NOAA 98-R72

Contact: Gordon Helm-NMFS               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                                                                                 October 20, 1998

An agreement to restore marine fish habitats across the country through effective partnering with local coastal communities has been formalized by officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the American Sportfishing Association's FishAmerica Foundation. The agreement provides a framework for the two groups to partner in a range of remedies to restore coastal environment and help local communities accomplish meaningful habitat restoration in a cost-effective manner.

Local communities with the need to address habitat problems may not have the necessary resources to accomplish the task. This three-year agreement provides the funding and habitat restoration expertise to begin eight kickoff projects throughout the coastal United States.

"Restoring marine fish habitat by working directly with the local community provides the best benefit to marine resources for American's tax dollars," said Terry Garcia, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. "NOAA's $50,000 coupled with an equal amount from ASA, will result in almost a half million dollars of restoration through in-kind contributions, local donations, and volunteer work."

"Developing partnerships with the private sector and fostering sound aquatic conservation and restoration are two key components of the President's executive order on recreational fisheries," said Mike Hayden, president and CEO of the ASA. "It is important that federal and private agencies continue to build on the President's plan as demonstrated by projects such as these."

Executive Order 12962 - Recreational Fisheries requires federal agencies to "improve the quantity, function, sustainable productivity, and distribution of U.S. aquatic resources for increased recreational fishing opportunities." The executive order also created the National Recreational Fisheries Coordination Council, made up of one member designated by each of the following Secretaries - Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Defense, and a member designated by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Technical experts from the NOAA Restoration Center and regional offices, along with the large volunteer base of the ASA's FishAmerica Foundation, will jointly undertake community-based habitat restorations. The projects will contribute directly to the joint goal of restoring estuaries and marine habitats, especially salt marshes, seagrass beds, coral reefs, mangrove forests, and freshwater habitat important to marine species. These community-based projects have the added benefit of promoting stewardship and a conservation ethic among coastal communities.

The eight kickoff projects include:

Parker River, Mass. anadromous fish restoration project - revitalize
fishways around six small dams to allow migrating fish to reach primary
spawning habitat
Russian River, Alaska Youth Restoration Corps project - stabilize and
repair eroding riverbank for salmon along the Russian River utilizing
local youth
Mussachuck Creek fishway at Echo Lake, R.I. - construct a fishway to allow
fish access to Echo Lake with the help of local conservation groups
Cooper River, Del. fishway restoration project - construct a fish ladder
to provide access to the spawning and rearing habitat for migrating fish
Oyster reef restoration in Norfolk, Va. - create oyster reefs, which also
provide habitat for sportfishing species
Dutch Bill Creek, Calif. fish ladder renovation project - reconstruct a
fish passage to provide increased access to native populations of coho
salmon and steelhead trout
Fiock Dam removal project, Shasta Valley, Calif. - remove a small dam to
improve water quality for steelhead and salmon through cooperation with
the dam's owners and local and regional water users Southern California
kelp restoration project - reestablish kelp sites, critical habitat for
over 800 marine species, with help from local high school students and
divers 

FishAmerica's $50,000 contribution was generated through ASA membership and three sportfishing businesses. Berkley, one of the world's leading producers of sportfishing gear, teamed up with Turner's Outdoorsman hunting and fishing specialty stores and the Santa Ana River Lakes recreational fishing facility to cooperatively fund the final three listed California projects.

Experts from NOAA Fisheries routinely restore fish habitat and other natural resources that have been injured by human or natural actions, advancing the science and technology of coastal habitat restoration, and transferring that technological expertise to the public.

The American Sportfishing Association is a non-profit industry trade association working to ensure healthy and sustainable fisheries resources and increase sportfishing participation through education, conservation, promotion and marketing. The FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the ASA, was created to help industry and citizens enhance fishery resources. Foundation volunteers have donated more than one million hours of their time for grassroots efforts to improve water quality and fish populations all over North America.

Editors: Photos, project descriptions, and background materials are available by Internet at: http://www.nmfs.gov Look under "What's New at NMFS".