August 30, 2021

Commercial fishing vessels at Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle.

NOAA Sea Grant awarded California, Oregon and Washington Sea Grants $599,988 for a project to help address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the West Coast seafood industry. The project seeks to enhance seafood availability along the U.S. West Coast by developing marketing resources and infrastructure and conducting associated trainings for West Coast seafood providers and handlers; improve seafood access by increasing public knowledge; increase utilization of (and support for) seafood through a public awareness campaign; and strengthen the stability of the seafood system through evaluation, modification and sharing of project efforts.

This is one of 13 projects selected by NOAA Sea Grant to strengthen seafood resources, which will cumulatively $2.9 million for up to two years of implementation. Grant recipients must match 50 percent of their funding with non-federal funds.The selected projects continue NOAA Sea Grant’s efforts initiated via FY2020 COVID-19 rapid response funding; support or promote the use of aquaculture products to restore wild fisheries, marketing, food security, consumer awareness and acceptance of seafood products, workforce development, tourism, and human health resources including mental health; and encourage partnerships with industry through extension, communication, education, research, or a combination of these activities.

Download a full list of funded projects and descriptions here.

“Sea Grant supports sustainable seafood and the coastal and Great Lakes communities whose livelihoods and economies depend on seafood,” said Jonathan Pennock, director of NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. “As businesses and communities recover from the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, these projects will provide valuable knowledge and new resources to help strengthen the U.S. seafood industry now and into the future.”

Last year’s COVID-19 rapid response funding supported projects including research that purchased farm-fresh seafood originally intended for local restaurants and repurposed it to restore aquatic and marine environments. Learn more in Sea Grant’s Relief that Restores interactive storymap.