The U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries announced up to $99 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to support conservation and recovery projects aimed at preserving Pacific salmon and steelhead populations.
This funding includes $34.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and will help further state and tribal efforts to restore salmon habitats while enhancing community resilience to climate change and bolstering local economies, the agencies said.
The PCSRF program focuses on funding projects that conserve 28 salmon and steelhead species, many of which are listed as threatened or endangered, or are at risk of being listed. This funding will also help maintain healthy salmon populations necessary for tribal treaty fishing rights and subsistence fishing, as well as support broader habitat conservation efforts.
In particular, the BIL funding will target projects that not only restore and conserve salmon and steelhead habitats but also improve ecosystem resilience to climate hazards such as drought, flooding, and extreme weather events. A key aspect of the funding is supporting tribes as fishery managers and stewards of tribal trust resources, vital for cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and recreational purposes.
“Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to salmon recovery along the West Coast and this new funding will help NOAA boost efforts to aid Pacific salmon survival and recovery,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s commitment to investing in America, will help get Pacific salmon populations closer to the healthy and abundant levels our West Coast ecosystems and communities need, and help create new jobs that enhance climate resilience along our coasts.”
Eligible applicants from Alaska, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as federally recognized tribes from the Columbia River Basin and Pacific coast, are invited to submit proposals. The application deadline is March 4, 2025, with selections expected to be announced in the summer of 2025.
“The PCSRF program has a long history of working with partners on targeted, effective restoration projects that have meaningful and measureable impacts for salmon and steelhead populations and local communities,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This funding presents an unprecedented opportunity to advance salmon recovery efforts that will have positive impacts for years to come.”
Since the program’s inception in 2000, the PCSRF has awarded over $1.8 billion and funded nearly 16,000 projects, leading to the restoration and creation of nearly 1.2 million acres of salmon habitat. In total, more than 12,000 miles of streams have been reopened to facilitate salmon and steelhead passage.
