A $34 million boost in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding towards grants, cooperative institutes, contracts and federal employment is going into modernising NOAA Fisheries’ data, infrastructure and workforce.
‘Rapidly changing oceanic conditions, such as shifts in marine species’ distribution and abundance greatly impacts businesses and coastal communities that rely on these resources,’ said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
‘This investment, made possible thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, will help modernise data delivery in support of the fishing industry.’
This effort aims to meet the pace of climate-related mission demands and is a key component of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
NOAA is tackling the challenge of understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on coastal and marine resources, while striving to safeguard habitats, restore endangered species and build healthier and more resilient ecosystems.
This investment will optimise workflows and integrate technological advancements such as cloud computing and Open Science solutions to ensure data accessibility. It will also fund training efforts to reskill the workforce — preparing them to adopt new technologies that provide open, accessible and responsive information systems that meet rapidly evolving mission demands associated with climate change. Modernising NOAA Fisheries’ data systems will streamline access to digital information, giving fishing industry practitioners the real-time tools they need to make decisions and advance sustainability in the face of climate change.
‘NOAA Fisheries’ short-term data modernization efforts will drive significant long-term changes by enhancing our capacity to deliver mission-critical information, meeting survey and fishery data requirements and transition into a modern data era,’ said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.
‘This investment aligns with NOAA Fisheries’ existing data work, supplements appropriated funding and supports other regional priority efforts.’
Projects will build on longstanding cooperative institute partnerships with universities across the country to provide scientific and analytical expertise. Using advanced technology and integrating social science will create more accessible and dependable data collection platforms and tools for the future.
NOAA Fisheries is beginning the distribution of these funds by awarding the organisation Openscapes approximately $1 million to support the adoption of open science practices, which will help modernise the way NOAA Fisheries collaborates on data-intensive science and improve the efficiency and quality of their scientific products.
This funding is part of the historic $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments to NOAA, first announced in June 2023, which is focused on ensuring communities and economies are ready for and resilient to the effects of climate change.
