|
NOAA Fisheries just announced $6.3 million in funding for 9 new projects and the continuation of 19 multi-year projects under the 2021 Species Recovery Grant Program. From these funds:
-
$1.3M will support 9 new awards to 5 states (Alaska, Maine, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington), 2 territories (Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and 1 federally recognized tribe (Penobscot Indian Nation).
-
$5M will support the continuation of 19 multi-year projects that were approved in prior grant cycles.
The Species Recovery Grants Program is a long-standing, successful grant program that supports high-priority recovery actions for listed species. The funding provided this year will support our state and tribal partners in a range of activities, such as removing barriers to spawning and rearing habitat, assessing and monitoring species presence and status, and collecting genetic information to improve understanding of population distribution, habitat use, vital rates, and impacts of anthropogenic threats, developing new aging techniques for use in population models, engaging stakeholders in conservation of ESA-listed species, and evaluating the effectiveness of regulations to inform adaptive management of these threatened and endangered species.
We identified projects that would benefit the species identified in our “Species in the Spotlight” initiative as a priority in our funding decisions. Four “Species in the Spotlight” - Cook Inlet beluga whale distinct population segment (DPS), southern resident killer whales, white abalone, and Atlantic salmon Gulf of Maine DPS - will be addressed through new and ongoing projects supported this year.
Newly Funded Awards in the Greater Atlantic Region
-
State of Maine Department of Marine Resources: Walton’s Mill Dam Removal Project
-
Penobscot Indian Nation: Atlantic Salmon Management and Outreach Project
-
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources: Sustaining Sea Turtle Stranding Response in Virginia
To learn more about these and all awardees read our web story.
|
