This award will provide funding to deploy emerging and advanced technology for collecting data that will inform real-time fisheries management for the smith river watershed, a watershed known for some…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $300,000 to the Tolowa Dee-Ni Nation under the Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) to deploy emerging and advanced technology for collecting fisheries data in the Smith River Watershed of Northern California. The project, which commenced September 1, 2025, and concludes September 30, 2026, focuses on investigating cost-effective technologies to estimate salmon abundance and inform real-time fisheries management decisions. This initiative directly addresses critical data gaps regarding Chinook salmon population decline and supports the tribe's capacity to manage commercial and recreational fisheries within the watershed.

The grant supports Pacific Salmon Treaty Program objectives by providing administrative and technical assistance to fulfill U.S. international commitments while enhancing sustainable salmon fisheries management. By implementing lower-cost data collection methodologies, the award enables the Tolowa Dee-Ni Nation to better understand salmon population dynamics and develop evidence-based management strategies that sustain healthy Pacific salmon populations, support domestic seafood industry operations and fisheries employment, and serve the needs of local communities dependent on the salmon fishery.

This award will provide funding to deploy emerging and advanced technology for collecting data that will inform real-time fisheries management for the smith river watershed, a watershed known for some of the best salmon fishing opportunities in northern california. The purpose of this financial award is to investigate new technologies to estimate salmon abundance at a lower cost to inform fishery management decisions. Healthy and sustainable populations of pacific salmon are key to the U.S. Commercial fisheries and to the integrity of the domestic seafood supply chain. If this action is not approved, the tribe will not have adequate information regarding the decline of chinook salmon to inform commercial and recreational fisheries within the smith river watershed of california. This financial award will go towards supporting the U.S. Seafood industry, fisheries jobs, and local communities by addressing critical data gaps to pacific salmon, utilizing less expensive technology, and streamlining efforts to allow the tribal government to better understand, plan for, and ultimately address the needs of U.S. Citizens for domestic fishing.