Fiscal Year 2023 Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is seeking projects that improve understanding of the links between habitat condition, water quality, and living resources, and develop innovative approaches for evaluating the success of nearshore habitat restoration in enhancing fish communities and providing ecosystem resilience in response to climate change. The program has two priority areas: applied science investigating the impacts of climate change, habitat quality, and/or changing environmental variables on fish and shellfish resources, and innovative methods to assess the effectiveness of nearshore habitat restoration. Projects should seek to employ and educate undergraduate or graduate students from groups underrepresented in marine science careers. Some key points to consider: • The program aims to support NOAA Fisheries Ecosystem Based Fisheries Policy and Road Map and the Chesapeake Bay Program’s 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. • The program seeks to establish a strong understanding of the Chesapeake Bay system, including species, habitat, and ecosystem information. • Projects should have clear federal-state management applications linked to fishery management plans. • The program encourages proposals involving institutions that work in underserved areas, such as historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities.