The NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Climate Program Office and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Science and Technology have established a partnership to advance understanding of climate-related impacts on fish or other species that support economically important fisheries. The goal is to inform sustainable fisheries management and promote resilience of the nation’s fish stocks and fisheries in a changing climate.

For FY17, this OAR/NMFS partnership, through the Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Program, will continue to take a regional approach to improving the resilience and adaptation of fisheries in a changing climate by soliciting proposals under two competitions. The first competition solicits proposals for projects in the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and the second competition solicits proposals for projects in the Northeast Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (NESLME). Through this announcement, it is estimated that approximately $2.2 million will be available in FY2017 for new awards pending budget appropriations. For competition I, projects can request up to $700,000 a year for three years, for a total of $2.1 million over three years. For competition II, projects can request up to $500,000 a year for three years for a total of $1.5 million over three years.