NOAA Fisheries awards $103 million for habitat restoration

NOAA Fisheries has awarded $103 million in funding to support 16 habitat restoration projects across the United States. The initiative aims to recover and sustain national fisheries by ensuring fish populations have access to high-quality habitats such as wetlands, rivers, and coral reefs.

Selected projects include a $5.1 million allocation for the Knik Tribe to restore fish passage for Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska, and $7.9 million for Trout Unlimited to restore fish passage in the Chena River watershed along the Yukon River. Other efforts range from rebuilding coral reefs in the Caribbean to restoring salt marshes for shrimp and oysters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The funding comes in response to high demand, with NOAA receiving approximately $1.5 billion in proposals—more than 17 times the available amount.