US authorities plan to invest $20 million to tackle the impact of climate change on fisheries, with funding provided to NOAA to work with regional fishery management councils.
Announced on October 25, the funding will support a series of measures, including improved integration of existing scientific tools to prepare for and respond to climate change, development of management measures or processes to improve climate resiliency and implementation of climate scenario planning efforts and outcomes.
The funds are provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, a planned $3.3 billion in investments focused on "ensuring America’s communities and economy are ready for and resilient to climate change", which the Biden-Harris administration says is the largest climate investment in history.
“The regional fishery management councils are critical partners in the development of conservation and management measures for our nation’s marine fisheries,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, in a press release announcing the initiative.
The USA currently has eight regional fishery management councils, which were originally established in 1976, responsible for planning and management to prevent overfishing, rebuild fish stocks, and protect, restore, and promote the long-term health and stability of U.S. fisheries.
Approximately $3 million of the total funding will be divided equally among the eight councils, while the remaining $17 million will be awarded to councils based on proposals for "priority projects", which will be decided via a review process.
“Changing ocean conditions are affecting the location and productivity of fish stocks, which can have significant social and economic impacts on fisheries and fishing-dependent communities,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.
“Working together with our fishery management council partners, we'll continue to advance our efforts to use the best available science to develop and implement fisheries management strategies in the face of climate change," she added.
In spring of this year, the Biden-Harris administration also launched the Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP), aiming to protect coastal communities and enhance the resilience of fisheries, aquaculture, and fishing communities who are dependent on the ocean.
