Hawai'i Marine Wildlife Response, Outreach, and Population Monitoring Program is sponsored by NOAA Fisheries. This program supports priorities related to in-field response, educational outreach, management, recovery, population monitoring, conservation, and habitat use for Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and spinner dolphins in the state of Hawaiʻi.

2024 Pacific Islands Region Grants | NOAA Fisheries 2024 Pacific Islands Region Grants The NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office awarded more than $7 million in grants to 14 partner agencies and organizations in 2024. A revetment project funded through the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund will help stabilize the shoreline for community access and vessel activity in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Credit: NOAA Fisheries In fiscal year 2024 (FY24), NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office funded $7,023,719 in grants and cooperative agreements to support the NOAA Fisheries mission. We issued the awards through competitive and non-competitive financial assistance programs .

Recipients of the federal awards included 14 U.S. and international agencies and organizations from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Hawai‘i, and the greater Pacific. Below is the complete list of projects funded for FY24 organized by grant program.

2024 Grant Highlights Handout ( PDF , 3 pages) 2024 Project Summaries ( PDF , 13 pages) Western Pacific Fishery Management Council The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council prepares, monitors, and revises fishery management plans for domestic and foreign fishing within the 200-mile U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

Cooperative Agreement – $4,708,411 Base Administration and Operations $4,026,311 Annual Catch Limits Implementation $197,528 Council Peer Review $142,075 Council Scholarship/Internship Program $25,000 Magnuson-Stevens Act Implementation $89,235 National Environmental Policy Act Implementation $88,998 SAFE Report Coordinator $60,000 Scientific and Statistical Committee Stipends $55,764 Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review $23,500 Sustainable Fisheries Fund – $1,101,780 The Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund supports projects identified under approved Marine Conservation Plans for U.S. territories.

American Samoa – $353,625 U.S. Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship Program Motorboat Operator Certification Course Training Marine Conservation Plan Coordinator Vertical Longlining and Giant Squid Fishing Workshops Enhancing Public Awareness on American Samoa Fisheries Pathway to Fishing Courses Seaweed Supply Chain Enhancement Marine Conservation Plan for American Samoa Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands – $748,815 U.S. Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship Program Fishery Development Kirida Vessel Garapan Revetment Phase 3 Renovation of Department of Land and Natural Resources Lower Facility Marine Conservation Plan Coordinator Marine Conservation Plan for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Hawai‘i Marine Wildlife Response, Outreach, and Population Monitoring Program The Hawai‘i Marine Wildlife Response, Outreach, and Population Monitoring Program supports priorities related to in-field response, educational outreach, management, recovery, population monitoring, conservation, and habitat use for Hawaiian monk seals, sea turtles, and spinner dolphins in the state of Hawaiʻi.

Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response Hawaiian Monk Seal and Sea Turtle Management Support, Field Response, and Outreach on Oʻahu Population Monitoring and Conservation of Hawaiian Hawksbill Sea Turtles on Hawaiʻi Island Strengthening Hawaiian Monk Seal Response and Community Engagement on Hawai‘i Island Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response Hawaiian Monk Seal Management Support, Field Response, and Outreach on Moloka‘i Building Hawaiian Monk Seal Response and Community Engagement on Maui Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute Sea Turtle Management Support, Field Response, and Outreach on Maui Mālama i n ā Honu Mālama i n ā Honu Sea Turtle Management and Outreach Project $18,000 Hawai'i Preparatory Academy Hawai'i Marine Wildlife Response and Educational Outreach $4,920 Marine Turtle Management and Conservation Program The Marine Turtle Management and Conservation Program implements the recovery plans for the U.S. Pacific sea turtle populations by supporting programmatic and recovery activities for ESA-listed sea turtle species.

Securing Co-Management of Leatherback Turtle Nesting Beaches in Solomon Islands World Wildlife Fund, Inc. Implementing a Strategy to Address the Direct Take of Leatherback Sea Turtles in the Kei Islands, Indonesia—Phase 2 World Wildlife Fund, Inc. Leatherback Sea Turtle Nesting Dynamics in the Maluku Region Sea Turtle Association of Japan North Pacific Loggerhead Conservation: Nesting and Threat Assessment Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines, Inc. Olive Ridley Turtles in the Philippines: Collection and Centralization of Data to Support the National Action Plan for Marine Turtle Conservation in the Philippines and Regional Stock Assessment Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community Program The Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community Program aims to provide continuous opportunities for the sharing of information, expertise, practice, and experience to develop and strengthen site-based and ecosystem based management capacity throughout the region.

Improve Coral Reef Ecosystem-Based Management for the Pacific Island Managed and Protected Area Community Network Marine Education and Training Program The Marine Education and Training Program supports programs that will improve communication, education, and training on marine resource issues throughout the region and increase scientific education for marine-related professions among coastal community residents, including indigenous Pacific Islanders, Native Hawaiians, and other underrepresented groups in the region.

Hawai‘i Academy of Science Hawaiʻi State Science & Engineering Fair Federal Programs Office Annual Grant Reports Nominate Members for the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council Fishing from a private boat. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Good News Stories for Endangered Species Day 2026 Adult female and male steelhead. Credit: NOAA Fisheries Is It a Dolphin or a Porpoise?

At first glance, dolphins and porpoises look similar. Taking a closer look, there are some general differences that distinguish these animals. See the common bottlenose dolphin (left) and harbor porpoise (right) pictured above.

Pacific Islands Regional Office