Earth Day Webinar: Shifts by Fish Species Over the Decades

A series of interactive maps published on the Portal illustrates the shifts that have taken place over the last five decades by several commercially and recreationally important fish species living along the East Coast. Users can automatically animate or toggle through hundreds of maps representing fish distributions during the spring or fall seasons in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s or 2010s.

You can learn more about these maps in a free webinar on April 22 at 11 a.m. Chris Bruce and Marta Ribera of The Nature Conservancy will discuss the data in further detail, demonstrate the maps and participate in a Q&A session. To register, email Karl Vilacoba at kvilacob@monmouth.edu.

Join Our April 14 'How Tuesday' Webinar on MARACOOS Data

We recently published our first series of maps showing seasonal sea surface current patterns in Mid-Atlantic and southern New England waters. The maps are our latest products that draw upon the real-time observational data and expertise of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS).

You can learn more about the oceanography-themed maps being produced through the MARCO-MARACOOS partnership in our "How Tuesday" webinar on April 14 at 11 a.m. Michael Crowley, technical director of MARACOOS and the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, will discuss and demonstrate #HowTu use the maps on the Portal and the data products on the MARACOOS OceansMap that were used to create them.

Animate or Toggle through Maps of Monthly Loggerhead Sea Turtle Distributions

In partnership with the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and the Northeast Ocean Data Portal, the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal has added 12 new map layers showing the monthly densities of tagged loggerhead sea turtles throughout southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Bight.

North Carolina Port Access Route Study

A new map showing the focus area for a North Carolina Port Access Route Study (NCPARS) being led by the U.S. Coast Guard is now available in Marine Planner. The NCPARS is being conducted to determine whether existing or additional vessel routing measures are necessary along the state’s coast and in the approaches to the Cape Fear River and Beaufort Inlet. The North Carolina data is included in the Portal given the importance of looking comprehensively at coast-wise traffic and informing Mid-Atlantic stakeholders on ocean planning topics in immediately adjacent states/areas.

Also on the Portal

• Additional March Updates: We've expanded our Submarine Canyons layer and added new maps showing Pilot Boarding Areas, Pilot Boarding Stations, and Undersea Feature Place Names

• If you missed our January How Tuesday webinar on the Portal's Coast Guard data, you can watch the recording here.

• The Northeast Ocean Data Portal, in coordination with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, hosted a January webinar about species movement maps that were added to both the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Portals.