The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) was created by Congress under Title IV of H.R. 2107, signed into law on November 14, 1997 as P.L. 105-83 and codified as 43 U.S.C. §1474d. The Board was established in 2001. The Board is authorized to recommend marine research to the Secretary of Commerce to be funded through a competitive grant program using part of the interest earned from the Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund (EIRF) created under 43 U.S.C. §1474d. The EIRF was part of a large settlement by the U.S. Supreme Court pertaining to a land dispute in the Arctic known as Dinkum Sands. The enabling legislation requires the funds to be used to conduct research on or relating to the fisheries or marine ecosystems in the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. NPRB must strive to avoid duplicating other research and must emphasize research designed to address pressing fishery management issues or marine ecosystem information needs.