US pledges salmon recovery funds

The funding, made available through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) programme, will help support state and tribal salmon restoration projects to protect and restore populations and habitats.

“Restoring Pacific salmon populations and their habitats is vital for communities on the West Coast and in Alaska,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“This funding — supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, a key pillar of Bidenomics — will power transformational, high-impact projects and support efforts by states and tribes to protect and conserve salmon populations.”

The PCSRF programme provides federal assistance to states and tribes to 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 before implementing conservation activities including outreach, research and monitoring.

“The value of these investments goes far beyond recovering Pacific salmon and steelhead and their habitats, as they also provide community and economic benefits, such as jobs and climate resilience,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

NOAA will accept proposals from applicants in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California and Alaska, and federally-recognised tribes of the Columbia River Basin and Pacific coast (including Alaska). The application deadline is 4 March 2024.