July 20, 2010

The Department of Commerce, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, has appointed 11 new members to the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. The 30-member committee, which meets twice yearly, is made up of representatives of diverse interests who advise the Departments of Commerce and the Interior on the development and implementation of a national system of marine protected areas (MPAs).

As Arctic ice recedes, countries are looking forward to faster, safer and more efficient sea routes across the top of the world. Responding to a request from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Maritime Pilots and the commercial shipping industry, NOAA sent one of its premier surveying vessels, NOAA Ship Fairweather, to detect navigational dangers in critical Arctic waters that have not been charted for more than 50 years.