The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded about US$15.6 million (~14.2 million Euros) in grants to four teams to do research on coastal and marine resources in the Gulf of Mexico area.
According to NOAA:
“These projects will increase our understanding of how shellfish, fish, birds, and marine mammals use the Gulf of Mexico and will provide valuable information to Gulf of Mexico resource managers.”
The five-year projects include:
* Mississippi State University (US$3.9 million) “investigating fire effects in Gulf of Mexico marshes”;
* University of South Alabama ($2.9 million) “exploring how oyster, blue crab, and spotted seatrout populations respond to environmental change”;
* Nova Southeatern University ($2.8 million) “linking historic data with new data to detect trends in pelagic and deep sea fauna”; and
* Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute ($6 million) “characterizing variability in reef fish communities and their habitats.”
NOAA continued:
“These awards continue the Science Program’s commitment to producing timely and high-quality scientific findings and products to support the management and sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries.”
For more info about the winning grants, check out NOAA’s RESTORE Science Program website.
