September 19, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is awarding funding to continue 12 ongoing habitat restoration efforts in 2022. These projects are restoring habitats for coastal and marine species in nine states and territories across the country. They are helping to support our nation’s fisheries, contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and build resilient coastal ecosystems and communities.

NOAA Fisheries provides funding and technical support to partners across the country to develop high-quality habitat restoration projects. Efforts such as reopening rivers to fish passage, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, and reducing coastal runoff will support oysters, corals, and several fish species. They will also aid in the recovery of threatened and endangered species like Atlantic salmon.

Funding for these habitat restoration projects will be awarded through two multi-year grant programs:

• Community-based Restoration Program
• Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership

Community-based Restoration Program Funding

We will award more than $5 million through the Community-based Restoration Program. This program funds habitat restoration projects focused on supporting sustainable fisheries and recovering Endangered Species Act-listed species.

Alaska

The Copper River Watershed Project will restore access to 45 miles of habitat for Chinook and coho salmon by replacing two narrow pipes with a new bridge. This fish passage restoration work will support the salmon fisheries that drive the economies of rural communities in Alaska’s Copper River region. ($449,661)

California

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation will work to restore rocky reef habitats in Southern California by increasing populations of white abalone, a NOAA Species in the Spotlight. Partners will raise captive juvenile white abalone and then place them in appropriate habitats off the coast of Los Angeles County. ($110,155)

Maryland

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will place spat-on-shell, or oyster larvae, on up to 100 acres of oyster reefs in four Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Higher oyster density is expected to lead to increased environmental benefits, such as water filtration and more habitat for fish. ($800,000)

Virginia

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission will construct new oyster reefs in Mobjack Bay, within NOAA’s new Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area. Reefs in this area support fish species like Atlantic butterfish, bluefish, summer flounder, and black sea bass. ($750,000)

North Carolina

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, will add up to 15 acres of new oyster reef habitat to the Swan Quarter Oyster Sanctuary in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Restoration will benefit species such as gag grouper and white, brown, and pink shrimp. ($750,000)

Texas

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will restore oyster reef habitat in St. Charles Bay, Texas. The project will create 3.9 acres of new oyster reef that will support saltwater recreational fisheries, reduce shoreline erosion, and benefit black drum, stone crab, skilletfish, and other economically important species. ($71,106)

Florida

The Florida Aquarium will propagate, grow, and plant 4,250 threatened elkhorn corals to help restore 1,785 square meters of coral habitat at Looe Key and Horseshoe Reefs. These are two of the seven reefs outlined in the innovative Mission: Iconic Reefs. The project will also spawn and raise Diadema urchins at a land-based facility. ($302,000) Also funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Caribbean

Sociedad Ambiente Marino will restore endangered corals and seagrass beds damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. Over the course of the project, the group will plant 21,000 threatened elkhorn corals and staghorn corals and 4,128 seagrass plugs near existing coral sites to speed up the natural recovery process. ($229,565)

Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership Funding

We will award more than $1.5 million through the Atlantic Salmon Habitat Restoration Partnership. This grant program supports habitat restoration projects that contribute to the recovery of the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment of Atlantic salmon, a federally-listed endangered species and a NOAA Species in the Spotlight.

Maine

• The Atlantic Salmon Federation will implement five projects to restore access to Atlantic salmon spawning and rearing habitats in the Kennebec River watershed. They will also conduct a fish passage feasibility study at the Chesterville Wildlife Management Area Dam on Little Norridgewock Stream. ($401,514)
• Project SHARE will replace undersized culverts at 13 sites, connecting habitat for Atlantic salmon across the Dennys, Machias, Pleasant, Union, and Narraguagus River watersheds. They will also conduct fish passage feasibility studies at the Great Works Dam and at Marion Falls fishway. Funding will also support freshwater habitat restoration work in the Narraguagus River watershed. ($444,237)
• The Nature Conservancy will complete the final designs to remove Guilford Dam and restore the adjacent floodplain, which will reconnect habitat for Atlantic salmon in the Piscataquis River watershed. They will also restore access to high-quality habitat by improving fish passage at three high-priority road crossings over streams. ($570,000)
• The Downeast Salmon Federation will support fish passage feasibility studies at the Cherryfield Ice Control Dam on the Narraguagus River and the Gardner Lake Dam on the East Machias River, to support future habitat restoration in these watersheds. Funding will also support fish passage improvements at the Gardner Lake Dam. ($153,582)

September 15, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Marc and Lynne Benioff and NOAA today announced nearly $2.6 million in grants to support management and conservation of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, part of the Hawaiian Islands chain.The five grants will leverage $1.3 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $3.9 million. NOAA support includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and additional support is provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, a UNESCO World Heritage site, encompasses a remote group of islands, reefs and atolls in the northwestern sector of the Hawaiian Islands. The site is home to thousands of species of fish and wildlife, some that are found nowhere else, including threatened and endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal, green sea turtle and Laysan albatross. 

“Healthy habitats are vital for addressing the climate crisis and strengthening the resilience of coastal communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The public-private partnership between NFWF, NOAA, and Marc and Lynne Benioff, leveraged with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, is a transformational opportunity to invest in and help protect this sacred Native Hawaiian landscape.”

Marine debris removal is of critical importance to both the natural and cultural components of the monument. Papahānaumokuākea is a sacred Native Hawaiian landscape and is home to numerous important archaeological sites. The funds awarded today will significantly increase efforts to reduce the amount of marine debris that threatens the monument. The project will also develop and test new tools and techniques that can help increase the efficiency of these removal efforts, such as using uncrewed aircraft systems and satellites to help locate debris.

“Today’s announcement will support debris removal and research across more than 1,200 miles of Papahānaumokuākea, allowing us to protect endangered wildlife, sustain coral reefs and explore new ways to conserve the marine monument going forward,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz.

“The low-lying atolls of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument are extremely susceptible to sea-level rise, reducing available nesting and haul out areas for endangered seabirds, sea turtles and monk seals,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “But what people might find more surprising is the threats that come from around the Pacific Ocean in the form of lost fishing nets and other marine debris that entangle these animals and damage these fragile habitats.” 

One of the projects supported this year will continue an effort to remove marine debris from the monument that has taken place since 1996, but this new investment will scale up removal work, build capacity for a sustainable multi-year program and incorporate lessons and efficiencies learned from more than 20 years of experience and data. The grant will enable the removal of over 500 metric tons of debris in coming years.  

“Marine debris is a global issue that poses immense challenges to nature, human health and the economy,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “Working with NFWF and Marc and Lynne Benioff to leverage the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds for marine debris removal is an important step in helping these habitats recover and stay healthy.”

Other projects supported on this slate will seek to protect the monument from a biological threat: an outbreak of an invasive and smothering form of algae that is severely affecting marine habitats at the northern end of the monument. This algae forms in thick mats that can cover large areas of coral reefs. Funds will continue research into how the algae spreads and what drives the outbreaks while working with managers and those in the monument on practical guidelines to prevent its spread to other areas.

“Papahānaumokuākea is the largest conservation area in the United States, and one of the greatest assets of the Hawaiian Islands,” said Marc and Lynne Benioff. “It’s our honor to be able to support its continued preservation and conservation.”

All five grants were awarded through the Papahānaumokuākea Research and Conservation Fund (PRCF), a partnership between NFWF and NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. In its first five years, the PRCF has invested more than $5.4 million across 13 projects, leveraging more than $4.5 million in support of the monument’s natural resources for a total conservation impact of nearly $10 million. A complete list of the 2022 grants made through the PRCF is available here.

September 1, 2022 — During its 2022 Bycatch Reduction Week, August 22-26, NOAA Fisheries shared details of its efforts and projects to reduce bycatch in U.S. fisheries in recent years – focusing on the development, testing and adoption of gear that aids in decreasing bycatch.

It’s important, the organization notes, “to discuss bycatch reduction efforts through the lens of innovation rather than just more regulations. Preventing bycatch entirely may be impossible, but it can be managed, accounted for and at least mitigated through innovative approaches.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman