NOAA GRANT AWARD TO ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has awarded a grant of more than $1.4 million to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to fund two Pacific Fisheries Data Programs. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

Commerce Secretary Don Evans said, “These funds will directly help Alaska’s fishing industry and the communities that rely on that industry. It is strong support for a key component of the state’s economy.”

The funds will allow the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to identify research activities that provide fishery managers information needed to manage Bering Sea crab stocks towards an optimum yield. This grant complies with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act whose purpose is to provide for the conservation and management of American fisheries.

“This funding will help fishery managers better assess, predict and manage important fishery stocks,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The grant reflects NOAA’s effort to fund research that benefits the environment and fosters economic prosperity.”

The grant will also fund the State of Alaska activities associated with the implementation of the American Fisheries Act (AFA). The Act raised the U.S. Citizens ownership and control interest standard for vessels to 75 percent to be eligible for a fishery permit and to operate in U.S. waters.

As of March 2003, NOAA has awarded more than 186 grants totaling $65 million to members of the academic, scientific and business communities to assist the agency fulfill its mission which is 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 goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for 33 years.

The Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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.