09/15/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/15/2022 07:58
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 supportto partners across the country to develop high-quality habitat restoration projects. Efforts such as reopening riversto fish passage, reconnecting riversto 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:
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.
The Copper River Watershed Projectwill restore access to 45 miles of habitat for Chinook and coho salmonby 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)
The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundationwill 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)
The Maryland Department of Natural Resourceswill place spat-on-shell, or oyster larvae, on up to 100 acres of oyster reefsin 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)
The Virginia Marine Resources Commissionwill 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)
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 grouperand white, brown, and pink shrimp. ($750,000)
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christiwill 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)
The Florida Aquariumwill propagate, grow, and plant 4,250 threatened elkhorn coralsto 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.
Sociedad Ambiente Marinowill 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 coralsand staghorn coralsand 4,128 seagrass plugs near existing coral sites to speed up the natural recovery process. ($229,565)
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.