Biden-Harris Administration Makes $95 Million Available for Fish Passage as Part of Investing in America agenda

Removal of Holmes Dam from Town Brook in Plymouth Massachusetts in 2018. Credit: Hawk Visuals.

Today, NOAA Fisheries is announcing two funding opportunities totaling $95 million through President Biden's Investing in America agenda to support new fish passage projects, with one focused on tribes. Projects will help protect and restore migrating fish and their habitats, and support communities and economies that depend on these resources.

"Thanks to President Biden's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment will further NOAA's efforts to work with partners to bolster safe passage for migratory fish, ensure healthy and sustainable fisheries, support local economies, and help boost communities' resilience to climate change," said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Every year, millions of fish attempt to migrate to their spawning and rearing habitats to reproduce. They are often blocked from completing their journey by human-made barriers, such as dams and culverts. When fish cannot reach their habitat, they cannot reproduce and maintain or grow their populations. Fish passageprojects reopen these pathways and are important for the protection and restoration of migrating fish and their habitats.

The two funding opportunities announced today are:

• The $75 million Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity, which will fund projects that reopen migratory pathways and restore access to healthy habitat for fish across the coasts and Great Lakes.
• The $20 million Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal Notice of Funding Opportunity, which will support tribes and tribal organizations in implementing fish passage work and building tribal capacity to sustain these efforts.

"These investments reflect a continuation of decades of work by NOAA Fisheries to recover threatened and endangered migratory fish and support the sustainability of commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries," said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. "Our work with tribal organizations to improve fish passage is vital for building long-term tribal capacity to sustain and manage culturally significant resources and habitats."

These competitions will prioritize projects that demonstrate a broad base of community support. Projects developed with inclusive practices that incorporate meaningful strategies to engage a diverse range of community groups, including tribes and underserved communities, will also be prioritized.

Tribes are eligible to apply to both funding opportunities, to support barrier removal efforts that benefit tribally-important migratory fish and to build tribal organizational capacity to participate in developing current and future fish passage projects.

NOAA's Office of Habitat Conservationhas run four funding opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. To date, the program has funded 214 awards totaling $985 million through these competitions.

The application deadline for the Restoring Fish Passage through Barrier Removal funding opportunity is February 10, 2025 and the deadline for applications for the Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passagefunding opportunity is February 27, 2025. Additional information is available on the NOAA Fisheries website.

Media contact

James Miller, [email protected], (202) 579-4849