NOAA Says Almost $100 Million In Funding Could Be Available For West Coast, Alaska Salmon Projects

The following is courtesy of NOAA Fisheries:

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA Make $99 Million Available for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

December 04, 2024

Funds will support state and tribal projects to conserve and restore salmon on the West Coast and Alaska.

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries announced up to $99 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) for conservation and recovery projects focusing on Pacific salmon and steelhead. This funding — which includes $34.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) — will advance state and tribal efforts to restore salmon populations and habitats, and bolster climate and economic resilience in surrounding communities. 

“Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to salmon recovery along the West Coast and this new funding will help NOAA boost efforts to aid Pacific salmon survival and recovery,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s commitment to investing in America, will help get Pacific salmon populations closer to the healthy and abundant levels our West Coast ecosystems and communities need, and help create new jobs that enhance climate resilience along our coasts.”

The PCSRF program funds projects and activities necessary for: conservation of 28 salmon and steelhead species listed as threatened or endangered, or identified by a state as at-risk to be listed; maintaining populations to support tribal treaty fishing rights or native subsistence fishing; or conservation of Pacific coastal salmon and steelhead habitat. 

As part of the larger PCSRF objectives, BIL funding will specifically support projects that: 

• Protect, restore and conserve Pacific salmon and steelhead and their habitats, using approaches that enhance ecosystem resilience to climate hazards.
• Support tribes’ role as fishery managers and stewards of tribal trust resources for cultural, spiritual, subsistence and recreational purposes.

“The PCSRF program has a long history of working with partners on targeted, effective restoration projects that have meaningful and measurable impacts for salmon and steelhead populations and local communities,” said Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This funding presents an unprecedented opportunity to advance salmon recovery efforts that will have positive impacts for years to come.”

NOAA will accept proposals from eligible applicants from the States of Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, and federally-recognized tribes of the Columbia River Basin and Pacific coast (including Alaska). The application deadline is March 4, 2025. Recommended proposal selections are expected to be announced in summer 2025. 

This announcement builds on 25 years of NOAA Fisheries’ PCSRF program driving impactful habitat restoration across the West Coast, and Alaska. Since 2000, the program has provided over $1.8 billion in funding and supported nearly 16,000 projects that have protected, restored and created nearly 1.2 million acres of salmon habitat while reopening more than 12,000 stream miles for salmon and steelhead passage.