October 26, 2010

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today announced eight joint research awards totaling nearly $5 million to support the responsible siting and permitting of offshore wind energy facilities and ocean energy generated from waves, tides, currents and thermal gradients.

NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary opened its new Ocean Climate Center today at its headquarters in San Francisco. The Ocean Climate Center will serve as an ocean and climate change communication center for the Bay Area and facilitate the exchange of technical, scientific, policy and education information and ideas.

A nearly 17,000 area encompassing freshwater marshes, uplands and river on the shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin became the 28th member of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System today. Federal, state and local officials officially welcomed the site into the system at a ceremony in Superior, Wis.

NOAA has released the Recreational Saltwater Fisheries Action Agenda, a national plan to address the complex issues facing marine recreational fisheries. The plan will improve science and stewardship and build a stronger partnership with the recreational community. It is a direct outcome of input received from recreational fishermen during the April 2010 Recreational Saltwater Fishing Summit organized by NOAA.