The House will consider the conference report on the fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill. The Senate will resume consideration of two proposals for balanced-budget amendments to the Constitution.

Murkowski Warns Oceans Caucus of the "Great Consequences" of Illegal Fishing. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Co-Chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus, today took part in a briefing on Capitol Hill with Senators Dan Inouye (D-HI), Co-Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Mark Begich to discuss the global problem of illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing commonly referred to as IUU or pirate fishing. "When we have illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing that goes on, we can see great consequences when we do not have the rules in place and when we do not have a level of enforcement," Murkowski said. Senator Lisa Murkowski  

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect US Fishermen From Unfair Competition. Senator Daniel K. Inouye introduced legislation today that would bar ships engaged in pirate fishing operations from entering U.S. ports and offloading their catch. The bill implements an international agreement aimed at helping U.S. fisherman and consumers by blocking operations that are engaging in or supporting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), also known as pirate fishing, from slipping their seafood into the global market. The bipartisan Pirate Fishing Elimination Act is cosponsored by Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), Senator Mark Begich (D-AK), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Senator Mark Begich

Legislation Drafted by NOAA to Protect US Fishermen from Unfair Competition: Bill would keep vessels with illegally caught seafood out of US ports. A bill introduced in Congress yesterday would prevent pirate fishing vessels from entering U.S. ports to offload their illegally caught seafood. This pirate fishing is often called illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Administration bill, which implements an international agreement the United States helped negotiate, would benefit U.S. fishermen, seafood buyers, and consumers by keeping illegal seafood out of global trade. It is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who introduced it in the Senate yesterday, and is co-sponsored by Sens. Begich, Snowe, Whitehouse, Murkowski, and Rockefeller. NOAA http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20111212_portstate.html

Coast Guard Stresses Cold Water and Ice Safety. With colder weather forthcoming, and the accompanying formation of ice to the waterways of the Great Lakes region, the 9th Coast Guard District reminds people to use extra precautions when planning recreational activities on cold water and frozen ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. As the Guardians of the Great Lakes and the region's maritime search and rescue professionals, we understand the dangers of cold water, as well as the dangers of venturing out on the ice. The Coast Guard wants to remind the public to make a serious investment and commitment to ice safety on the Great Lakes, since varying levels of ice thickness are common on the Great Lakes.  If people do choose to go on to the ice, however, they should remember the acronym I.C.E. = Intelligence, Clothing, Equipment.  US Coast Guard http://www.d9.uscgnews.com/go/doc/443/1256327/

Coast Guard Supports International Fisheries Operation in Pacific. Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui, a 225-foot Juniper-class buoy tender, stationed in Honolulu, recently participated in a significant regional operation to further enhance U.S. and international efforts to protect the ecologically and economically valuable fish stocks of the Pacific. The Kukui crew dedicated eight days to Operation Kurukuru 2011, an international, multi-agency operation orchestrated by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. The mission was to conduct maritime surveillance operations to detect, deter, and eliminate activities such as illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and other transnational crimes. US Coast Guard http://www.d14.uscgnews.com/go/doc/800/1255895/ 

Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 16-20, 2012. The symposium was first held in 2002 to connect scientists in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and beyond in an effort to collaborate and communicate on research

activities in the marine regions off Alaska. There will be plenary and poster sessions featuring a broad spectrum of ocean science on issues of climate, oceanography, lower trophic levels, the benthos, fish and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, local and traditional knowledge, and socioeconomic research. There will also be speakers, workshops and special sessions.

Workshop: Responding to Arctic Environmental Change: Translating Our Growing Understanding into a Research Agenda for Action Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2012.   Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. Co-sponsored by International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) and the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University. Endorsed by the International Arctic Science Committee, this workshop is the first in a planned series of meetings that aim to collectively shape and coordinate initiatives for research that directly addresses the needs of stakeholders who are affected by change or who are addressing arctic environmental change. The long-term objective is to enable local people, the arctic nations and the wider global community, including the scientific community, to better respond to a changing Arctic. This workshop is a pre-IPY 2012 Conference event. It is intended to develop a science plan that will feed into and further evolve at IPY 2012 Conference "From Knowledge to Action". For more information and to register for the workshop go here.