The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a grant for more than $6 million to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to fund a half dozen programs to recover salmon. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The funds from this grant are part of the multi-million dollar Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund that will be divided by the NWIFC and awarded to member tribes for activities geared to the restoration of salmon. Projects include: habitat restoration; enhancement; research, monitoring and evaluation; planning and salmon recovery education and outreach.

“This grant allows the tribes of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to continue their goal of self-sufficiency while actively participating in recovery efforts for Pacific coastal salmon,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “NOAA and the Bush Administration are committed to working with our regional partners to improve the management of fishery resources.”

The PCSRF was established in 2000 to provide grants to the states and tribes to assist state, tribal and local salmon conservation and recovery efforts. Earlier this year, the Bush Administration announced a $10 million increase for the fund in the President’s FY 2005 budget request, totaling $100 million. The PCSRF supplements existing state, tribal and federal programs to foster development of federal-state-tribal-local partnerships in salmon recovery and conservation; promotes efficiencies and effectiveness in recovery efforts through enhanced sharing and pooling of capabilities, expertise and information. The goal of the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund is to make significant contributions to the conservation, restoration, and sustainability of Pacific salmon and their habitat.

The NWIFC is the western Washington inter-tribal organization that was created in 1974 to assist tribes in conducting biologically sound fisheries and providing a unified voice on fisheries management and conservation issues. NWIFC member tribes receiving PCSRF funds are the Nisqually, Squaxin Island, Puyallup, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Skokomish, Swinomish, Sauk-Suiattle, Upper Skagit, Tulalip, Makah, Stillaguamish, Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Nooksack, Lummi, Hoh, Quinault and Quileute tribes.

Working closely with NMFS, the NWIFC has established efficient application and reporting requirements to ensure accountability and the achievement of congressional and tribal salmon recovery goals. NWIFC technical and policy staff review and monitor tribal proposals to ensure that each provides sustainable and measurable benefits for salmon and their habitats. The tribes have flexibility in identifying salmon recovery priorities for tribal watersheds, governments and communities, while connecting the tribes’ efforts through the NWIFC to regional salmon recovery efforts.

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.

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