Two Arkansas Game and Fish Officers Honored for Life Saving Actions

On the evening of April 8, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Sgt. Ben Sisk and officer Billy Williams quickly launched their boat into the Arkansas River.  The two were responding to a craft in distress at Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock and Dam in Franklin County.  A pontoon boat with three people aboard was stuck at a floodgate in the flow of recent rainwater and was in danger of capsizing.

Read the rest of the story here

 

South Carolina Wardens Critical Resource in Search and Rescue Efforts During Extreme Flooding

DNR Wardens in South Carolina have been conducting search and rescue missions of people and pets during the severe flooding event in South Carolina over the last several days.  Wardens are uniquely trained in watercraft operation and equipped with the watercraft necessary for this important public service during this emergency response.  

See a Powerpoint presentation showing DNR wardens engaged in search and rescue and other public safety services during this emergency here.

President Obama Provides Opening Speech for "Our Oceans" Conference in Chile

President Obama kicked off the “Our Ocean” conference in Chile with a video welcome highlighting several new oceans-related policy announcements including:
·         NOAA and the Administration are taking steps to create two new marine sanctuaries in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan and Maryland’s Mallows Bay-Potomac River.
·         The Administration is developing new sustainable tools to combat illegal fishing including a new program called Sea Scout that will unite global stakeholders to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

See the video of the speech here

Operation Pulse: A Collaborative Effort Between Washington Fish and Wildlife Police, NOAA, and US Customs and Border Patrol to Enforce Commercial Fishing Laws

"Operation Pulse"

State Fish and Wildlife agencies occupy a critical role in the fight against illegal, undocumented, unregulated (IUU) fishing. While the West Coast seafood industry was built on domestic fishing, the infrastructure, cultural diversity, and world-wide market connections have made it an attractive place for international brokers, importers and exporters to operate. Some of the largest commercial ports in the United States are found in Washington, where large quantities of fish and shellfish are delivered, traded, transported, stored and shipped. Choke points such as freight forwarders, retail markets, airports and cold storage facilities provide limitless opportunities to identify illegally harvested product linked to domestic and international fisheries.

Operation Pulse was a collaborative effort to trace seafood backwards to its source to determine compliance and detect violations.   Over 11 months, 163 inspections were conducted and 533 violations were uncovered.

See the full report on Operation Pulse here