Priority Climate Change Investments Under the Inflation Reduction Act
How NOAA Fisheries is prioritizing historic Inflation Reduction Act funding to support America’s marine resources, coastal communities, and economies in preparing for climate change.
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Climate change impacts every aspect of NOAA Fisheries’ mission—from managing fisheries and aquaculture, to conserving protected resources and vital habitats. Fisheries support more than 1.7 million jobs and $244 billion in economic activity in the United States every year. It’s critical that we prepare for changing ocean conditions.
NOAA Fisheries received an unprecedented investment of approximately $1.2 billion to support America’s marine resources, coastal communities, and economies to prepare for climate change.
The Inflation Reduction Act funds allow us to prioritize several critical areas focused on tackling the impacts of climate. These investments will provide mission critical support to revolutionize our capabilities to strengthen the resilience of fisheries, protected species, and coastal communities in the face of climate change.
Learn more about 2024 highlights from BIL and IRA activities
The investments below are part of $349 million for climate-ready fisheries, an ambitious initiative to strengthen the agency’s science and survey enterprise.
Essential Data Acquisition ($107.5 Million)
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We are investing $107.5 million to enhance our science enterprise and accelerate data collection. This is a vital step in advancing our mission to manage the nation’s marine resources in the face of climate change.
The funding will allow us to increase the number and types of observations we can make. It will accelerate our capabilities to collect and deliver data to provide real-time advice and longer-range projections. These efforts will inform and support management decisions.
This investment will allow us to push the boundaries of our scientific expertise by bringing our data collection into a new era using advanced technologies.
Learn more about our essential data acquisition efforts
Learn more about the $600,000 funding opportunity for citizen science
Data Modernization ($34.3 Million)
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We are investing $34.3 million to support modernizing our data, infrastructure, and workforce with the goal of meeting the pace of climate-related mission demands.
Data is crucial for our work conserving protected species and sustainably managing our fisheries. It’s also important for analyzing the economic benefits that derive from healthy ocean ecosystems. The funding will ensure we are maximizing our capabilities to deliver reliable, mission-critical information in the face of climate change.
Our approaches to data modernization in the short term will influence large-scale change in the long term. Our foundational efforts will maximize our ability to deliver mission-critical information, support survey and fishery data requirements, and bring us into a modern data era.
Learn more about our data modernization efforts
Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative ($40 Million)
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The Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative is a transformational cross-NOAA effort that will emphasize:
- Developing ocean ecosystem predictions in preparing for climate-driven problems
- Identifying how those predictions extend to coastal communities and economies
- Highlighting projected impacts
- Determining how coastal communities will use these predictions to increase resilience and the viability of their fisheries
For example, we will conduct pilot projects in six marine regions. They will include testing and validation of these products and ecosystem applications to provide advice for climate-ready fisheries, protected species, and affected sectors and communities.
Learn more about the Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative
Regional Fisheries Management Councils ($20 Million)
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Support to regional fishery management councils will assist regulatory responses to current climate challenges. We need to implement more timely dynamic fishery management measures in response to climate impacts. These measures increase fishing community resiliency to fishery changes caused by anticipated climate impacts.
For example, the councils will operationalize fish climate vulnerability assessments, climate scenario planning, and management changes. This will allow them to address climate vulnerability or improve climate resiliency of fisheries important to underserved communities.
Learn more about working with regional fisheries management councils to respond to climate change
North Atlantic Right Whale ($82 Million)
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With this funding, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the North Atlantic right whale crisis.
We are investing in solutions that address the primary threats to their survival: entanglements and vessel strikes. We will use new technologies and improved distribution models to reduce the risk of vessel strikes. We will increase the use of on-demand fishing gear and improve the enforcement of existing federal regulations to reduce the risk of entanglements.
We are directly supporting new and existing technology and investing in their development and implementation. New technology such as satellite observations will help transform North Atlantic right whale monitoring. They will improve our understanding of the whales’ distribution and habitat use to support regulatory measures.
The Inflation Reduction Act funds complement our annual appropriations and will further support our overarching North Atlantic Right Whale Road to Recovery strategy. The strategy addresses threats to North Atlantic right whales and establishes a protocol for monitoring our progress.
Learn more about the North Atlantic right whale funding
Red Snapper ($20 Million)
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We will implement improvements to state and federal recreational fisheries surveys for red snapper and other reef fish in the Southeast. Our plans for red snapper are focused on improving recreational catch and discard estimates from federal and state surveys.
For example, we will improve data delivery to enable state recreational data to be processed more quickly for use in science and management. These improvements will increase certainty for red snapper and dozens of other species, benefiting millions of anglers in the world's largest recreational fishery.
Learn more about red snapper investments
Pacific Salmon ($42 Million)
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We will enhance our efforts to conserve, restore, and protect Pacific salmon. Part of the funding for Pacific salmon will be awarded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.
Funding will go to science and research that supports transformative modeling to identify and prioritize high-impact restoration. Funding will also support reintroduction strategies to secure climate-resilient ecosystem function and improve salmon abundance at watershed and population scales.
Learn more about pacific salmon investments
In addition to climate-ready fisheries, other Inflation Reduction Act investments include priority work on tribal fish hatcheries, habitat restoration, arctic research, and other administrative investments.
Tribal Fish Hatcheries ($300 Million)
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Tribal initiatives include funding to support hatcheries across the West Coast. Funding will address deferred maintenance and repairs to hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead in support of federally recognized tribes. NOAA Fisheries conducted several tribal engagement sessions on hatchery funding.
Mitchell Act Hatcheries ($60 Million)
This funding will support Pacific Coast salmon conservation. It will support high-priority deferred maintenance for Mitchell Act hatcheries for federally recognized tribes’ federally reserved fishing rights in the Columbia River Basin.
Learn more about the Columbia River Basin Hatcheries maintenance under the Mitchell Act
Non-Mitchell Act Hatcheries ($240 Million)
This funding will support fish hatcheries that produce Pacific salmon and steelhead. The Bureau of Indian Affairs will administer the funding. NOAA Fisheries and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted engagement opportunities with tribes to help determine the distribution of the funds.
Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage ($484 Million)
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With funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we are continuing our work to support fisheries and coastal communities across the country through large-scale competitive funding opportunities and expert technical assistance. This includes:
- Fish passage projects that restore access to healthy habitat for migratory fish
- Habitat restoration projects that support fisheries and protected resources while also strengthening the resilience of coastal ecosystems and communities
- Capacity building and on-the-ground restoration projects that advance the coastal habitat restoration priorities of tribes and underserved communities
An additional $484 million of Inflation Reduction Act resources will be added to four Bipartisan Infrastructure Law competitive funding opportunities. These competitions support habitat restoration and fish passage and are run through NOAA Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation. They include:
- Transformational habitat restoration
- Tribes and underserved communities habitat restoration
- National fish passage
- Tribal fish passage
Tribes are eligible to compete for all competitions; two of these competitions will specifically include funding only for tribes.
Arctic Research ($2.9 Million)
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Arctic research funding will support coordination and shared research and knowledge with academic, international, community, and Indigenous partners. This will also help us to better understand changing climate condition effects on Arctic marine resources including fisheries, marine ecosystems, and subsistence-harvested marine mammals.
Efficient Permitting ($15.5 Million)
This investment will meet the increasing demand for consultations, authorizations, and permitting activities required under our mandates, including:
- Endangered Species Act
- Marine Mammal Protection Act
- Magnuson-Stevens Act
- National Marine Sanctuaries Act
Some of this funding will be used to initiate a rapid response team to address the surge in consultation, authorization, and permitting workload across the country. This will improve efficiency and provide a much-needed increase in capacity to tackle these challenges effectively.
Facilities ($95 Million)
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This investment will invest in the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle (Montlake facility). It is critical to maintain continuity of NOAA Fisheries’ science missions in the Northwest. It will also replace a major sea water system at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Sandy Hook Lab.