The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a grant of $2,753,280 to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to support ongoing activities required under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant provides support for continued research and management activities that are required to meet the national commitments under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The treaty between the United States and Canada established a partnership to cooperate in the management, research and enhancement of Pacific salmon stocks.

“The work funded by this grant to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is an extension of NOAA’s and the Bush administration’s commitment to fulfilling our nation’s obligation to protect, manage and enhance Pacific salmon populations,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

The principal goals of the treaty are to enable both the United States and Canada to increase production of salmon and to ensure that the benefits resulting from each country's efforts accrue to that country through better conservation and enhancement. In this regard, research on the migratory movements of stocks subject to interception is supported. Such research is required not only to determine with more precision the extent of interceptions by both sides, but also to provide an improved basis for conservation and enhancement.

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 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. To learn more about NOAA, please visit http://www.noaa.gov.