FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Aquatic Habitat Conservation Projects
The Hawaiʻi Fish Habitat Partnership is seeking pre-proposals for aquatic habitat conservation projects that benefit native aquatic life and sustainable uses of streams, estuaries, wetlands, and nearshore marine habitats across the main Hawaiian Islands. Projects may be eligible for up to $100,000 in funding, with a minimum 1:1 non-federal match required. On-the-ground habitat restoration and fish passage projects are the highest priority, particularly “shovel-ready” projects that address Hawaiʻi FHP conservation goals. Pre-proposals are due September 11, 2026, with selected applicants invited to develop full proposals.
Our mission is to protect and restore Hawaiʻi's inland and nearshore ecosystems — from mountain streams and estuaries to nearshore coral reefs.
A ridge-to-reef approach to conservation
Recognized nationally in 2009, the Hawaiʻi FHP brings together government agencies, non-profits, local communities, and private landowners to tackle habitat degradation that no single organization could solve alone.
Tools for partners and landowners
Together with partners across the state, we're restoring habitats for aquatic resources and supporting communities that depend on them.
The partnership’s primary goal is to support abundant native species while preserving the cultural and subsistence connections native Hawaiians and all Hawaiʻi residents have with their aquatic resources. Through practical, on-the-ground projects, the Hawaiʻi FHP removes barriers to fish migration, controls invasive plants, improves water quality, and engages local students and volunteers in conservation work.
A diverse partnership
Landscape-scale restoration
The Hawaiʻi FHP is committed to implementing habitat restoration at the appropriate landscape scale to achieve real conservation benefits, coordinating funding from multiple sources.
National Support
Funding is coordinated in part through direct support from the National Fish Habitat Partnership. Visit fishhabitatfund.org to learn more about the national network.
Key threats to fish habitat in Hawaiʻi
- Instream structures and barriers, including stream diversions, dams, channel alteration, and road crossings
- Introduced aquatic invasive species
- Urbanization resulting in polluted runoff, altered streamflows, and loss of freshwater and coastal marine/coral reef habitat
- Suspended sediment input from agriculture, fallow plantation lands, and forest management
- Poorly regulated harvesting of fish and invertebrates for consumption and retail sale
- Recreational overuse, including trampling on reefs and other tourism-related impacts
- Feral ungulate impacts, including trampling, uprooting, vegetation change, and soil erosion
- In-stream flow requirements sufficient to protect biological integrity not yet established statewide
Hawaiʻi Fish Habitat Partnership projects
Featured Projects
Fish Passage Restoration — Waiheʻe Stream, Oʻahu
UH-Hawaiian Internship Program — Fisheries Technician Support
Hawaiʻi Statewide Fish Passage Barriers Inventory
By The Numbers
Our Impact
Projects Completed
40+
Stream Miles Restored
150+
Watersheds Improved
20+
Direct Federal Funding
$5M+
Fish Passage Barriers Addressed
20+
Total Conservation Investment
$30M+
Our Strategic Plan
A critical management goal is the removal of migration barriers to allow fish passage between upper watersheds and the sea. The Partnership is supporting on-the-ground restoration including removal of barriers to native fish and invertebrate migration, controlling invasive riparian vegetation, improving water quality in coastal areas, and contributing to educational programs and outreach. Partners include local watershed coalitions, private landowners, federal and state agencies, and Native Hawaiian groups.
