Two fish passage funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are now open. NOAA Fisheries has announced the availability of up to $65 million in funding to support transformational projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish around the country. Applications are due August 15. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allows up to 15 percent of fish passage funds to be reserved for Indian tribes. Concurrently, we are announcing the availability of up to $12 million in funding for fish passage and tribal capacity building. Applications are due August 29. Indian tribes are eligible to apply to both funding opportunities.  Contact: Jessica Edwards.

NOAA and partners are constructing almost 1,200 acres of marsh in Louisiana’s Upper Barataria Basin and will be sharing updates, photos, and other images as progress is made. The project, which is expected to be completed in 2023, will be instrumental in supporting NOAA’s goals and priorities for coastal resilience. It is part of the effort to restore habitats harmed by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Contact: Eric Vichich.

Restoration of nearly 40 acres of salt marsh and other coastal habitats will help Great Meadows Marsh in Long Island Sound respond to sea level rise. The effort is supported by funding recovered from three pollution cases. Contact: Jim Turek.

Learn more about how NOAA helps migratory fish and communities by opening or improving access to river and stream habitat through World Fish Migration Day 2022—a global celebration to raise awareness on the importance of free flowing rivers and migratory fish. Contact: Alison Hammer.

Return 'Em Right is a coalition of organizations committed to increasing the survival of reef fish that are caught and released in the Gulf of Mexico. The project is now making training and gear available to interested recreational fish anglers in the Gulf. Contact: Julia Goss.

NOAA and the Great Lakes Commission have partnered since 2008 to restore habitat and improve water quality in the Muskegon Lake Area of Concern. NOAA and other partners recently celebrated a significant milestone where all management actions necessary to remove the AOC designation are now complete. Contact: Julie Simmons.

The Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup, which consists of NOAA and other federal partners, has just published Recommendations for Reducing Wetland Loss in Coastal Watersheds of the United States. With the official release of the recommendations, NOAA will be engaging with our partners to catalyze widespread action to slow and reverse the loss of these important habitats. Contact: Susan-Marine Stedman.

To improve fish passage, Cape Fear River Watch and partners have made a series of upgrades to a fishway originally designed to mimic natural river habitat. The modifications will improve fish passage for migratory fish that use the river as nursery habitat.  NOAA’s Southeast Habitat Conservation Division, an active partner of the Cape Fear River Watch, provided expertise and review throughout the project.

Do you know someone who has demonstrated exceptional achievement and dedication to marine, coastal, or riverine habitat conservation? The Dr. Nancy Foster Habitat Conservation Award nomination period is open until August 1, 2022.