NOAA Awards More Than $19 Million To Alaska Department Of Fish And Game To Support Salmon Recovery

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted $19,290,110 to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to fund salmon-restoration activities. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will fund the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Initiative, a program created to conserve salmon populations in pacific rivers, streams and marine ecosystems. Projects include salmon habitat restoration, salmon stock enhancement and salmon research, including construction of salmon research and related facilities. Earlier this year, the Bush Administration announced a $10 million increase for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund in the Presidents FY 2005 budget request, raising it to $100 million.

“This NOAA grant will provide the state of Alaska with the tools and information that they need to help make sound decisions regarding the pacific salmon populations,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “This is another example of NOAA’s and the Bush Administration’s strong commitment to species conservation and environmental stewardship.”

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.

On the Web:

NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov

Coastal Zone Management Act - http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/czm/