The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Wednesday announced USD 2 million in grants from its National Sea Grant College Program to prevent and control aquatic invasive species. NOAA awarded five regional grants to combat high-priority aquatic invasive species identified by natural resource managers in each region.
“Invasive species in our waterways are threatening ecosystems from coast to coast — from tunicates on the West Coast and Australian spotted jellyfish on the East Coast to the round goby in our Great Lakes,” said Leon Cammen, NOAA Sea Grant director. “These grants will help to reduce the great ecological and economic costs of aquatic invasive species.”
Sea Grant programs and their partners applied for these grants through a competitive process. Winning applicants by region include: Alaska Sea Grant and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are receiving USD 400,000 to implement an early detection and rapid response framework for invasive marine species in Alaska.
Five Great Lakes Sea Grant programs are receiving a USD 384,000 to educate professional and tournament anglers about the need to prevent non-native species from invading waterways. Wisconsin Sea Grant will lead this effort with the Sea Grant programs in Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois-Indiana and Ohio.
Six Mid-Atlantic Sea Grant programs are receiving USD 400,000 for outreach efforts aimed at preventing accidental introduction of non-native aquatic plants into coastal waters with live bait used by anglers. Maryland Sea Grant will lead this effort with Sea Grant programs in Delaware, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Four West Coast Sea Grant programs are receiving USD 416,000 for efforts to develop a method to better predict the risk of aquatic invasive species and better understand the economic value of early detection and rapid response. Oregon Sea Grant is leading these efforts with Sea Grant programs in Washington and California.
The University of Guam Sea Grant Project is receiving USD 400,000 for efforts to explore how invasive aquatic plants and algae may be controlled by fish, snails and other plant-eating marine creatures. Hawaii Sea Grant is a partner on this grant.
