The Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA)

Authorization  

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act—Cooperation of agencies (16 U.S.C. §661) 

Background  

The Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA) (Public Law 106-502) of 2000 was established with the goals of decreasing fish mortality associated with the withdrawal of water for irrigation and other purposes without impairing the continued withdrawal of water for those purposes; and to decrease the incidence of juvenile and adult fish entering water supply systems.  

FRIMA is a voluntary fish screening and passage program targeted to Pacific Ocean drainage areas of Idaho, western Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Eligible projects include fish screens, fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage devices, and related inventories by the States. FRIMA was Reauthorized in FY2009.  

Objectives 

Funds provided to NFPP for the implementation of FRIMA will support the development, improvement, or installation of fish screens, fish passage devices and related features to mitigate impacts on fisheries associated with irrigation water system diversions in Pacific Ocean drainages in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and California. 

Source of Funds  

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 provided $5 million to the National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) for the implementation of FRIMA and added the Pacific Ocean drainage areas of California as eligible for FRIMA funds. 

The National Fish Passage Program (NFPP) is a voluntary program that provides direct technical and financial assistance to partners to remove instream barriers and restore aquatic organism passage and aquatic connectivity for the benefit of Federal trust resources. In doing so, NFPP aims to maintain or increase fish populations to improve ecosystem resiliency and provide quality fishing experiences for the American people. 

The NFPP is delivered through the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program (FAC). We use our staff and cooperative partnerships to provide: (1) information on habitat needs of fish and other aquatic species; (2) methods for fish to bypass barriers; (3) technical support to review project designs and recommend the most cost-effective techniques; (4) assistance to partners in planning and prioritizing fish passage projects; and (5) assistance in fulfilling environmental compliance requirements. 

Get Started 

Full eligibility requirements and submission guidelines are available on Grants.gov. Initial proposals should be developed and submitted in coordination with FWS field and regional staff following regional processes and submitted by September 30, 2024.