SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE NEARLY $2 MILLION IN OCEANIC INFORMATION COLLECTION FUNDING

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced $1,949,217 in federal funding to maintain and enhance the information collection abilities of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS). The grant was awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

"This federal funding will assist in the maintenance of identifying and delivering vital information on the state of ocean conditions in the Gulf of Maine," Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. "Fisheries scientists and managers can use the information to predict ocean conditions linked to productivity that can better predict sea conditions to know when and where to go safely. It also helps to ensure that assembled research will address environmental ocean transformations and the necessary management in future years."

The Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System works to collect information on the ocean conditions in the Gulf of Maine using a network of data collection buoys. The data collected by GoMOOS is then made available to fishermen, scientists, public officials, and others who can benefit from information about ocean conditions in the Gulf of Maine.

###