NOAA Awards More Than $900,000 To The Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association To Support Salmon Research

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration granted $943,358 to the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association to fund Western Alaska Marine Salmon Studies. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will support cooperative work between WAMSS and the National Marine Fisheries Service to address marine research needs for Western Alaska. The participating agencies and universities will use WAMSS data to develop spatially-explicit models incorporating oceanographic data and salmon migration, growth, and mortality data to better understand changes in productivity of salmon populations. A WAMSS Working Group, composed of members from U.S. Geological Survey, University of Alaska Fairbanks, National Marine Fisheries Service, Bering Sea Fishermen's Association, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will draft additional implementation plans for WAMSS research, and draft an annual report to summarize WAMSS results.

“A multi-agency approach, combined with academia and state governments on salmon research will go a long way to provide fishery managers with the information they need to make informed decisions regarding 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 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.