Although prevention is the most effective approach to eliminate or reduce the threat of invasive species, early detection and rapid response (edrr) serves as a failsafe when prevention measures are…

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species (CFDA 15.608) program provides $560,000 to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) to establish a regional rapid response fund for aquatic invasive species. The award will support PSMFC, in coordination with the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, in reviewing and selecting projects related to the planning, delineation, or deployment of response measures targeting invasive species in defined locations. This effort aims to create greater efficiencies in the operation of the national rapid response fund, which was previously administered directly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The award period runs from December 15, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

Although prevention is the most effective approach to eliminate or reduce the threat of invasive species, early detection and rapid response (edrr) serves as a failsafe when prevention measures are ineffective or unavailable. To support edrr efforts, a national regional rapid response fund was administered in fiscal years 2023 2024 administered within the existing authorities of the U.S. Fish and wildlife services fish and aquatic conservation program and coordinated though the aquatic nuisance species task force (anstf). In an effort to create greater efficiencies in the operation of the rapid response fund, the national rapid response fund is evolving to operate at the regional level. The pacific states marine fisheries commission in conjunction with the western regional panel on aquatic nuisance species established under the anstf will pilot this model by establishing a process to review and select projects that are associated with the planning, delineation, or deployment of response measures that target a species in a defined location. The panel will use the model process: rapid response fund for aquatic invasive species, approved by the ANS task force in 2023 as a foundation for this process, including eligibility of applicants, taxa, and activities as well as merit criteria for project evaluation.