NOAA Habitat Restoration and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

NOAA received $167 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to restore coastal habitat and help jump-start the nation’s economy by supporting thousands of jobs. After a rigorous review of more than 800 proposals, we chose 50 projects spread over 22 states and two territories.  The awarded projects planned to restore 8,700 acres, open 700 miles to fish migration and spawning, and remove 850 metric tons of marine debris.  So what actually resulted from the 50 most “ready” restoration projects from across the U.S. in the spring of 2009?

We will present the fisheries community with an overview of our ARRA program, accomplishments, and lessons learned about mid- to large-scale restoration.