NOAA, Commerce Dept. Recommend $105M+ for Salmon Recovery
The Department of Commerce and NOAA officials have recommended over $105 million in funds for 14 new and continuing salmon recovery projects and programs for the West Coast and Alaska, the federal agencies announced Aug. 1.
The money is to be funded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF), the agencies said, with funds including Fiscal Year 2024 annual appropriations, plus $34.4 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The money is expected to help support programs and projects in Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, including habitat restoration stock enhancement sustainable fisheries and research and monitoring.
California received allocations to two entities, while Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington each receive a total of three grants. The largest grants overall were $26 million to Washington’s salmon Recovery Funding Board, $22.25 million to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and $18.1 million to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program.
The funding, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, is expected to build on decades of salmon recovery work while helping Pacific coast tribes and Alaska Natives to sustain their communities and cultural traditions in the face of climate change.
“This is a result of the most ambitious climate agenda in history, and I am proud that nearly half of all funds in this announcement are being awarded to tribal applicants,” she said.
The funds are to supplement state and tribal programs that provide demonstrable and measurable benefits to Pacific salmon and their habitat, plus aid in recovery of 28 salmon and steelhead species listed under the Endangered Species Act, as well as non-listed ESA salmon and steelhead necessary for Native subsistence or tribal treaty fishing rights and those in the Columbia River Basin.
“The value of these investments goes far beyond recovering Pacific salmon and steelhead and their habitats to also provide community and economic benefits, such as jobs and climate resilience,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said.
