The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) awarded 15 grants totaling USD 1.58 million (EUR 1.4 million) to aid in the design and implementation of projects that provide technical and practical support for fishing communities.
This is the fifth round of grants from the NFWF Fisheries Innovation Fund, a program launched in 2010 to support sustainable fisheries in the United States. The goal of the Fisheries Innovation Fund is to sustain fishermen while at the same time rebuilding fish stocks.
“In its fifth round, the Fisheries Innovation Fund grants continue to foster innovative ideas and technologies that promote sustainable fisheries and allow communities to flourish,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.
The 15 grants will be matched by more than USD 1.3 million (EUR 1.16 million) in additional support from the grantees, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Walton Family Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
“The Fisheries Innovation Fund supports novel techniques and solutions to improve recreational and commercial fisheries management across the U.S.,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for fisheries at NOAA Fisheries. “Both commercial and recreational fishermen developed many of these projects to address the challenges and opportunities facing fishing communities today. Our public-private partnership with the Foundation is the ideal solution to support fishermen’s initiatives. We congratulate the 2015 grant recipients and look forward to collaborating with project leaders as they work to support fisheries sustainability.”
