NOAA AWARDS OVER $970,000 TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is awarding a grant totaling $975,518 to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.

This grant will support research documenting the nutritional habits or requirements of Steller sea lions and that of their prey, competitors and predators in the Kodiak region. The research grant study will try to assess the degree of dietary overlap among the sea lion and Kodiak’s top tier predators, while exploring processes that drive the population of their prey within the dynamic marine environment.

"NOAA and the Bush Administration are working to improve the understanding of our environment to strengthen regional initiatives, such marine mammal research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "This grant to the University of Alaska Fairbanks will help advance knowledge critical to those efforts in Alaska."

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 goals and programs reflect a commitment to these basic responsibilities of science and service to the nation for the past 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.

On the Web:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov.

NOAA Seals and Sea Lions Page: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/species/Pinnipeds/pinnipeds.html

Conrad C. Lautenbacher: http://www.noaa.gov/lautenbacher.html