NOAA trainer John LaFargue instructing the Ghanaian observers on how to right the life raft

NOAA trainer John Lafargue holding the righting strap on the life raft

Ghanian observer trainee getting inside the life raft

Ghanian observer trainee getting inside the life raft

Fish drying at a local artisanal landing site

NOAA fisheries scientist Teresa Turk and Ghanaian observer, Richmond Quartey, standing next to drying fish operation

Ghanaian artisanal boats landing fish

Ghanaian fishing nets

Ghanaian fishing nets

Small pelagic fish caught by Ghanaian artisanal fishers

Ghanian observer trainee looking at small pelagic fish

NOAA fisheries scientist Teresa Turk and Ghanaian observer trainees at artisanal landing site

Ghanaian artisanal boats landing fish

Ghanaian artisanal boats landing fish

Ghanaian fishers mending nets

Ghanaian fishers mending nets

Ghanaian fishers mending nets

Ghanaian fishers mending nets

Artisanal landing site-outside Tema, Ghana

In the foreground, NOAA fisheries scientist Teresa Turk and Ghanaian observer, Richmond Quartey, looking at the fish drying operation outside Tema, Ghana

Local Ghana fisherman carrying outboard motor across the landing site

Gathering dried fish for market

Dried fish ready to be taken to the market

Tangled marine debris consisting of derelict nets, rope, and hooks.

Removing marine debris from entangled right whale

Right whale towing marine debris

Right whale entangled with marine debris

Plastic marine debris collected inside the cod end of the manta net after a tow. This sample is dominated by very small plastic particles - the white particles are approximately 1/2 centimeter across.

Plankton is collected on silk mesh as water flows through the continuous plankton recorder.

The continuous plankton recorder being deployed from the NOAA Ship OKEANOS EXPLORER during a expedition across the Pacific Ocean.

North Atlantic right whale that a team of state and federal biologists assisted in disentangling off Daytona Beach.

Aerial view of North Atlantic right whale that a team of state and federal biologists assisted in disentangling off Daytona Beach.

North Atlantic right whale that a team of state and federal biologists assisted in disentangling off Daytona Beach.

North Atlantic right whale that a team of state and federal biologists assisted in disentangling off Daytona Beach.

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries Service approaching a young North Atlantic right whale they disentangled on January 15 off Cape Canaveral.

North Atlantic right whale entangled in line, visible across the head and trailing in the water beneath the whale past its tail.

Small plastic debris visible from the surface of the water during an expedition in the Pacific Ocean on the OKEANOS EXPLORER. This material is practically indestructible in this form and can possibly harm marine organisms for years.

Karenia brevis algal bloom off the coast of Texas.

Map showing dissolved oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico: 2010.

Area of dissolved oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico: 1985-2010.

Simkins Dam on the Patapsco River in Maryland was bre3ached on October 21, 2010, opening up 20 miles of stream habitat and bringing it closer to being a thriving, free-flowing river.

Boxes of frozen fillets of catfish of the genus Pangasius - called basa, swai, or sutchi - that were improted into the U.S. from Vietnam falsely labeled as sole to avoid anti-dumping duties. They were seized upon entry by NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A researcher shows visitors microalgae tanks which supplies a steady supply of nutrients for young oysters.

Mussels farmed in coastal areas and in the open ocean are one of the most promising sectors of the U.S. marine aquaculture industry. Workers harvest a mussel raft in Shelton, Washington.

Shellfish farming (oysters, clams, mussels) is the largest sector of the U.S. marine aquaculture industry and accounts for 2/3 of total U.S. marine aquaculture production. An oyster farm in the Damariscotta River.

Jim Cook, a longline fishing boat owner and vice president of Pacific Ocean Producers, leads an early morning tour for MAFAC members and NOAA Fisheries staff at the Honolulu Fish Auction.

Scientists from NOAA Fisheries Service and its state and nonprofit partners successfully used at-sea chemical sedation to help cut the remaining ropes from a young North Atlantic right whale. The sedative given to the whale allowed the disentanglement team to safely approach the animal and remove 50 feet of rope which was wrapped through its mouth and around its flippers.

An adult Atlantic salmon from one of the world's most productive rivers, the River Teno in northern Norway.

Atlantic cod.

Atlantic sturgeon.