NOAA Awards More Than $3.4 Million To The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission For Fishing Observers

NOAA AWARDS MORE THAN $3.4 MILLION TO THE PACIFIC STATES
MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FOR FISHING OBSERVERS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted $3,476,787 to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission to support a West Coast Groundfish Observer Program. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will support a program to provide coast-wide, year-round data on groundfish discards by gear, area and season using a timely and efficient system for data collection, storage, analysis and communication. The goal of the observer program is to improve estimates of total catch and discard for the groundfish fishery. Observers improve the understanding of fishing activities and help provide accurate accounts of total catch, bycatch and discard associated with different groundfish fisheries and groundfish stocks.

“Funding from this NOAA grant will provide more data to fishery managers so they can more effectively oversee the fishery in a sustainable manner,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “This grant actively supports NOAA and the Bush Administration’s commitment to the environment.”

Each year, NOAA awards approximately $900 million in grants to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency in fulfilling its mission to study the Earth’s natural systems in order to predict environmental change, manage ocean resources, protect life and property, and provide decision makers with reliable scientific information. NOAA’s goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 34 years.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.

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