NOAA Fisheries FishNews—August 17th

AUGUST 17, 2023 Highlights $240 Million Available for Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience NOAA is announcing the availability of up to $240 million in funding for transformational projects that restore coastal habitat and strengthen community resilience. This funding has been made available through the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Applications are due by November 17, 2023. 2022 Marine Mammal Stock Assessment Reports NOAA Fisheries’ final 2022 marine mammal stock assessment reports are now available. Updated regularly with the best available science, stock assessments provide data on the health of marine mammal populations and inform efforts to sustainably manage those populations. NOAA Fisheries currently maintains stock assessment reports for 261 stocks, of which 25 reports are revised or new for 2022. Alaska Belugas Count! 2023 Poster Design Contest Winner Announced There’s extra Alaskan pride in this year’s Belugas Count! event. Posters promoting the event will feature the artwork of Alaska resident Barb Lake, the winner of the 2023 Belugas Count! poster contest. Established in 2017, Belugas Count! is the largest single-day public education outreach event for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. This year's event will be held on September 23, 2023, at multiple locations throughout Cook Inlet. West Coast NOAA Fisheries Recommends $106.1 Million in Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Funding to Protect and Restore West Coast Salmon and Steelhead Under its Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, NOAA is recommending $106.1 million, including $34.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $7.5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, to fund state and tribal salmon recovery programs and projects across the West Coast. Southeast Science Blog: Listening to the Sounds of the Gulf of Mexico The acoustics team recovers and deploys a variety of moored underwater recording instruments to provide information on ocean noise, including sounds from human activities, fish, and marine mammals. Upcoming Deadlines August 18: Grant applications due for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Program August 21: Comments due for Proposed Rules to Revise Regulations Implementing the Endangered Species Act August 21: Letters of intent due for NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Funding Opportunity September 12: Comments due for Proposed Rule to Revise the Guidelines for National Standards 4, 8, and 9 September 22: Comments due for Proposed Rule to Designate Critical Habitat for Rice’s Whale October 17: Comments due for Proposed Rule to Designate Critical Habitat for Green Sea Turtles November 17: Applications due for Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants November 30: Letters of intent due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce Funding Opportunity February 13: Applications due for NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Funding Opportunity View more news and announcements Upcoming Events August 21: Guam, in-person public hearing on proposed critical habitat for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act August 22: Manteo, North Carolina, in-person public hearing on Highly Migratory Species Amendment 15: Spatial Fisheries Management and Electronic Monitoring Cost Allocation August 23: Saipan, in-person public hearing on proposed critical habitat for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act August 24: Public hearing for the Proposed Rule to Designate Critical Habitat for Rice’s Whales Under the Endangered Species Act August 29: Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Gulf of Mexico, and Atlantic, virtual public hearing on proposed critical habitat for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act August 30: Public hearing for the Proposed Rule to Designate Critical Habitat for Rice’s Whales Under the Endangered Species Act August 30: California, virtual public hearing on proposed critical habitat for green sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act September 7–14: Pacific Fishery Management Council September 2023 Meeting September 11–15: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council September 2023 Meeting September 18–22: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council September 2023 Meeting September 23: Alaska 2023 Belugas Count! September 26–28: New England Fishery Management Council September 2023 Meeting View more events Federal Register Actions Visit NOAA Fisheries' Rules & Regulations web page to learn more about recently proposed and finalized regulations in your region.  Questions? Visit our website for national and regional contact information

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