NOAA AWARDS NEARLY $400,000 TO KENAI PENINSULA BOROUGH

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded $399,659 to the Kenai Peninsula Borough of Alaska, to fund the creation of a Sockeye salmon fishery in the Cook Inlet fishing community. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

The grant will fund the establishment of a quality certification program to produce high quality Cook Inlet Sockeye salmon for marketing under a branded label. The goal of the program is to create a sustainable fishery that will eventually re-establish a demand for Alaska salmon to will benefit local fishermen, processors and the local economy.

“Through our grants program, NOAA is able to actively support and help create programs that reinforce our commitment to the environment,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA is proud to take part in this opportunity to promote sustainable and economic development while encouraging responsible environmental stewardship.”

This grant will support the second year of the The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Cook Inlet Sockeye Salmon Branding Project’s five-year program. The Kenai Peninsula Borough lies south of Anchorage, Alaska and is divided by the waters of Cook Inlet.

In Fiscal year 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.

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