beluga whale population of 375 in the Cook Inlet near Anchorage, Alaska, according to data collected during their annual survey in June. This population estimate is the largest since 2001.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071218_belugawhalepopulation.html

NOAA Seeks Greater Protections for Threatened Elkhorn and Staghorn Corals - December 18, 2007

NOAA is proposing to extend most of the prohibitions of the Endangered Species Act - normally applied only to endangered species - to the threatened elkhorn and staghorn corals.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071218_coralprotection.html

NOAA Breaks Ground for New Great Lakes Research Laboratory - December 17, 2007

Officials have broken ground for a new, larger NOAA Great Lakes research laboratory in Pittsfield Township, replacing the current Ann Arbor laboratory in mid to late 2008. The new building will provide twice as much space as the current location as well as updated wet and dry laboratories, and new conference capabilities including a lecture hall that can seat 150.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071217_glerl.html

New Science Paper Says Carbon Emissions Threaten Coral Reefs - December 13, 2007

NOAA Coral Reef Watch coordinator Mark Eakin, and 17 fellow coral scientists from around the globe say corals could begin to disappear in 50 to 75 years due to steadily warming temperatures and increasing ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide emissions.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071213_carboncoral.html

NOAA Initiates Marine Debris Monitoring at Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary - December 12, 2007

NOAA has established a new monitoring program in Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary to collect data on the location and types of marine debris in the sanctuary.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071212_marinedebris.html

Captain Michele G. Bullock Takes Command of NOAAs Pacific Fleet of Scientific Research Ships - December 12, 2007

NOAA Captain Michele G. Bullock recently took command of the day-to-day operations of the 10 research and survey ships in NOAAs Pacific fleet controlled from the agencys Marine Operations Center-Pacific in Seattle.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071212_bullock.html

NOAA Recognizes Custer County, Idaho, as StormReady - December 10, 2007

Custer County, Idaho, and the communities of Challis, Mackay, and Stanley completed the NOAA National Weather Service StormReady program, better equipping the county to handle severe weather. The Custer County emergency management team fulfilled a rigorous set of warning and evacuation criteria, including the development of a formal hazardous weather plan.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/20071210_idahostormready.html