Gulf Research Grants: NOAA Comes Through to the Tune of $16.8 Million
Photos via NOAA Restore Science Program: (Upper Left) Seagrass habitat at the Chandeleur Islands, LA, Kelly Darnell (Upper Right) Bottlenose dolphin off the SE Texas coast near Houston, Ryan Takeshita, National Marine Mammal Foundation (Lower Left) Building next-generation in Florida Gulf fisheries, Cubera snapper Caitlin Langwiser (Lower Right) Black skimmer research will determine environmental stewardship techniques for the Gulf, Dennis Adair
NOAA has awarded $16.8 million to 32 organizations working across 10 projects to conduct collaborative ecosystem science research that will be used by natural resource managers in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The Gulf of Mexico is a vibrant ecosystem with diverse and productive habitats,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “These awards represent NOAA’s commitment to providing the best available science to the natural resource managers who make important decisions about how to balance rapidly changing economic, environmental, and social pressures in the region.”
Projects funded through the NOAA RESTORE Science Program will address the following:
- Impacts from boating activities on seagrasses
- Protection of coastal bird populations
- Protection of marine mammals
- Red tide mortality in reef fish
- Restoration and harvesting oysters
- Responses to oil spills
- Other management actions in the Gulf of Mexico region
The teams began their projects on October 1, 2023 and will receive up to five years of funding.
The 10 selected projects are located across the Gulf and include representatives from universities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Click through to read about each project.
Read More at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
