The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded a nearly $3.3 million grant to the Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory at the University of Hawai'i, it was announced today by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.

The grant will be used for research in waters off the main and northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

In addition to the $3,273,459 grant, the university was awarded two other ocean-related grants from NOAA.

One is for $250,000 to develop hatchery and nursery protocols for the commercial production of pink snapper or opakapaka. The other is for $120,000 to continue research on reducing sea turtle bycatch. The program has been expanded to study bycatch mitigation on sharks.