The US government has allocated $147.5 million to NOAA Fisheries in order to strengthen its science and management capabilities to support climate-ready fisheries. The funding will be used to enhance science and data collection to account for the effects of climate change and improve fish and marine mammal stock assessments. Additionally, the investment will modernize the agency’s technological capabilities and broaden the scope of observations using innovative methods.
A significant portion of the funding, $40 million, will go towards the Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative, which aims to provide resource managers and fishing communities with the necessary information to adapt to changing marine ecosystems. This initiative will establish a decision-support system to track changes in marine ecosystems, assess risks, and identify options for reducing risks in the face of changing climate and ocean conditions.
To implement the initiative, NOAA will allocate funds to enhance regional capacity for forecasting future ecosystem conditions and provide actionable advice for climate-informed resource management and community adaptation. An additional $16 million will go towards developing long-term projections of ocean and Great Lakes conditions to evaluate risks and identify strategies for adaptation and resilience.
Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, Janet Coit, emphasized the importance of understanding the impact of the climate crisis on coastal ecosystems and NOAA’s mission. The funding is part of the $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments announced by NOAA in June 2023.
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