Kodiak, Alaska #2 fishing port in the US
The national Saltonstall Kennedy grant competition – ongoing since 1954 – wants simplified pre-proposals for its annual backing of projects that focus on US fishing and marketing. The money – about $145 million most years – comes from a tax paid to the U.S. Customs Service on all seafood imports. About $12 million will fund the SK grants this year which range from $25,000 to $300,000 over two years. The popular program is always top heavy with academic and state applicants but it hopes to broaden its range –
“What we’ve done over the past two years is we’ve tried to open the door and make it more accessible to everybody and make it so you don’t have to be a large grant writing organization that’s got professional grant writers. We have individuals, industry for and non pro profits. We are very broad and very glad that we can reach out to such a large segment of our constituents.”
Dan Namur is director of external funding for NOAA Fisheries. dan.namur@noaa.gov,
“What we’re really trying to do, we’re seeking applications that would demonstrate a direct benefit to the US fishing industry and we are encouraging proposals that have a lot of involvement from fishing communities. “
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Being called for now are two page project write ups with a focus on four areas, including marine aquaculture and seafood marketing –
“We’re looking at everything from applications that are marketing existing fisheries to make sure we are competing strongly against imports as well as those would develop a new fishery that maybe could be marketed. Whether it’s a fish that is underutilized or currently a non targeted fish that could be marketed for consumption. As well as branching out and reaching into some areas that we’re currently not tapping as well as we could.”
Another focus is environmental changes and impacts on fishing communities –
“And that could be the changes that are physically happening in the environment and how that’s affecting the fishing community. It also could be what the effects are socio-economic wise – whether or not it’s having major impacts on the working waterfront, the communities and the actual individuals who live there.”
A fourth priority is territorial science.
“We’re really looking for better enhancement of information and data collection for data poor areas. One of the things we found in our territories whether in the places like the Western Pacific or the Caribbean, we need better data to make really solid management decisions.”
Deadline for the pre-proposals is October 10.
A free Alaska webinar is set for tomorrow, August 31 at 10:30am Alaska time to tell more about Saltonstall Kennedy grants and take questions.
Webinar Number 390 518 688
Password: bhvKu5fM
For audio: 1-888-324-7510
Pass Code: 9049975
