Field response efforts for endangered marine life, such as the Hawaiian monk seal, are among the activities NOAA Fisheries funded in 2024.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries
In 2024, the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office awarded around $7 million in grants and cooperative agreements to build resilient marine ecosystems and thriving marine economies in the Pacific Islands region.
The projects belong to 14 U.S. and international agencies and organizations from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawai‘i, and the broader Pacific region.
The main areas they focus on are the stability of fishery resources, the recovery of threatened and endangered species, and the promotion of enhanced opportunities for commercial, recreational, and cultural activities in the marine environment.
In addition, the activities include fisheries development training to increase catches and meet the growing demand for local seafood, as well as monitoring the endangered Hawaiian monk seals.
In September 2024, Sarah Malloy was appointed as the new Regional Administrator of NOAA's Pacific Islands Regional Office of Fisheries. Over the past ten years, Malloy served as Deputy Regional Administrator in the Pacific Islands Regional Office.
