Over $10 million in grants was awarded to 27 projects dedicated to benefiting the state’s salmon habitats, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this week.

The grants, amounting to $10.7 million, were awarded through the agency’s Fisheries Restoration Grant Program for the restoration, enhancement and protection of anadromous salmonid habitats, and to reverse the declines of Pacific salmon and steelhead throughout California and surrounding states.

In response to the 2020 Fisheries Habitat Restoration Grant Solicitation, CDFW received 80 proposals requesting more than $40.6 million in funding. Following a rigorous technical review, 27 projects were selected to receive the funding, officials said in a release on Tuesday.

The 27 approved projects will further state and federal fisheries recovery plans, including removing barriers to fish migration, restoring riparian habitat, monitoring of listed populations, and creating a more resilient and sustainably managed water resources system that can better withstand drought conditions.

“The ongoing momentum to restore California’s habitat for these historic species hasn’t stopped as we face a global pandemic and devastating wildfires,” CDFW director Charlton Bonham said.