Cantwell Secures New Federal Funding for Orca Recovery Research
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today announced new federal funding for research to help understand the decline in the Southern Resident orca population in Puget Sound and nearby waters.
"We know that orca population in the Northwest is in trouble," Cantwell said. "These research funds will help us understand the reasons why orca population has declined by twenty percent in the last six years."
The final version of the recently approved budget included $750,000 in additional funding for orca research to be conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These funds, which were included in NOAA’s FY 2003 final budget, may be used for research into orca genetics and other areas to help understand the orca population decline.
Senator Cantwell requested the funding in early February following NMFS’s January 30, 2003 proposal to list the orca population as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. A depleted designation under MMPA would expand federal protection for orcas under current law. The new research funds announced today can be used to help develop a conservation plan under a final MMPA depleted designation.
The additional $750,000 in federal funds will complement state funds announced by Governor Gary Locke earlier this week for orca recovery.
# # #Next Article Previous Article
