President Bush's budget for the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration targets over $20 million for fisheries research and management projects in New England.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald L. Evans said, "New England's fisheries are a precious natural and economic resource. These funding requests represent the Bush Administration's commitment to providing the necessary upgrades in infrastructure, research and science programs to ensure that they are well-managed for today and for the future." A sample of these critical budget initiatives and programs are:

$10 million for Northeast cooperative research, which continues NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service partnership with fishermen, so that research utilizes the expertise and insights of people who have been close to the environment. This request includes $5.0 million for NMFS Northeast cooperative research and $5 million for Northeast Consortium cooperative research.

$4 million for repairs and extension of the NOAA ship ALBATROSS IV's useful life until a new fisheries vessel can be constructed and calibrated. The ALBATROSS IV conducts fishery and living marine resource research in support of the NMFS at Woods Hole Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass.

$6.3 million to conserve and restore healthy populations of Atlantic salmon in the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment and their habitats. NOAA will use this increase to expand monitoring of Atlantic salmon population dynamics, expand habitat assessment and conservation, and enhance scientific knowledge related to human management and development activities that are affecting species survival.

The President's FY 2002 budget request for NOAA is available on the Internet at http://www.noaa.gov.