News

The Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) requests proposals for projects that will advance fish habitat conservation and restoration along the West Coast. PMEP is seeking project proposals that restore, enhance, or protect habitats for PMEP focal species within nearshore marine and estuarine systems (with an emphasis on habitat connectivity) or proposals that increase our understanding of fish habitats in estuarine and nearshore marine waters.

The project, or portion of a project, that PMEP funds must be completed within two years of receipt of funding and all PMEP funding and matching funds should be spent during that time. Project sponsors should assume that funding will be received in Summer of 2024.

Strong project proposals that request less than $100,000 will be given precedence in an effort to fund a diverse portfolio of projects. However, proposals of particular merit may be funded at a higher level at the discretion of the review panel. Please refer to the full RFP for more details.

All projects must show 1:1 non-federal financial match with the exception of projects proposed by tribal sponsors.

How to Apply

To apply for funding, interested applicants should complete and submit the online application. Please read the full RFP for instructions regarding what information to include and the preferred format for information. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The deadline for project proposal submissions is 5:00PM Pacific Time, Friday, February 17, 2023.

Find the Request for Proposals with application instructions HERE.

PMEP is proud to announce that the Neskowin Fish Passage Improvement Project was selected by the National Fish Habitat Partnership as a 2022 Waters to Watch project! A project of the Nestucca, Neskowin & Sand Lake Watersheds Council, the project received  PMEP funding in 2020, and the project was completed in 2022.

The project included a strong partnership with the Tillamook County Public Works Department and restored fish passage within the Neskowin Estuary-Wetland complex benefiting multiple species including ESA listed Coho salmon at the same time providing emergency egress to the local community during flooding events. The project increased access to 250 acres of riverine estuary, tidal scrub/shrub and tidal forest wetland rearing habitat and 5 miles of spawning habitat for Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, Chum salmon, Steelhead trout, Pacific lamprey, and Cutthroat trout. The project replaced three undersized culverts and two tidegates with two 32’ bridges sized to meet federal and state fish passage requirements.

The Waters to Watch Program highlights ten outstanding fish habitat restoration projects nationwide to focus attention on rivers, streams and shores that will be cleaner and healthier habitats for the many fish and wildlife species and people who call these areas home

You can read about this and the other Waters to Watch projects here.

PMEP is delighted to announce that the State of the Knowledge of U.S. West Coast Nearshore Habitat Use by Fish Assemblages and Select Invertebrates report and data products are now available!

PMEP has compiled standardized spatial data on nearshore habitats within defined nearshore zones to reflect what we know about nearshore habitat classification and extent along the entire U.S. West Coast. PMEP developed the Nearshore Project with three main objectives:

1. Define and map boundaries for delineating nearshore zones along the U.S. West Coast.
2. Compile and standardize spatial data on nearshore habitats within defined nearshore zones.
3. Produce a state-of-the-knowledge report on U.S. West Coast nearshore fish and invertebrate habitats.

Nearshore areas are delineated by PMEP ecoregions, which include the Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest, Central California, and Southern California Bight. Each ecoregion section describes the habitats by nearshore zones, fish assemblages, and invertebrate use. Nearshore habitat data from multiple sources was standardized using the Coastal Marine Ecological Classification System (CMECS).

The report and data products provide a baseline for investigating changes, shifts, and adaptations of habitats for nearshore marine species along the entire U.S. West Coast. The geodatabase includes feature classes of nearshore zones and biotic and substrate habitat layers, and the data products are designed for use by resource managers, restoration practitioners, and researchers.

Please check it out!

Photo credit: A. Obaza, Paua Marine Research Group