NOAA Fisheries recommends $5.5 million in funding for state and tribal projects through its Species Recovery Grants Program. Around $1.2 million in funding is recommended for six new awards to five states and one federally recognized tribe. Another $4.3 million will support the continuation of 16 ongoing projects that were approved previously.
States and tribes play an essential role in conserving and recovering species. Threatened or endangered species under NOAA Fisheries’ jurisdiction may spend all or part of their lifecycle in state or tribal waters. Successfully conserving these species depends largely on working cooperatively with states and tribes. This year’s recommended projects support our state and tribal partners in a range of activities, such as:
- Assessing and monitoring endangered and threatened species presence and status, including evaluating abundance, spatiotemporal distribution, and foraging behaviors
- Collecting demographic and genetic information to improve understanding of population structure, habitat use, and impacts of threats
- Engaging the public in conservation of Endangered Species Act-listed species
We identified projects that would benefit the species identified in our “Species in the Spotlight” initiative as a priority in our funding decisions. Recommended and ongoing projects will address five “Species in the Spotlight”:
- North Atlantic right whale
- White abalone
- Southern Resident killer whale distinct population segment
- Hawaiian monk seals
At this point in the selection process, application approval and obligation is not final. An application being recommended is not an authorization to begin performance of the project, and is not a guarantee of funding. Final approval is subject to funding availability as well as final review and approval by both NOAA Grants Management Division and Department of Commerce Financial Assistance Law Division.
